What are things you do when you travel that you are surprised others do not do?
Apr 18, 2018, 8:03 am
#121
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,088
I've done it. Usually only during peak flu season. Not just the tables but also the arm rests. I'm usually fairly close to first in Group 2 so I do it immediately when I get to my seat.
Apr 18, 2018, 8:09 am
#122
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,088
Once you exceed about a week, it’s time to do laundry rather than to pack more stuff. My wife and I went on an entire three week honeymoon with only a carryon, and it wasn’t a problem at all. If you’re gone for that length of time, it’s likely at least some of your accommodations will be apartment rentals they have laundry facilities (and if not, you should be able to find a laundromat with minimal effort).
And to preempt the next objection, we spent half the trip in Fiji and half in New Zealand - about as far apart at the time as climates could get. Careful layering is the name of the game for flexible packing. And if you don’t get it right, it’s usually easy to buy something extra at your destination - I will cop to buying a souvenir All Blacks jacket to cope with Windy Wellington
If you or someone you travel with is having trouble editing down the clothing selection, I’d recommend ExOfficio’s products. They aren’t cheap, but unlike most travel outfitters many of their pieces are stealthy enough to cover you from daytime travel to nighttime dinner reservations without a problem. Choosing good footwear is important too - for ladies, in particu
lar, limiting to a max of 1-2 packed pairs that are versatile in addition to wearing your bulkiest on the plane is smart.
And we've never sailed without our luggage due to the airline losing it.
Apr 18, 2018, 8:10 am
#123
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Look, I love paper maps and often carry one with me when travelling, but an offline version of google maps (or any other digital mapping product) is very different, with different strengths and weaknesses.
Also, try carrying a map of London in your pocket! Another key difference.
Apr 18, 2018, 8:16 am
#124
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
Apr 18, 2018, 8:32 am
#125
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
Programs: SK*G, Lots of Blue Elsewhere
Posts: 13,611
Apr 18, 2018, 8:57 am
#126
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 19
I am dumbstruck when people don't realize that maybe you built in 20 minutes for traffic/subway delays, 15 minutes for bag check delays, 30 minutes for TSA fustercluck, and an additional 10 minutes to get food b/c your 6pm flight has only pretzels, and yes -- this is why you might have arrived 2h prior.
Apr 18, 2018, 9:26 am
#128
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: AAdvantage, Skymiles
Posts: 156
I'm one of those that believes that as long as you're living within generally accepted conditions of Western civilization (fully cooked meats, no dead bodies left to rot on your front lawn, etc....), then the extra sanitizing doesn't help much, if at all.
Apr 18, 2018, 9:47 am
#129
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
I always prefer printed boarding passes.
Since I've been collecting all boardings since 1989, I prefer to have paper boarding, not digital.
In the case of boarding pass printed on thermal paper I make a copy in regular paper when I arrive at home and file together with the others.
Since I've been collecting all boardings since 1989, I prefer to have paper boarding, not digital.
In the case of boarding pass printed on thermal paper I make a copy in regular paper when I arrive at home and file together with the others.
This.
BP's on the phone only cause trouble because inevitably, someone forgets where it is, or has trouble calling it up, and then it won't scan etc etc and it holds up the line. If people used them properly, this would be less of a problem, but they never do.
Paper is easier. And it is not dependent on keeping the phone charged, entering a PIN or any of the other extra steps needed for this technology that supposedly makes things easier.
Apr 18, 2018, 10:21 am
#131
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Central Colorado
Programs: Delta, United, American, Norwegian, Southwest, Frontier, Bonvoy
Posts: 182
(8) Ok now a weird thing...when packing I usually just take shirts, pants, etc. on their hangers and fold them loosely into my suitcase in one big bundle. I don't take them off the hangers or fold them individually. When I arrive on the other end I just open my suitcase and everything is ready to hang up super easily. I find things don't get any more wrinkled than they do when folding individually, and I'm more likely to hang things up quickly upon my arrival (and I don't have to go hunting for hangers, etc.). Things too dirty to be worn again go in the suitcase off-hanger (but I keep the hanger around), so every place I stop I just re-create a mini version of my closet at home basically.
You may think it's weird but I've been doing this for many years.
My thing: Bring something to read. Totally amazed at people who will sit through even a short flight either (a) doing nothing, (b) engaging the person next to them in unwanted conversation, or (c) relying on IFE which may be broken or full of crap.
You may think it's weird but I've been doing this for many years.
My thing: Bring something to read. Totally amazed at people who will sit through even a short flight either (a) doing nothing, (b) engaging the person next to them in unwanted conversation, or (c) relying on IFE which may be broken or full of crap.
Apr 18, 2018, 10:41 am
#132
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,263
I am willing to say "Hi, I'm clueless. What do I need to know about...?" rather than trying to bluff my way through a situation with uncertain decision trees.
Lots of times, there's an assumption in travel that everyone else there is a road warrior or has at least done This enough times to know exactly what you're supposed to do and what expectations are. Plenty of interactions go a lot smoother when the other person learns you're coming from a position of ignorance on how to operate a subway fare card reader or go through immigration in an unfamiliar place or what's expected as a different security checkpoint instead of assuming you're a 'the rules don't apply to me' kind of person.
For international flights- try to make a toilet stop between getting off the plane and hitting an immigration line. You may not have to really go yet, but better to empty things out as much as possible before the point of much standing and waiting.
Lots of times, there's an assumption in travel that everyone else there is a road warrior or has at least done This enough times to know exactly what you're supposed to do and what expectations are. Plenty of interactions go a lot smoother when the other person learns you're coming from a position of ignorance on how to operate a subway fare card reader or go through immigration in an unfamiliar place or what's expected as a different security checkpoint instead of assuming you're a 'the rules don't apply to me' kind of person.
For international flights- try to make a toilet stop between getting off the plane and hitting an immigration line. You may not have to really go yet, but better to empty things out as much as possible before the point of much standing and waiting.
Apr 18, 2018, 11:31 am
#133
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
I'm the opposite. I try to go before landing so I don't get stuck behind an entire 777 worth of passengers. I'm a fast walker and even in Y I can usually overtake much of the plane on my way to the immigration line (assuming an airport with a long walk to immigration). If I stop to go to the bathroom, that guarantees that 80-90% of the plane (could be 200-300 people) will be in front of me.
Apr 18, 2018, 11:59 am
#134
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 19
Some people seem to have no clue that they will need their ID and boarding pass when entering the TSA checkpoint, nor that they'll need to empty their pockets of change, phones, metal objects once they reach the conveyor and detector. There's generally plenty of time while waiting in line to consolidate one's belongings in a purse or carry on rather than spending 2 minutes at the far end of the bin area scrambling and dropping things, and holding up those behind you who are ready to breeze through. Exceptions for those who don't travel often at all, (and I'm not excusing those who are rude to infrequent travelers, there's no call for that), but people should at least glance up from their personal bubble to observe what those ahead of them in line are doing in preparation.
Apr 18, 2018, 12:02 pm
#135
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 19
That's something I wonder about when I travel overseas. "Stand right, walk left" makes sense in the US because it's the same as our driving etiquette-- slower traffic keep right, pass to the left. Obviously in countries where driving is done on the left rather than right side of the road, driving etiquette is the reverse. But is walking etiquette also reversed? My experience in some driving-on-the-left countries has been that pedestrians still use stand-right etiquette.