Travel Tips (Monday)

Category Archives for Travel Tips (Monday).

Amtrak goes Electronic

Amtrak, the US Rail system has some of the most archaic ticketing systems of any rail system in the world. One element of their system is that you have needed a paper ticket to ride. Not anymore. As of last Monday,  Amtrak passengers may print out their own tickets at home or download them to their smartphone or tablet. Yes, E tickets have arrived on trains, only years after airlines abolished paper tickets. The system was trialled in California and had a massive uptake. I have been generally using the electronic ticketing machines at stations which…

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Instant Upgrade Please

I like sharing some of the wackier things I see when travelling. A passenger on my Air France flight last week, moved himself from Economy to Business Class just on pushback from the gate. The flight attendant very swiftly chased the passenger back to the economy section. A few seconds later, while the plane was stil taxiing to the runway, the same passenger moved himself into an exit row seat (middle seat actually). I had a few questions: 1. Was this a regular trick he tries?  If so, does it ever work? 2. Was he not aware…

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Travel Tip: Walk

When planning a trip for a day, list the attractions you want to see in a city or area. Then group them by locality. Plan your itinerary for a day so you can walk between attractions. You will save money and time and see a lot more than from a taxi, bus or subway. Just make sure you pack good shoes!   Related Posts: Travel Tip #6: Take Travel Insurance     Travel Tip #7: Be Date Flexible .

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Travel Tip #7: Be Date Flexible

I am trying to identify the Top things I do to save me money when flying! Be flexible with dates. By doing so, airfares and accommodation prices can vary enormously. My Dad found on one occasion when booking an airfare found that the same fare was $1495 one day and $3050 the next. The difference? School holidays! When I book flights I always try to use the tools that let me see fares over a week. For example:  kayak.com allows you to search for airfares three days before and three days after a selected date. Related Posts: Travel Tip #3…

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Travel Tip: Take Travel Insurance

Do I really need to suggest that if people travel, then they need some??? Apparently yes!  The horror stories of people flying without insurance and have something go really wrong, continue to float around. I spend about $500 to $600 per year for a one year policy that covers me everywhere in the world. I have claimed twice. One for medical care in the USA that had more zeros in the medical bill than I liked and once for a hire car accident. I feel my insurance investment was worth it. I wonder how my…

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Travel Tip: Back up Your Documents

Photocopy and scan your key identity documents eg Birth Certificate passport or drivers licence.  I upload a copy to the cloud to my dropbox (a  free service that allows me to store photos and documents). You can use Google docs for the same purpose. You can also send it as an attachment in an email to yourself or your travelling companions. That way if everything you own is lost or stolen, your documentation is always available.  (as long as you remember your password!). Make sure you log out of your email or dropbox when you finish at a public computer. You don’t want someone…

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Travel Tip #4 Treat People with Respect

I had flown in six hours late and found my four star hotel had given my room away. In return, however, they had upgraded me to a five star hotel next door and added a couple of extras.  Grateful for having a bed for the night, I thanked the agent. She said “you are not going to yell at me?” “No”, I replied. “you sorted out the problem and I have a better deal. Why should I yell at you?” She said “The last three guys yelled at me” After apologising on their behalf, I wheeled my suitcase…

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Travel Tip: Don’t Check in baggage

Following on from last week, when I talked about how many toiletries people travel with, I had a very frustrating week with fellow passengers and their luggage . At Melbourne airport, a family of five were checking in, in front of me. They had fifteen bags – for a vacation. They had a huge argument with the check in staff about their baggage allowance. They were claiming the first class luggage allowance whilst travelling in Economy. The check in clerk was not giving it to them despite their posturing and yelling.  The end result of a lot of wasted time, was a re pack…

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Travel Tip: Take No Toiletries

I am amazed at what people carry with them in their as toiletries. Most, if not all of us take too much.  The more toiletries you take means the more space they take and the more weight they create. You have to carry that weight.  These days airlines are tightening up what you check in . If you are paying for your luggage then, you are paying for those toiletries. Should, you try and take them on board the plane, you may find yourself throwing stuff out because you cannot get the items past security courtesy of the 3-1-1 rule that applies to all US domestic flights and many international flights across the world. This rule limits passengers to Liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers three oz/ 100 ml or less, Items being in one, clear plastic zip-top bag, and Only one zip-top bag per passenger. So my goal and suggestion is to cut back on toiletries. Taking none is impossible. . Here are my 4Rs for travelling with toiletries: Reduce what you take to one of every item. Do you really need three body washes, perfumes or aftershaves? Remember shampoo, soap and body wash are available in your hotel. The stuff they give away  in most 3, 4 and 5 star hotels is perfectly acceptable. No, it may not be the brand you are used to but the point of travel is to try and new things. Reassure yourself that  most toiletries are available universally around the world. If you are going to backpack in Cuba or Togo, that may be a different proposition. I used to carry around a roll of toilet paper – for years- I never used it.…

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