The other week my boss had to fly to Sydney, Australia for work. And almost every hotel was booked out. The few rooms available were at astronomical prices. The Boardingarea community came to the rescue! Through a brilliant article on Magic of Miles on what to do with non refundable hotel rooms, I discovered Roomer, one of several websites that allows people to sell non refundable hotel rooms. As a result, I found a hotel room at my boss favourite hotel for less than half of what was being asked for. Win for the employee (me). There is…
Travel Tips (Monday)
Category Archives for Travel Tips (Monday).
Five things you must do while waiting for plane
There is a debate in my family over how early to get to the airport. Some family members like to be there four hours before a flight. Not me! I try to balance between spending the least amount of time waiting with having adequate time if something goes wrong. Even with my routines aimed at minimising every second I spend at airports, I still spend way too long waiting for planes! I reckon I have spent close to fifty days of my life waiting for planes at 212 airports around the globe! I have not counted…
Travelling with Books
I am an avid reader. While I live off my electronic gadgets, I still like a real paper book to read on journeys. Watching other people on buses, planes and trains, I know that I am not alone! Books take up space and add weight so here are some of my tips for travelling with books: Before Travel avoid buying books at the airport or train station- rarely will they be discounted-the exception is in the UK where I have found deals such as three books for the price of two! avoid hard covers as they add to…
Staying comfy in Long haul Economy
One of the disadvantages of being based in Australia is that my long distance flights are all very long. And many of my flights have been done in the back of the plane! the reality is that this is where most passengers end up. The hallowed grail of Business or First can be elusive despite our best prayers, wishes and attempts! Here are 12 tips: Do some research- some airlines do long haul better than others. Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Finnair, Lan, Malaysia, Qatar, Qantas, Turkish and Singapore keep me much happier than Air Canada, Air France, American, Delta, Etihad and…
Reducing Lost Luggage Problems
I have had a few bags lost in my travels. There are some things one can do to minimise them. Don’t check in luggage -I do all I can to reduce my total luggage to one carry-on and a small extra bag Choose an airline that has a better record with bags than the others. Do not put anything important in your checked luggage. This includes medicines, ID documents, cash, credit cards, laptops, ipad or jewellry Put your name, email and phone number on a piece of A4 or A3 paper inside your bag and…
Where to credit air miles
Booked your ticket and airline and trying to work out which Frequent Flyer program will get the most miles. It can be useful if you are planning a one off trip or thinking through your mileage earn for the next 12 months. Where to credit is a handy way to find out that your First Class ticket will get you 130% of miles with one airline and 300% with another. Or my Malaysia airways discount economy ticket will get me 25% of the miles with Malaysia and 0% with any other carrier. It is very simple…
Don’t pack something you’ve never worn!
Some people get excited for a trip and rush out buying new clothes for the flight, an event or for sightseeing. If that is you, wear them before you go! You do not want to find that your shoes are too tight or your underpants too uncomfortable or your jacket too heavy. Also, if you would not wear it at home, do not take it with you.
United’s Very handy US Airports App
If you travel through major US airports, United Airlines have unveiled a feature which makes their iphone app well worth downloading. Under the “Travel Tools” section on their app, the airline has added interactive maps for their seven mainland U.S. hubs airports: Chicago O’Hare Denver Houston Bush Intercontinental Los Angeles Newark Liberty San Francisco Washington Dulles. The maps include all parts of those airports, however, not just the terminals and spaces used by United. They include searchable information about retail stores and available service options at each airport. eg restrooms, restaurant, Burger King etc etc. I discovered for…
Call Centre Bingo- tips for better outcomes
Moved house this week. This means lots of call centre experiences. How to have better ones… Investigate complaints boards, frequent flyer forums and Tripadvisor to see if other people have had the same issue. Sometimes, you can get a quick tip or have information for the operator on how to solve the problem or be told who the best contact is. If it is clear that no one else has had success using a particular route, then do not waste your time duplicating fruitless efforts Learn how that company works. ContactHelp can GetHuman have…
All about Visas
Just had yet another discussion with an international traveller who was amazed that they needed to get a visa in advance for several of the countries they are planning to visit. “I have a passport“, they said. A passport is a document issued by your home country that identifies you as a citizen of that country. A visa is essentially a permission note from the country you are visiting indicating you can enter and stay there temporally. There are many types of visa including: a tourist visa (the most common type of visa) a work visa (this means…
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