ellethree

This week and next week I am doing something of which I have become unaccustomed, flying without status. Flying as regularly as I do now, having status on my favorite and most frequently flown airline, United, has made a WORLD of difference in my “daily” commute. With premier status the perks include  bags flying free, front of the line security access, free upgrades to first class (from already preferred economy plus seating), first boarding group on the plane, priority baggage off the plane…and the list goes on…

…The next two weeks I have none of this, which puts me in the casual flier versus road warrior realm of being.  So a couple of easy tips that I will be employing myself this week:

1.) Packing light to ensure no checked bags. Not only can the lines take forever just to check baggage, now just about every airline out there charges for them to fly. Taking only the bare essentials (and not the,” well maybe I might wear this” item) will save you both time and $$$$.

2.) Setting an alarm for check-in. Most (if not all) airlines allow you to check in 24 hours in advance online. When talking about an airline like Southwest, this is a crucial thing to do  to ensure the best opportunity for as early boarding as possible. The earlier you board, the better chance you will have overhead space available and your bags won’t have to get checked at the gate. No checked bags=no waiting at the destination.

3.) Getting to the airport 30 minutes earlier than normal. The security line is a constant moving target and without the luxury of the front of the line pass, I would rather be there with plenty of time to spare than being a stress case in line…. Plus, even if I’m not flying United, I still have Club access  and can enjoy a free cocktail while I wait 😉

Understanding that weekly travel is not everyone’s day to day world, (and trust me, 4 months ago it wasn’t mine either) I am sure that the crazy weather that has been tearing through the country doesn’t really spike on a lot of people’s radar (well on the West Coast anyway). In the travel world, however, the large amount of electricity that accompanies this time of year when the seasons are changing can cause a pretty intense amount strife in getting from A to B.

For example, did you know that Dallas Fort Worth getting struck by lightning last week and shut the entire airport (one of the biggest hubs in the country no less) down for several hours? Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but it was to thousands of people who were stuck at the airport over night. Worse yet, were the those that were already in route with no other diversion possibilities that were forced to land at Dallas. With no gates available because planes weren’t admitted to take off,  hundreds of  people were stuck in the plane for hours upon hours in the emergency field with no guaranteed time of disembarking. Planes ran out of food, beverages, water and even toilet paper!

With the casual flier, the probability of this occurring is extremely low….but what if? Would you be prepared to deal with what thousands of people had to endure at Dallas? The key in these situations is preparation. I want to share a few good ideas with you as well as a couple NECESSARY ideas with you.

Good Ideas:

• Before any trip you take, purchase wet wipes for your carryon. You can get them in convenient travel packs which means they won’t take up a ton of space, they will make it through security just fine, they will last forever if you keep them sealed and you will find many other uses for them throughout your trip.
• Have several protein bars packed in your carryon. Again, they last forever and if you are stuck, you won’t go hungry.
• Bring an empty reusable bottle and fill it up once you make it through security. Flying causes dehydration in the first place, so you should be consuming plenty of water any way, which you can typically get it from a flight attendant at any time….except if they run out. This is your reserve bottle.  If your flight makes it all the way through with no issues, you will have this bottle to drink on the way to the hotel so that you can be fully rehydrated.

NECESSARY Ideas:

• FULLY charge your phone & computer before going to the airport and resist the urge to “play” Facebook/listen to music/text/talk/etc on them while you are waiting for your flight (unless you are plugged so that you don’t utilize any of the charge).  Although many planes are beginning to have outlets at the seats, it is still rare to come by. There are so many things that can go sideways between take off and arriving safely in your hotel, it is imperative to have both for emergency situations while on the road.
• Have a minimal reserve of CASH with you at all times. These days of using debit/credit cards exclusively (let’s face it, reward points matter) people are carrying cash less and less. It is absolutely imperative to have actual money on you in case you find yourself in a place where electricity is an issue so credit card machines are out or you are unexpectedly stuck in a remote town for a night and the cab you have to climb into does not take credit cards. Cash is still and will always be king.
• Make sure there is at least one person on the planet who knows your EXACT travel itinerary that is not traveling with you. Think of it as the Phone a Friend option…. you never know when you might need help from  someone who has access to the internet or who can supply other forms of emergency assistance when/if you get stranded.  Some of my colleagues (who are well into their 50s ) that have been on the road for over 20 years still send their mothers their weekly flight schedules! If seasoned pros are doing it…..you should too!

Hopefully you will never need to actually utilize any of these “emergency” tips….but if you do run into that “what if” situation, I promise these will put you in a much better position to mitigate the damages!

Being in the days of club cards, casino player cards, annual passes, debit cards, bonus mile credit cards, department store cards, costco cards, gift cards, business cards of contacts met along the way and on and on and on, our day to day wallet is probably as thick as your standard deck of playing cards , no longer resembling the slim and sleek bill fold of the past. What might happen if the entire contents of this precious life necessity were to disappear? Even worse, how much more intense would that pain be if it got lost/stolen/misplaced/left on a plane, hotel or taxi while traveling knowing that you probably weren’t using half of the contents on the trip in the first place?

The huge amount of time and hassle invested in the ensuing process of cancelling credit cards, replacing club cards, gift cards  gone forever, discount cards never to be seen again is just not the risk of toting your entire wallet. When I am on the road, whether for business or pleasure, I bring my travel wallet and leave my normal one with the full contents at home. I bring with me only the necessary items; one bank card, one business credit card, one personal credit card and a minimal amount of petty cash (with plenty of small bills for tipping ease).

Some great features of my travel wallet (aside that it does in fact have a Mickey Mouse on it) is the fact that it has a window for my ID on the back (for easier access through security), a pocket for my cell phone and a strap that I can easily attach/detach to my carry-on bag so that its security is ensured. Have a look and have fun shopping for this essential travel piece!

To say that I am not a morning person in my own Standard Pacific Time Zone would be quite an exaggeration….if my family or friends would call at any point prior 10am they would be met with a groggy version of me asking what they are thinking calling me in the middle of the night?!?!?!?! With my new career, however, there is no such thing as “too early” and typically no luxury  of arriving days in advance to adjust the body clock to the time difference. The following are little tricks have I started playing on my mind in order to make the transition smoother:

1.) As soon as I climb into my seat on the plane (and get my in-flight set up squared away), I immediately set both my computer clock and watch to the time zone to which I am heading. The mental preparation begins immediately and goes on throughout the duration of the flight so the adjustment of arriving somewhere 2 or 3 hours ahead has time to settle in.

2.) I eat my meals according to the new time, whether I am hungry or not. For some reason eating dinner between 6:00 and 7:00 (even if my stomach screams that it is only 3:00 or 4:00) makes my mind recognize that bed time is only a couple more hours away.

3.) I sleep with the hotel curtains mostly open. One of my favorite things about staying in hotels is that the rooms can typically be completely blacked out…..this is not a good situation when your 6:00am alarm goes off (which really would be the middle of the night in my home time zone). With the natural morning light streaming through the windows the body wakes up slower than with a shocking noise in a pitch black room.

Other handy tools that you might have learned along the way are certainly welcome!

…..not a morning person…