Before You Leave
- Week(s) before:
- Go through the Destination Planning List.
- When choosing which seats, you can use a seat map like Seatguru to tell you which ones are desirable, or watch a Youtube video of the flight. This can help undesirable seats which recline less or are near the restrooms.
- Day(s) before:
- Go through Travel Checklist.
- Download all the movies/shows you plan to watch locally.
Airport Departure
- We generally use the rule of arrive 2 hours before domestic, 3 hours before international (maybe even more during holidays).
- If you are unfamiliar with the airport, try to to see ahead of time how large it is and how far your gate will be. This is especially helpful with tight transfer windows, you don't want to lose time wandering around.
- Having access to lounges is is helpful to avoid gate crowds and some food. We also use this to finish download any movies/shows to watch on Wifi.
Airplane
- Use slippers obtained from hotels for long haul flights. This allows you to take off your shoes but not be in socks/barefoot.
- Often on long haul flights, there are free drinks/snacks left in the galley. I usually go get some and stretch in those areas as well.
Airport Arrival
- Observe people from your plane so that you can get a general sense if luggage from your plane has arrived on the carousel (alternatively take a look at tags).
- You can also put airtags in your luggage to get a general sense of where they are periodically.
- Some airlines give compensation if your bag is not on the carousel by a set time: https://travel-on-points.com/which-airlines-have-a-checked-bag-guarantee/
Hotel Arrival
- "Suite Talking"
- Your rapport with the front desk is critical on whether you can secure an upgrade. They have a lot of autonomy on what they can offer and even if they can't, may advocate to their upline on your behalf if they like you enough.
- Here's my usual script:
- Go to check-in counter
- Have the children come in view or with you to check in to show off cute kids, and my wife starts filming the hotel and talking (showing them you are an influencer)
- “Suite talk” them using your charm, then ask for complimentary upgrade so the kids can have more room
- If denied make a paid offer for the suite (this is often negotiable).
- Another tactic is to ask the agent to break $50 for change to give tips to staff. If they offer a complimentary upgrade, reward the great service with the tip. Else keep the change to tip to other staff.
Hotel Stay
- If you need water, hotel gyms have free water. We usually just keep bottles and refill.
Navigation
- Watch youtube videos that show navigation for the places you are going to. This can help you recognize signs and paths that will confirm you are going the right way.
- If google maps is available where you are, I have found using "Live View" can help as it draws directional arrows as AR overlays. This was especially helpful in Shinjuku Station where there was a lot of verticality that prevented us from easily following Google Maps directions.
Power Setup
- We really like these power strips from Anker. Coupled with a travel adapter, this has been a great setup for our rooms when we are traveling.
- We've been using these massive solar power banks for some time. While they are heavier, we've never run out of power while out with them (provided we recharge them when we get back to our rooms).
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