As I mentioned in the first installment, I’ve been on the road continuously for the past 12 months, visiting about 36 countries, living in four and logging about 120,000 miles so far across pretty much every mode of transport imaginable. Rather than give you the USA Today version of “travel tips” this audience is much more savvy. So keeping that in mind, I’m putting together a series of tips learned on the road, “the hard way,” specifically for points and miles globetrotters. Some might be common knowledge, but others may come in handy.
PNRs differ by carrier, ticket numbers are universal
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See the ETno? This shows that I used Singapore miles and that Singapore issued my ticket.
Understand that if you book a ticket on say United, you are going to be issued different passenger name records (PNRs – also known as Record Locators) by each airline. These will help you assign seats, login and check in on their website and allow for more functionality/interactivity with the carrier. But ALWAYS HAVE YOUR TICKET NUMBER. This is the one thing that will make or break you getting on the plane. If the carrier can’t find it, you don’t fly. This is why I book directly with carriers since that OTA may have booked a Swiss plated ticket, for an EVA-marketed flight that is actually being operated by Thai, who wet-leased it from Jet Airways. Good luck trying to get them all to play nice if your flight is canceled or you need to change it. Here’s a list of most carrier codes in case you find your ticket to be issued from an airline weren’t expecting.
Understand the difference between “Act Of God” and Carrier-Caused delays
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Volcanic Ash isn’t going to get you compensation. Go back to your gin & tonic in the lounge and pout some more!
This is a fairly elementary tip, but until you understand the difference between acts of god and carrier-caused delays, you’ll probably be more prone to fits of anger at the airlines for what they do or don’t offer you. Here’s a brief run down (correct me if you see any errors, I haven’t been in every specific situation below):
Acts of God
The airline is not required to do anything except get you a seat to your final destination – ideally in the class of service you booked – make sure to push them on this or request a refund for the downgrade before you agree to a new itinerary.
- Weather – including storms, volcanoes, flooding, ice, fog, snow, extreme temperature
- Traffic – Air-traffic delays, no gate available, lines for fuel or de-icing
- Political/Security issues – Unruly passengers or political unrest aren’t likely to get you compensation or reaccommodation (unless a travel waiver is issued) because they are beyond the control of the airline. Generally, most actions by third parties won’t get you compensation.
Carrier-Caused Delays
Less common – but you have far more leeway and legal coverage to ask for compensation
- Missing Crew – Airlines are supposed to have crews on reserve at the airport. If your flight is delayed because you’re missing a pilot, that’s on the airline to fix, but generally because of reserve crews at larger hubs your flight is unlikely to cancel.
- Mechanical/Cleaning issues – Airlines are expected to keep well-maintained, safe aircraft. If there is a mechanical issue, get on the phone and start looking at backups, particularly if you’re on the only route they fly for the day or are at a smaller hub. Chances of cancellation are high if they can’t quickly sub out an identical aircraft.
- Strikes – Airlines are responsible for accommodation, but not compensation if their staff goes on strike
- IT issues – If there is a computer outage, you’ll probably have a good case to seek compensation and accommodation on another carrier.
The DOT has a handy FAQ of how they classify delays to help you pick apart whether you should seek compensation or not. Here’s another guide for travel to/from/within the EU Lastly, for late incoming aircraft, it’s a bit of a gray area. Typically you can cite the delay cause posted to flightstats for the previous flight. A snowstorm on the East Coast won’t get you any tears, but a mechanical issue might open some options. Typically, if the inbound aircraft is in the air, you will likely takeoff unless the crew times out.
Don’t fill up on poor quality free food
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Bread, Tang and Nescafe! Thanks United! I think I’ll wait til my 8 course meal in SQ F!
This one comes with time and age. In my wizened experience, if you are traveling in premium cabins or staying in luxury hotels, free food will be thrown at you left and right. Not all of this is created equally. A foie gras burger in the Singapore Airlines Private Room is worth planning around. Packaged sandwiches, bread, crackers and pretzels are worth avoiding. If you don’t want to feel miserable when you arrive (because you’ll be about ten pounds heavier) be judicious about when you take advantage of the free food and drink. A vast majority of lounge food is NOT worth eating. Smirnoff is still Smirnoff, even if it is self-pour. Crappy brownies/cookies/coffee are just that.
Stay with locals and other travelers when possible
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There are only 5 hotels in Brunei. I booked via facebook, stayed in the water village and met a ton of people!
Many bloggers regale you with tales of luxurious overwater villas and endless breakfast buffets, but unless you are on a romantic getaway, with the family or having a chill out vacation with friends, hotels are incredibly boring and extremely anti-social. By design, they are there to maximize privacy. It’s VERY easy to get lonely. After your first week on the road, you’ll probably be craving some interaction with people that aren’t being paid to serve you, and perhaps even have a range of careers similar to yours.
This is where you can dramatically increase your array of accommodation options. AirBnb, hostels (there are nice ones! and most have private rooms!) and Couchsurfing are fantastic ways to meet locals and fellow travelers. Many will want to explore the city with you, debate points of international policy, cook for/with you and stay out til 4am exploring the nightlife. If you aren’t meeting people on the road, you are sadly only experiencing a very one-dimensional facsimile of travel. To that point, try to seek out professional local peers that you can relate to, either in your language or another common one (e.g. Spanish, Mandarin).
As much fun and cultural insight I got from wandering Brunei’s water village, I don’t speak a lick of Malay and gestures, smiling, thumbs up and body language only go so far to develop a connection. It’s important to be exceedingly open and friendly, as you are a representative of your culture, but unless you are willing to put in significant effort to adopting the local language and customs (and sometimes even if you do so very effectively over decades), you will still be a guest.
My absolute best experiences this year have been staying with families in Sri Lanka, Spain and Brunei, renting apartments in Buenos Aires, Budapest, Split and Seoul and meeting people in hostels in Lisbon, Berlin, Taipei and Rio. I’ve met hundreds of people this way, many of whom I still stay in contact with and am planning visits to in the future. In particular, it’s extremely helpful to develop professional connections since it’s fascinating to bounce ideas off of people and break out of your echo chamber.
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I wouldn’t have been able to get in this club in Buenos Aires, nor teach some friends how to use chopsticks (in español) without living there for three months and meeting people!
Once you have friends in a number of cities, it also becomes much easier to travel, as locals know the good places to eat, stay and party. And you may get a free couch out of it here or there (assuming you ARE returning the favor right?). If you’re on the road long enough, you stop choosing destinations based on WHAT to see and more on WHO to see. Couchsurfing is also a fantastic social outlet if you’re ready to move beyond your typical hostel pub crawls. There are a myriad of events in every major city and they generally attract bright, social late 20/early 30-somethings that are interested in doing new things and showing off/exploring their city. Typically the mix is about half locals and half travelers, so the events are well worth it.
Drink water, and then drink more water.
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You really shouldn’t ever stop drinking this!
Air travel is dehydrating. Alcohol and caffeine are dehydrating. Extreme heat (and cold) are dehydrating. You’ll likely be walking miles and you may or may not be able to drink the water (pro tip – are the locals drinking the water?). If you are traveling, you are 99% likely to be chronically dehydrated. Even when you drink the hotel-provided water, you will feel worlds better if you drink nearly a gallon a day.
Wherever I am, I often stop at a convenience store and pick up a 1-1.5L bottle, which I refill throughout the day/trip. It’s lightweight and if I lose it, I’m out maybe a dollar. But chugging that at every opportunity keeps me in much better health and spirit than almost anything else I do on the road. You can also take empty bottles through airport security and fill them up in the terminal. Don’t expect the flight attendant to make sure it’s full. Go to the galley and offer to fill it yourself.
There’s also the odd problem in many parts of Europe where beer and wine are cheaper than bottled water (the only option at the restaurant naturally). While I’m not someone to turn down a 2 euro beer, it’s nice to not make it an either-or decision.
More tips to come, share your own in the comments below!
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
