If you travel for a living you have to
make certain decisions and then you have to commit to your decisions. It isn’t
always fun, this screwball lifestyle. But the decisions you make will at least
allow you to be comfortable with the way you live on the road.
Take airports, as an example. Do
yourself a favor and get there early. You should get to the rental car return
lot three hours before your flight is due to leave. Some of us like to get to
the ticket counter three hours ahead, which means returning the car even
earlier.
You hear this all the time: “I don’t
like sitting in airports that long,” Well, I’d rather sit in an airport than
sit on the highway in unexpected traffic, wondering whether I’ll be on time for
my flight. I’d rather sit at the gate than circle the parking lot for endless
eons.
When lots of your fellow fliers are
pushing hard to get their boarding passes and then getting frantic during the
security process, you’ll be calm and comfortable because you have lots of time
to spare.
Make a mistake? Get off the bus at the
wrong terminal? Leave something in your car or at the rental lot? You have time
to deal with the problem.
Sometimes you have to make a flight
reservation before you know the full schedule of your trip and it’s really hard
to get to the airport on time, let alone early. Planning ahead helps: Have your
boarding pass printed before you go to the airport or have one on your phone
(not all airports allow that, so be sure in advance about your intended
airport).
Have your ID and boarding pass ready
to hand to the TSA agent. Untie your shoes when waiting in the security line,
have your computer bag open so you can pull out the laptop quickly when you get
to the conveyor belt to send everything through the X-Ray machine.
I’d recommend using one specific
airline as often as possible so as to earn points and, more importantly,
boarding status. You generally will board earlier than most of the herd and
thus will be able to put a bag in the overhead near your row. Having your bag
near at hand when disembarking can save you some very important minutes if you
have a tight connection.
Try to allow yourself a minimum of 75
minutes between the expected arrival time and the boarding time for the
connection. Running through an airport is no fun, believe me. Lately airlines
have been pushing the idea of short layovers for some reason. Nuts to that.
Give yourself some buffer time in case your flight is late leaving or late
getting to the gate. Remember, the boarding
time is half an hour earlier than the departure
time.
When possible, wear comfortable
clothing. You’ll be sitting a lot, so you may as well be comfortable. Bring a
book you are unlikely to finish before the flight ends.
Do some stretching before you board
your first flight, particularly the hamstrings and calves. That will help your
back stay loose. Don’t feel silly stretching in front of a large crowd; if they
aren’t stretching they are too lazy or too dumb. Who cares what they think?
One more idea: Be aware of the time of
year when you plan a trip. If there are no direct flights between you and your
destination and you have to connect somewhere, don’t connect in Chicago,
Minneapolis or Detroit during the heavy winter months. Try Atlanta or
Dallas/Fort Worth or someplace else in the southern US. Do not fly into or out
of Denver after 12 noon, regardless of the time of year.
So be aware, be early and be limber.
Thanks for reading.
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