Love seeing new places, but hate traveling to get there? You are not alone. Many people, especially during peak travel times, dread the journey to get there! And between the extra long line-ups of impatient (and often angry) travellers and the unexpected weather delays that leave travellers stranded for hours and sometimes days, who can blame them?
So…we asked our fellow intrepid travellers to share their best travel tips for navigating the busy holiday season during the recent #TDAeroplan Travel Pro chat. And for those of you who missed the chat (don’t worry, there will be others), this is a brief overview of some of the best tips that were shared (in no particular order):
- Shop for travel early to take advantage of early-bird deals.
- Consider shifting your dates to a Tuesday or a Wednesday to save on airfare.
- Plan for off-peak travel. For example, travel between US Thanksgiving and Christmas break is the quiet before the holiday rush.
- Use comparison sites to find the best deal.
- Travel on the actual holiday as most travellers travel a day or two before.
- Use Aeroplan Miles to offset the premium holiday pricing.
- Watch for new routes being added to your city as airlines usually offer special deals to entice travellers to try them.
- Fly into smaller centers or choose a non-direct flight to get a better pricing on airfare.
- Never check bags if you can possibly avoid it. Not only does it save you time and money, but it forces you bring only the absolute essentials!
- Always take out at least three things after you finish packing. If you are really trying to go minimalist, force yourself to take out more.
- Pack clothes that will easily mix and match by choosing one base colour, such as black, navy or brown.
- Use compression cubes to conserve valuable luggage space or roll up your clothes to save space when packing.
- Don’t try to pack for every possible scenario. If you don’t know that you will need it, don’t bring it!
- Think compact when deciding what to bring. A lightweight running jacket is a good bring-everywhere emergency jacket when traveling to tropical climates.
- Distribute clothing among multiple suitcases so if one gets lost, everyone still has something to wear.
- Make sure you check the airline web site and/or app for changes to departures and weather delays!
- Stash emergency cash in places other than your wallet in case yours is lost or stolen!
- Book the emergency exit seats unless you are traveling with young children. The extra leg room can make a big difference during long flights.
- Bring your own entertainment devices in case the ones on the airplane don’t have suitable content for kids or aren’t working.
- Leave extra early during peak travel times to avoid feeling rushed or panicked when you get there.
- Arrange electronics and liquids so you can easily take them out and put them away at security.
- Remember to hydrate! This is especially important during the winter when cold weather makes the air drier than normal.
- Try to use most of the flight time for rest, especially for long flights that cross many time zones. If you have difficulty sleeping, take melatonin.
- Pack plenty of snacks if it looks like you may be delayed due to weather. Airlines and airports run out of food quickly when travellers are stranded.
- Don’t forget to pack those power cords and chargers (and a portable backup battery pack doesn’t hurt either) to keep your digital devices ready to go!
- Use the Evernote app as both a digital to-do list, and a travel scrapbooking app!
- Check in 24 hours before your flight, online or using the airline app.
- Load your maps and apps on your digital devices before you go!
- Review travel sites, like TripAdvisor, before you go so you have an idea of what is popular to see and do.
- Catch up on your reading by loading your bookmarked articles and pdf’s in apps, like Pocket or Evernote.
- Budget an extra day on arrival and when you get home to rest and adjust.
- Use your TD Aeroplan VISA for all your purchases, even small ones. The more you use it, the faster those Aeroplan Miles build up!
- Take advantage of special offers and deals that give you bonus Aeroplan Miles or multiply your miles per dollar spend ratio.
- Book flights, hotels and car rentals through Aeroplan travel partners to earn extra miles.
- Set up your household bills for automatic payment with your TD Aeroplan VISA to earn miles on your everyday transactions.