Traveling is one of life’s great joys. From seeing new places to meeting people from different cultures, seeing the wider world is priceless. But even the most experienced traveler may have moments of stress.
May 8th, Travel Journalist mark elwood Today, he joins us to talk about his best tips for living out of his own suitcase.
He suggested five things you should never do if you want your trip to go well.
1. Travel without insurance
Elwood says travel insurance is often very low cost and can save you in a pinch.
“For the same price as a cup of coffee a day, it gives you peace of mind when something goes wrong,” he said.
Elwood says many credit cards come with built-in insurance for trips purchased with that card, but he’s also a fan of travelinsurance.com and insuremytrip.com. Both are marketplaces where you can search for the best plan.
2. Overview of all airports
While it may not be the most convenient, Elwood suggests checking throughout the metropolitan area for flights from nearby airports.
“Look for an airport nearby. Maybe you can get a better deal if you search in Stewart, New York, instead of Newark, New Jersey,” he said. “Always check which airports are closest to both your origin and destination.”
3. Eliminate lesser-known carriers
“Don’t forget about the lesser-known airlines,” Elwood said, adding that Breeze Airlines is the go-to airline. Breeze Airlines is headquartered in the Southeast and points out that there are airlines such as:
“Don’t forget about the lesser-known airlines,” Elwood said, adding that Breeze Airways is the go-to airline. He points out that Breeze’s home base is in the Southeast, which includes:
- Charleston, South Carolina
- tampa, florida
- norfolk, virginia
- new orleans louisiana
- Fort Myers, Florida
4. Ignore package location tags
There’s nothing worse when you’re traveling than waiting for your luggage to show up on the baggage carousel, only to have it never arrive.
However, geotagging your luggage can at least help you track it.
“We tag your luggage with your location, whether it’s an AirTag or something similar, so you always know where your luggage is or isn’t,” Elwood says.
If your bag doesn’t reach your final destination, you can always tell the airline where your bag is and have them track it.
5. Think there’s a magic time to book a flight.
Despite years of rumors, there’s actually no best day or time to book your trip.
“There’s no magic day to get a deal. Instead, the best time is when you get an alert that your route is on sale,” Elwood says.
The way to do this is to track your flight before you book. Elwood recommends using Google Flights. Just enter the location and time you want to fly, switch to Alerts tab, and you’ll be notified of any changes.
“This allows you to keep an eye on how much it costs and jump on the plane the moment the airline lowers its price when you want to fly,” he says.
