Throw away all those pesky printouts!
I used to painstakingly write down all my travel reservations in a little notebook which I would either end up misplacing or omit the one detail I actually needed when the time came. Whilst planning my current Thailand-Myanmar trip, I pondered on how to become rich by making an app which did all that for you. A quick search of the internet proved my idea was so good that someone had, in fact, designed one for me already! I give you, Tripit! I won’t bore you with all the details but basically you give the app elves permissions to your email and they magically shuttle all your reservations into a pretty itinerary timeline and then grey them out as they pass time.
If you suck at math, download this!
If you do not travel solo then you will quickly find that you and your travel companion often end up splitting costs or covering for each other on a turn by turn basis. If, like me, you are using your credit card as often as possible to amass airmiles which you can later redeem for flights, then you may benefit from installing this app. Splitwise allows you to add multiple members to your group and keeps a tally of how much each member spends (in any currency). At the end of your trip the app will offer you to settle up the account whereby each group member receives the total they owe – it will even (if you upgrade to the paid version) convert multiple currencies into a single one (based on the current exchange rate). My travelling buddy and I got a real kick out of sending some reminders to settle up which to our eyes appeared to border on passive aggressive (see below).
Hate air travel? You’re doing it wrong!
If you don’t already have airport lounge privileges then I strongly recommend you get them. Check with your bank and others about credit cards which give you lounge access. When I lived in Korea, I had a Shinhan credit card which gave me Priority Pass and now in the UAE I have Lounge Key access with both my ADCB and HSBC cards. The extra premium you pay on the cards will pay off if you travel frequently. Airport lounges offer you a comfortable place to stay, entertainment, wifi, charging and showering facilities as well as unlimited food and drinks. When you add up the money you spend in airport restaurants and add that to those torture devices passing for airport seating, it’s definitely worth looking into. If your country doesn’t offer these banking benefits then you can still purchase Priority Pass membership with differing levels of benefits according to the package you choose.
Frequent flyer clubs
My advice is to sign up to them all! If you have difficulty remembering what you hold membership with it’s easy to manage with a smart wallet. I use Samsung Pay, preloaded on my Samsung S9 which allows you to store your loyalty cards, meaning payment and points can be completed in one single digital transaction. If, like me you’re a points nerd then you will find a credit card which will optimise your purchase power by giving you airmiles per transaction. For example, I currently hold an ADCB Etihad Guest card which gives you one Etihad airmile per 4AED spent. Over 3 years by using this as my primary card I have benefited from 3 return airfares as well as enjoying Gold status which yields business lounge, extra baggage allowance, priority check in, boarding and fast track immigration privileges. Using partners for car rentals, hotel bookings or booster apps like Rocketmiles and Pointshound will boost your miles too although be prepared to pay a little over the average rate. Useful, if you are looking to boost your tier miles, however. It’s also useful to note that members of frequent flyer clubs will be offered upgrades before non-members.
Optimising your seating options
Needless to say, with lounge access, arriving to the airport early is a joy as you mentally plan how many beverages you require to be adequately sleepy in transit. In reality I usually end up watching back to back movies on the entertainment system and falling asleep approximately 1 hour before landing. Some other random tips for you, if you want to get really nerdy and get the best bang for your economy buck then check out Seat Guru which will give you a review of the seating plan for your flight and ensure you are not stuck in that seat which doesn’t recline one row from the back (yes Korean Air flight circa 2012, I’m talking about you). If you want to get your chow on as soon as the service begins then opt for a special meal, you will receive and have eaten your meal long before the general service begins and can curl up and food coma the flight away. If you choose a special meal it will be more difficult to obtain a last minute upgrade so you roll the dice with that. I have only ever received one upgrade despite being enrolled in all the Frequent Flyer clubs and that was due to the entertainment system not functioning on a full flight in economy.
To roam or not to roam.
To be honest, unless your trip is less than 5 days then I would usually advocate purchasing a sim card in the country you intend to travel in, especially if, like me, you are joined to the internet with an unseverable umbilical cord. Even the best roaming packages will generally be unable to satisfy your data dependence on Google Maps navigation and social media. However, in saying that, if you want to decrease your dependency on instant data access I suggest using MapsMe which allows you to download maps to use offline, allowing you to navigate without relying on data.