Planning your trip sets the stage for travel dreams to take flight. Once you’ve gotten Part 1 of your vacation checklist under wraps, you can turn your attention to take-off and landing. Read our travel tips for comfortable flying, staying connected, best travel accessories and how to prep for arrival and sightseeing.
Finding the Best Airline Seats
Airlines have added a category of seats known collectively as Premium Economy (e.g., Economy Plus). This mid-grade class offers wider seats, more legroom (pitch), extra seat recline, leg rests, complimentary beverages and other perks. For a small fee, those extra inches of legroom may go a long way in making your vacations more pleasant. SeatGuru® offers a fabulous trove of information on aircraft configuration and insider info to find the best seats on most every airline. A stellar color-coded seating chart identifies:
the most (and least) desirable seats for legroom and recline
locations and availability of onboard power ports
recommended power adapters for specific airplanes
in-flight amenities
In-Flight Internet Guide
For those who want or need to be online while traveling by air:
Check with your airline or SeatGuru® to find out which flights are equipped with Wi-Fi.
Determine cost from airline!
Research Gogo® Inflight Internet. It offers wireless passes for destinations in North America on participating airlines (including Alaska, American, Delta, United, US Airways and Virgin).
Find out from your airline or car rental company if they offer promotions for free in-flight Wi-Fi based on travel purchases such as airport parking.
Traveling with Your Phone
Not all cell phones/devices work overseas. Designed for use internationally, world phones (e.g., BlackBerry Storm® and iPhone®) operate on different radio frequencies and networks used around the world. These phones are available from all major carriers, but may need to be unlocked in order to use SIM cards, which allow you to make or receive local calls at local rates on overseas networks. Here’s a travel checklist for your phone:
Contact your carrier to find out if your wireless device will operate in the country you plan to visit.
Investigate your carrier’s international rates, roaming options and prepaid data plans to learn the cost of each.
Make sure your international roaming plan is activated and/or that your phone is unlocked.
If your phone is unlocked, get a SIM card to call at local cost.
Remember to pack an adapter for different plug outlets in other countries.
International Roaming Fees
Calling or texting home from your phone will incur international roaming charges, and data charges for web surfing on a smartphone can be prohibitive. It’s imperative to do your research in advance if you plan to use your phone overseas.
Decide how much you’ll need your phone during vacations. Rates for international roaming can range from $0.20 to $4.99 per minute to talk, while texters can expect $0.05 to $0.50 per sent message and $0 to $0.25 for those received. Messages that contain pictures and videos can cost even more.
Click on one of these popular providers to find international rates and coverage:
AT&T®
Sprint™
T-Mobile®
Verizon Wireless
If it’s too costly to roam, you can always turn off your phone’s data roaming or cellular network connection (to avoid accidental texts or incoming calls) and use your phone’s Wi-Fi connection instead (see below).
Finding Global Wi-Fi & Hotspots
To get around international roaming fees, many travelers connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi to use their mobile devices and call home using Skype™, Google Voice™, FaceTime for Mac™. To do this, you’ll need to find a wireless hotspot. Some options:
Find an Apple Store, Starbucks, McDonalds, a café with Internet or a library to try and connect for free.
Use the Wi-Fi Finder app to locate free hotspots in 144 countries.
Hotels usually offer wireless, often for an hourly or daily price.
Put Boingo on your packing list to connect to worldwide hotspots for a set monthly fee.
Rent a MiFi (“my Wi-Fi”) from XCom Global® International Hotspot. This compact wireless router provides your very own mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.
Best Travel Accessories & Gadgets
Some great items for your packing checklist:
Adapters & Chargers – If you’re taking electronics on your trip, you’ll need a charger. If you’re going overseas, you may also need an adapter/converter. Our All-In-One Adapter/Converter has a USB port for charging, comes equipped with the four most common plugs and converts from 220V to 110V.
Noise-cancelling headphones – block out the din on planes, trains, buses and more. The larger ones entirely cover your ears, while the smaller ones fit conveniently in them.
E-Readers – Invest in a Kindle, Nook or tablet and carry 1,000 books wherever you go while adding less than a pound of weight to your bag.
Traveler apps for your mobile device, like TripIt to manage your trip itinerary, and other apps for translation, transportation and even bathroom-location.
See our complete assortment of handy travel accessories.
Airport Transportation
Taxis and rental cars are the most obvious solutions when traveling from the airport to your hotel. However, they are not always the most practical or economical. Do some advance scouting to find options:
Shuttle Service: Check with your hotel to see if it offers airport or downtown service. It’s often free.
Public Transport: Check airport websites. Most major international airports have excellent transportation connections. In modern, high-density cities with chaotic traffic, such as Tokyo, subways conveniently depart from lower airport floors, and Airport Express buses stand ready.
Private Car: Airport and car rental websites often provide options for limos and private cars with drivers. Ground Link lets you summon a car in 110 countries for immediate pick-up or within the hour.
