One Girl Who Travels

Let’s talk luggage!

1girlwhotravels Flights, Travel gear October 29, 2015 1 Comment

CasesWEB_3079682b — So many choices in luggage! Photo source: telegraph.co.uk/travel

For me looking at luggage is like a kid in the candy story. I want one of each! I have purchased many pieces of luggage over the years and have learned what features are important.

For carry on rolling suitcases there are 3 primary things:

Are the wheels built with solid quality construction?
- This is very important! Solid construction on the wheels will make the suitcase so much better. I prefer the spinner wheels (aka 4 wheels) so you can simply stroll the suitcase next to you.

What is the weight of the suitcase empty?
- This should ideally be no more than 9 lbs otherwise you limit what’s in the suitcase.

Is the suitcase expandable?
- I will often put extra items in my suitcase when in transit on a train. Or if I did some shopping and I need to check my suitcase on the return journey home.

My current suitcase that is utilized for nearly every trip at the moment is Travelpro Crew 10 21″ Expandable Spinner. Travelpro is a luggage brand that is very popular with pilots and flight attendents. I figure if they travel on nearly daily basis and it works for them; it must be good. BTW you will notice the link for the suitcase was to ebags.com which is where I purchase most of luggage and travel gear. The often have sales and there is usually a promo code floating around on the internet.

Keep in mind every airline has different carry on limits so take this into consideration before you buy something.

Regardless of what suitcase you utilize please do yourself a favor as most suitcases are black so find some way to distinguish your suitcase. A popular option is to put luggage handle wraps on the handles that will make your bag stand out. This will help you quickly identify your bag when you are deplaning after a long journey. Sorry one more thing, please ensure you have a luggage tag with your name and address information. I personally prefer a luggage tag that provides privacy to my address so the person standing behind cannot read my address and decide to show up at my door the next day.

Seek your adventure!

Why you should consider TSA Precheck?

1girlwhotravels Airports, How to October 21, 2015October 27, 2015 0 Comment

Raise your hand if you enjoy standing in endless long lines? Do you enjoy taking your shoes off at the airport? or your belt? or your light jacket? or sweater? Or pulling out your bag of liquid items?

Which line do you want to be in? Photo from: curridiculum.blogspot.com

Most people would respond NO to all of the above questions. So if you don’t enjoy doing all of those things, then why don’t you change that and take control over your travel experience to make it a little more enjoyable?

Do you know how much TSA Precheck costs? Only $85 for 5 years. Let’s do some math here. Say you only travel 3 times a year and assuming all your trips include TSA Precheck airports this will cost you $2.83 per flight. I spend more than that on my morning latte and I don’t have to wait in a long line or take of my shoes!

For an extra $15 for the 5 years you can get Global Entry and avoid filling out the blue customs form every time you return to the USA. You simply fill out an electronic form and walk right past the immigration agent no questions asked.

Even if you travel internationally once a year I would apply for Global Entry which includes TSA Precheck.

Did you know that your airline status or specific credit card offers will pay your Global Entry fee? Google it.

Join me in the TSA Precheck line so you can fast forward through security to get on with your journey and perhaps a preflight cocktail.

Seek your adventure!

5 must have items for any flight!

1girlwhotravels Flights, How to October 14, 2015October 14, 2015 3 Comments

Here are the top 5 things I bring on every flight even if it is only 30 minutes. You never know when you might flight yourself on the tarmac awaiting air traffic control for take off and that 30 minute flight quickly turns into 3 hours. How many times have you been there?

#1 bottle of water – Even if you are flying first class it takes time before the flight attendants can serve you a beverage of your choice. Throw in some turbulence and you might never ever see a glass of water.

Upgraded to First Class London to Chicago!

#2 snacks – I hate paying $5 for a small bag of nuts at the airport because I did not bring anything with me and now my flight is delayed.

#3 headphones – Some flights have entertainment systems but you have to bring your own headphones or purchase from the airline. I also listen to music on my phone to drown out the crying babies around me.

#4 baby wipes or hand sanitizer – Often the line for the bathroom on flights is long and if you just want to wash your hands this provides a solution. I also wipe down my tray table to minimize any germs.

#5 book or magazine – I still like the “old school” paper version plus I enjoy the break from digital world. The added bonus that no matter how long the flight you never have to worry about the battery life.

We will talk more about packing the suitcase in another post. Safe travels.

Seek your adventure!

Carry on or checked luggage?

1girlwhotravels Airports, Travel gear October 8, 2015November 3, 2015 2 Comments

In recent years I have learned to love the idea of carry on luggage. Some people may think it is to save money as most airlines have a fee to check luggage for domestic flights. However this can easily be avoided with airline status or simply booking your flight with the right credit card. In regards to international flights you are still allowed to check luggage for free with a few exceptions.

Even though I may have free checked luggage status for nearly all of my domestic travel I carry on. Given that most of my domestic travel is long weekends everything can fit into a carry on. Although I do make some exceptions to check luggage; especially if it involves sharing a couple bottles of wine purchased in Argentina with friends.

My primary reason for carry on luggage is to save time! Online checkin makes getting boarding passes easy prior to arriving to the airport and with no luggage to check I don’t have to wait for an agent. I have TSA Pre-Check so I get to fast track through security. We will save the topic of TSA Pre-Check for another post but if you travel 3-4 times a year you should seriously consider it!

So I have already saved anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour waiting to drop off my bag depending on the airport and current waiting time. Then upon arrival at the final destination I don’t have to wait to collect my luggage which can be again anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes. So looking at worst case scenario when I add up the time spent for a return trip I have now saved 3.5 hours avoiding the wait for luggage. Yikes! I could fly from Chicago to Phoenix in that amount of time. Additionally if the trip is merely a long weekend that is significant amount of the weekend that I could be spending relaxing with a drink in hand.

1345 — **November 2013:** Panama 10 day trip luggage plus small personal item

For international travel my decision will depend on the duration of the trip, number of flight connections and the variation of attire required. For instance this past May I had a 10 day trip to Europe that involved visiting 6 cities, 8 flights and 2 train journeys. In addition the weather for the destinations varied from 55F to 105F and events ranged from casual to cocktail attire. It took a lot of careful planning but I managed to get everything into a carryon suitcase and one personal item. I was even more impressed that all my shopping purchases fit into the same luggage on the way back.

I do appreciate of course that packing for one person is much different from the monumental task of packing for a family of 6. When traveling with small children checking your luggage is your best strategy given the joys of unloading and reloading through airport security. For instance when traveling with my sister several years ago my nephew was 3 and my niece was 6 weeks old; I may have been the one who lost the boarding passes in all the commotion. Oops!

When have I checked luggage?

On a 2 week trip to Singapore and Bali with a long stopover
On a flight heading to a cruise given all that evening wear
On a last minute trip to Mexico and uncertain what our plans might be
On many return trips I will check a bag to balance out some of my travel purchases. I always travel with a small collapsable duffle bag that has been utilized many times!

I have a basic principle regardless of carrying on or checking luggage; it is your luggage so be prepared to carry it.

Seek your adventure!

Why I never leave home without travel insurance!

1girlwhotravels How to, In the suitcase September 30, 2015March 7, 2017 0 Comment

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — “Hey do you mind if I join the tour?” March 2014: Israel

We all look forward to our vacations and once the trip is booked we have no intentions to cancel or reschedule. Of course life is unpredictable at times and we never know what tomorrow will bring for us. Take for example this baby camel who was seriously considering joining our tour group until the bus driver closed the doors.

Morocco Medical Evacuation

Many years ago while traveling in Morocco one of my travel companions had an accident. On the second day of a week long trip, we were traveling by train which required a transfer part way through a long journey. The station where we stopped at was extremely rustic with station platform made of mere dirt and gravel. In the process of exiting the overcrowded train a local gentlemen grabbed our luggage which raised concern for all of us. My friend was so focused on watching the man with the luggage and that she lost her footing coming off the train. The pain was instantaneous but we managed to get onto the transferring train.

After arriving to our final destination we stopped a local clinic where no one spoke English and my limited French was not enough. The progress at the local clinic was not going well so we asked our local guide to bring us to an English speaking doctor that we found in our travel book (thank you Lonely Planet).

Bottom line the diagnosis was not good as she had pulled ligaments on one side of the ankle and a strained ligaments on the other side. Given our itinerary was primarily walking and hiking this was not going to a very enjoyable trip for her. She was able to work with the travel insurance company for immediate evacuation back to England. The last minute return flights were all arranged and paid for by the travel insurance company. While my friend was very sad to miss the remainder of the journey; the thought of seeing her own doctor and sleeping in her own bed never sounded so good.

Turkish Delight

Almost 10 years ago I myself had an accident that involved “bouncing” down several marble stairs in Turkey. While the pain was incredible and bruising occurred within hours I was extremely lucky the injuries were limited to muscular. I was at the beginning of a week long trip that involved a stop in London, trip to Turkey and then back to London for a wedding and concert before returning back to Chicago. I managed through the trip thankfully with lots of support from my lovely British friends taking shifts as my nurse. In this instance my expenses while in Turkey to the doctor and prescriptions were all covered by my primary medical insurance through a reimbursement. While travel insurance was not utilized for this situation I was relieved to know I had options.

Trip Cancellation/Rebooking

Every January or February I schedule a “flip flop trip”; which is basically an opportunity to get out of the below freezing temperatures in Chicago and yes you guessed it…wear flip flops. This past January I had my annual “flip flop trip” was departing in 2 days when a family member passed away. Sadly the airline industry is not very helpful in these circumstances; unless of course you happen to be flying Southwest who has a very generous customer service policy. Anyway I digress, I ended up canceling the original tickets for myself and my travel companion. I booked new tickets utilizing frequent flier miles which had last minute bookings fees over $200 each. I was able to get reimbursed by my travel insurance company for the last minute rebooking fees. The trip may have been delayed but the flip flops and I still got our day in the sun.

Things to consider. . .

Everyone will have different travel insurance needs but it will protect your investment in your trip. I travel several times a year internationally and domestically therefore I choose an annual policy that covers all my trips.

So there are a few things I consider when looking for travel insurance depending on my travel plans for the coming year:

Does the coverage include medical evacuation & repatriation?
What is the maximum trip length covered?
Do they offer 24 hour telephone assistance?
Do they limit maximum number of trips covered per year?
Do I need to consider trip cancellation coverage? What has been pre-paid for the trip that is non-refundable?
Does it cover trip cancellation or interruption due to terrorism?

I have purchased annual policies for several years on Squaremouth.com website. You can purchase annual policy or single trip policy all depending on your needs. Once you have your travel insurance be sure to make a printed copy and take it with you on your trip! Pack your bags and get ready for some fun.

Seek your adventure now!

How do you select a hotel?

1girlwhotravels Hotels, How to September 22, 2015 2 Comments

I always find that selecting the hotel is the hardest decision for any trip. It comes along with so many additional questions that need to be answered. I am not married to any hotel chain loyalty program so the field is wide open. Finding a hotel is like buying a house; although the commitment for hotel may only be one night the same rules apply…location, location and location!

For me it is a game of 20 questions or more:

How big is the city?
Where do I plan to spend most of my time?
How long will I be there?
What are my local transport options?
What neighborhood do I want to stay in?
Are there any restaurants and/or evening entertainment options within walking distance?
Will I be driving? Is there a fee for parking?
What are my hotel amenity needs?
Do I plan on spending any time in my hotel room other than sleeping and showering?
Is there any outdoor space?
Do I want a pool?
What time is check in / check out?
Do I need luggage storage before check in or after check out?
Do I need to be concerned about security?
Does it include breakfast? Bonus points!
Are there additional taxes or resort fees not included in price shown online?
Is there free wifi?
Is it possible to book non-smoking room?
Is there an elevator to carry luggage?
Is there air conditioning?

So with all of these questions I start the process by getting a basic understanding of major sights and neighborhoods to get a lay of the land.

Google Maps is an amazing way to get an overview of where things are located and I love the street view!

Lonely Planet will help you identify the top attractions you want to visit in that city.

Google the city or country you are traveling for tour itineraries. For example: “Mendoza tours” will give you a quick list of top tourism sights to consider.

Wikitravel will give an overview of the city districts and suburbs; following links to each district will have tourism sights.

Tripadvisor.com is an excellent source of independent traveller reviews. However I always take their reviews with a grain of salt as I don’t know what their baseline travel experience and expectations might be. It is like asking a waiter if a particular dish is spicy; it is all relative. I generally focus on a blend of the comments but love looking at the traveller photos that were posted.

When it comes to actually looking for availability and prices I personally like Expedia as it allows so many different sort and filter options. It always has a map view with $ so you can easily see the most inexpensive and most expensive areas. I avoid the pre-paid option unless there is a difference in price. Similar to my strategy with booking flights I try to book directly with hotels if possible. However Expedia is my second choice as it has great prices and you can earn points the help you get better rates in the future!

There are a few alternatives to staying in a hotel that I would recommend that you explore. Be prepared with specific questions if you are in need of any specific amenities. I do find that with these options I might need to be specific about your arrival time in order to be greeted and receive the keys. However in many instances the additional planning is well rewarded with local advice!

Airbnb is independent people renting their home, apartment 0r even a room as an option. This is usually at a reasonable rate lower than hotel prices but limited availability at times. This also gives you the option to “cook at home” which can be exciting adventure to the grocery store and save money.

Vrbo is again independent people renting their home or apartment usually for a week or weekend timeframe. I have used this several times for family vacations with great success. This again is a great option to allow you to “cook at home” and save some money.

TIP: Change your google browser to the country specific version of google browser then search for bed & breakfast. This may require a little extra effort in translating pages but I have found some local treasures through this solution.

For example: “Google Argentina browser” I find that “.ar” is the local country extension so I change my url to “google.com.ar”; then in the search “bed and breakfast Mendoza”. I will find local bed & breakfast places that do not appear on the US Google search browser. I also use this trick to search for hotels, tours, restaurants etc.

Sometimes all the other questions get tossed aside and it simply comes down to the amazing view you can enjoy from your hotel room. On several instances for me it has been location, location, location with a view please!

**November 2013:** Panama Canal – Jungle Land, Panama staying on a houseboat on the canal with an amazing view!

P1080642 — **November 2012:** Iguazu Falls – Sheraton Resort Iguazu, Argentina with Thanksgiving dinner on the balcony enjoying the sunset view!

So how do you book your flights?

1girlwhotravels Flights, How to August 25, 2015September 9, 2015 3 Comments

I was reminded this week that as a travel addict I take for granted all the information I have on how to book a trip. Given that travel agencies in today’s world are utilized for specialized trips the average consumer rarely has a need. So where do we begin?

Question 1: Where do you want to go?

This sounds like something you would know the answer to but sometimes you need inspiration. I read travel magazines, blogs, websites, travel books, and etc so my backlog wish list of places to visit will take me into the next decade without a doubt.

However I find that visual images always help quickly inspire the “I want to go there” feeling. Take a look at Lonely Planet, National Geographic Travel, BBC Travel and the guaranteed to knock your socks of sights from UNESCO World Heritage.

Or if you are driven strictly by price perhaps start with Google Flights to get an idea where you can go for how much and when.

Question 2: Where should I search for flights?

I have three favorites at the moment each has their own advantages. I never book with any of these websites and many of them don’t support bookings.

Kayak is great for various simple or complex searches: round trip with flexible dates, one way, and multiple city only option is static dates.

Hipmunk is great for a visual view of flight timings and default sort by agony.

Routehappy is fabulous for long flights when you are looking for comfortable seats. It rates the flight by timings and you can search for various aircraft features.

Question 3: Where should I purchase my flights?

I prefer to book directly with the airline carrier. However sometimes you cannot find the same rate on the airline website or you are trying to book multiple airline carriers in one ticket; in those instances I try to book it on Expedia. I find that Expedia has good customer service and I have never had an issue with flights booked on Expedia. We will talk about hotels another day but I general do a search on Expedia to see if booking a flight and hotel combination will save money.

Okay so now you are ready to book your flights. Hold on one minute! Please, please, please make sure that you have signed up for the airlines frequent flyer program. First and foremost it makes finding your reservation for the agents so much easier. Second, I personally think it should be a crime to not collect your hard earned “butt in seat” miles flown. Even if you don’t fly that airline on a regular basis; you never know what tomorrow brings.

So with your airline frequent flier number in hand proceed to the airline website to make your flight reservations. Most airlines still give you an option to select your seats at the time of booking with no additional charge. You should do this right now! While you have the airline website open you can find out where the best and worst seats are by looking at Seatguru as there is nothing worse getting stuck next to the toilets or in the overhead bin like this guy.

Note: Don’t try this on a commercial flight! This was at conference for a travel addicts. We “borrowed” a plane for the day and decided to have a little fun!

In a future post we will talk about the importance of travel insurance and booking hotels.

Seek your adventure now!