Whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally, for business or personal reasons, keep these quick tips in mind to ensure a stress-free travel experience.
Technology
- Find My Friends: Download this app to easily locate friends and family while traveling.
- Eatwith: Download this app when you’re traveling alone and you want to find local group dinners happening in your destination.
- Airline apps: You’ll be able to book flights, make changes to your flight, keep up with real time delays and more by downloading your airline apps.
- TripIt: Download this app to organize and access travel plans.
- How do parents stay in touch with kids while traveling? Use services like FaceTime, Skype and Little Passports, a subscription service that allows kids ages 3 to 12 to get to know a country or destination better, with an educational component.
- Oanda: Download this app for a currency converter for international travel.
Travel Hacks
- Use your resources. For example, if you are faced with a challenge with airline personnel at the airport, start tweeting the airline to negotiate a different result.
- Want to stay in shape while traveling? If you have a membership to a national gym chain, you may be in luck and find a location near you.
- Get behind business travelers instead of families in the security lines to expedite the process.
- To speed up going through security, wear flat slip-on shoes and don’t put on your belt until after going through security.
- Sign up for TSA PreCheck, Clear and Global Entry. The shortest security line at many airports is the TSA PreCheck/Clear line. However, depending on your airport, and time and day of travel, don’t assume it is the shortest line. With so many travelers signing up for these programs, you might find that normal security or priority lines might be shorter at any given moment.
- Instead of exchanging money in the U.S. for international currency, sometimes it’s best to get to your international destination and withdraw money from an ATM at the airport; those rates may be more favorable than airport currency exchanges.
What to Bring
- To keep from over packing, stick to one primary color palette. Dark colors like black work best.
- Travel with a small digital luggage scale. This will help you avoid any surprises when checking in bags, such as paying overweight bag fees or shifting around your items from one bag to another at the check-in desk.
- Carry a spare battery charger.
- Pack a tennis ball in your carry-on luggage. This is great for rolling on tired feet, arm or back muscles during the flight.
- Always have a little container of Vicks Vaporub should there be unpleasant odors around you.
- Bring disinfecting wipes – seatback pockets and trays are not always the cleanest.
Expect the Unexpected
- When laying out your clothes, take a picture of them so you have something to claim if you lose your luggage.
- Take pictures of your passport, driver’s license and health card so you have copies while traveling and leave a copy with the family.
- Look into getting medical insurance for longer, international trips.
- Have a separate outfit in your carry-on luggage if you are delayed and your check-in luggage becomes lost.
Safety
- Arrange transportation through the hotel, especially when traveling internationally.
- Always check the rideshare (Uber, Lyft, etc.) license plate number and ask the driver for your name before getting in the car.
Jessica Brown
National Account Executive
Hello! Destination Management
Melanie Stevens
Global Sales Director
PRA Business Events