Round the world travel makes quite a demand on your patience, your wallet and your luggage, so taking care of a few additional pre-trip checklists really helps simplify your life along the way. From Around The World In 18 Days, now available on the App Store...
1. Even if you can carry it on, you may be better off checking it.
I packed light for my round the world trip, well, light or compact enough to fit into a carry-on sized bag + an additional small bag for laptop and camera. However, lugging two bags around airport lounges or waiting areas is really not much fun. My mileage program level allowed free checked baggage at every stop, so I got rid of my heavy carry-on by checking it at every stop. Saved me a lot of energy, though in just one of nine airports, waiting for luggage to show up on the carousel delayed me for a valuable hour. Other than that, no regrets. Consider the weight and the convenience of checking it, consider the time you have between flights (ideally at least an hour to make sure bags get to next plane), and consider the time you will be wandering around the airport. Fee or not, it might be easier to check the heavier bag, leaving you freer to move around and also less likely to forget one of your bags!
2. Consider your stopover electronic and personal essentials.
A big deal for me, with 2-4 hour stopovers in some places, was making sure I had the power adapters and other essentials for keeping my electronic items working while waiting around for planes. The camera charger I left in checked luggage, rarely needing that around airports, but I did need to have laptop and cell phone power topped up regularly before flights. So, I had sort of a mental checklist, laptop power, cell phone power (conveniently, just a USB cord from the laptop), headphones. As well as the electronics, I also had to consider all the travel documents I might need, whether for security or just for reference, such as reviewing plans for the next stop on the journey. It always paid off to have a printed and electronic copy of all my essential confirmation numbers, reservation numbers and telephone/contact information for all airlines and every place I was staying. Also consider your medical needs. NEVER check essential medicines or pills, in case of baggage loss or delay. NEVER check money or any essential travel documents for the same reason. I do check camera chargers and tripods, but that's about it. I also try to fit a spare t-shirt or long-sleeved layering shirt in my carry-on in case of spills or hot/cold temperatures.
3. Have a back-up copy of everything you might need.
Continuing from the point above, I always made sure to have airline and hotel and train confirmation/reservation details in a printed document as well as PDF or calendar reminders on my phone and my laptop. That print out of all my hotel details, airlines and trains, was referred to constantly, and really safely kept everything I may need to refer to in one place. I of course kept a spare copy in electronic form on the laptop and the phone, just in case.
4. Walk to the gate, before you eat, drink or shop, no matter how early you arrive.
Every airport operates differently. Period. Whether you're flying domestically or internationally, rules and procedures change as you travel, and it pays to be flexible, and always to try to allow as much time as possible in case of delays. In many European airports, there is an additional security screening at your departure gate. Often, you are called to the gate 'holding area' up to an hour before the flight leaves. It is worth walking to the gate to first make sure the gate hasn't changed, and second, to gauge the amount of time you'll need to walk from lounge, shops or restaurants to the gate when you do get called.
5. Understand the security procedures, if possible, beforehand.
Many European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian airports now have three layers of security: the first is at the front of the airport, you don't even get to check in counters without passing through security level 1. Level 2 is after check-in, before the gate (about where the usual U.S. security checkpoint would be found). Level 3 is the gate itself, a final screening before you even get to your gate. They are nowhere near as intrusive as the single bottleneck U.S. checkpoints, and rarely cause delays, but you have to be aware that from arrival at the airport, it could take at least an hour before you're even at your gate security checkpoint. FInd out beforehand, check traveler reviews at TripAdvisor, and make sure you always show up with plenty of time to spare, it's just not worth the hassle to rush around airports these days, might as well show up early, eat, shop or rest leisurely instead of being that person racing through the concourse with nimutes to spare.
Also, Duty-Free is a bit of a pain these days, particularly with regard to buying liquids - booze, or perfume or whatever. If you arrive in the U.S. from abroad and then have a connecting flight, that liquid has to be checked luggage on your connecting flight, and the potential for loss or spillage makes it, to me, more trouble than it's worth.
6. Know what day it is!
Sounds sily, but another fairly important note related to the above, is double-checking your international itinerary dates. I lost a day en-route to Hong Kong and therefore my stopover was about 12 hours shorter than I thought it would be, which, when running around trying to fit everything in, was a bit of a loss. Check those international dateline crossings, and make sure your travel itinerary and particularly connecting flights account for changes in the date!
7. Consider roaming wireless service providers for those places it's not free.
Some airports offer free wireless, which is nice to take advantage of, but at others, having a roaming account is a really useful idea. I have an old T-Mobile account I only ever use while traveling, I also have a Boingo roaming account. Both are around $9.95 a day, but, for that hour or two where I need to be in touch, it's well worth it, though I do use these sparingly.
8. Lounge about wherever possible!
Sure, it sounds expensive to join executive lounge membership programs, but, for under $400 a year, I have thoroughly enjoyed my Continental President's Club membership (also affiliated with all Star Alliance lounges). It has more than paid for itself this year, and the difference in my composure and energy level after resting between flights as opposed to merely waiting, well, it's night and day. Also, the free soft drinks and snacks are a great way to save on incidental expenses, and some lounges (internationally) even provide free booze if that's your thing. Well worth the research, and well worth the money. Day passes for those unexpected delay stopovers over a few hours are also well worth it in my opinion, ranging from $50 - $150 a day, it depends on the lounge, it often makes a big difference when you're stuck somewhere. Also, the counter staff in executive lounges are very, very helpful in personally assisting you with flight information, reservations, changes and seat assignments, much more helpful than regular service counters, mostly because they are much less crowded.
9. Credit cards make it easy, but airports might also be a good place to spend that last bit of unspent local currency.
If I have a few bills or coins left of local currency, rather than dump it all in an extravagant taxi driver or doorman tip, hold on to some of it for incidental spending at the airport. Large amounts, you might as well sell back at the bureaus de change, but smaller coins and bills, buy that extra trinket, cup of coffee or souvenir in local currency instead. It doesn't save you that much, but it does help with those incidentals, and it also saves you having to dig through sock drawers to find that change for your next visit!
10. Tired of reading, watching movies or playing games? Try writing.
My round the world trip, as written and photographed in my new book, Around The World In 18 Days, was a first for me. First round the world trip, first time in most of the places I visited and the first time I wrote about my travels as I traveled. It was a wonderful experience, it passed a lot of time in airport lounges, and really encouraged me to learn more about where I was, and to truly experience what I was doing. So, when your movie collection loses its attraction, or the ipod tunes just aren't cutting it, start writing. Bring a journal, write on your laptop, phone or ipad and just log the experience. It's a lot of fun and also a great way to vent! I also posted daily facebook and twitter feed updates no matter where in the world I was, and posted a page to my travel blog every day. It doesn't get in the way of your trip, it enhances it, encourages you to explore more and is a great way to pass the time at the airport! |
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