Whether you travel only a few times a year or are a veteran traveler, use these tips to get the most of your next trip.
- Don’t Count on In-Flight Wifi – Download Your Content
There’s only a 24% chance that you have “some” wifi on your flight internationally, and 60% chance on flights within the United States. If those don’t sound like good odds for you and you’re a traveler who hates the downtime on long flights, especially if you’re a business traveler trying to get work done before a trade show, conference, or big meeting, this is a big one for you. Take an hour before your flight and download a few movies you’ve been eager to watch. If you’re obsessed with fantasy sports like I am, use the flight to geek out over your draft kit and review the latest stats. Long flights are also a great opportunity to use Audible to listen to audiobooks or watch educational DVDs.
- Car Services are Sometimes Cheaper than Uber or Lyft
If you call up a car service before your flight lands, you can have a driver waiting just for you when you land at your destination. What’s more, often times these car services are cheaper than Uber. I saved 20% on my fare at LAX by using MGCLS, and the experience of being personally escorted by your driver/chauffeur is a nice lap of luxury.
- Keep Good Posture in your Seat
It’s not easy if you’re flying coach (which most of us do), but keeping good posture while you are seated and periodically getting up from your seat and walking around will help you avoid back pain. Follow posture best practices and don’t be too embarrassed to invest in those neck pillows to help you get comfortable. Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between good memory and our body’s posture because it supports proper breathing. When you maintain proper posture, your body tends to take in more oxygen, which makes you feel better. This might not save you from being dragged off the plane and beaten up, but it will keep your body in good shape when you land.
- Airline Promotions at Checkout
Sometimes the airlines run promotions to encourage passengers to book trips. Rather than signing up for every airline and leafing through their myriad emails, use services like CouponToPay and other at-checkout discount code checkers to make sure you never miss out.
- On-The-Go Productivity Savers
If you’re still sending emails around with word documents, excel spreadsheets, or even long lists of text, you’re not doing it right. Try these excellent collaborative workspaces and team collaboration apps to manage projects, deadlines, and resources with your team or company while on the go. If you’re not already using Google Docs/Spreadsheets, you’ll save yourself and your team a tremendous amount of time, and fortunately they even work offline.
- Eat Healthy Foods and Prioritize Nutrition
It’s easy to devolve into eating like a 4 year old when you’re traveling. It’s a great excuse to scarf down pizza and junk food. Not you- because you’re going to resist! Remembering to ask for the salad instead of french fries, and drinking sparkling water instead of sugary sodas helps you stay health. Pack or purchase some travel-friendly vitamins and health supplements to bring with you.
- Take Advantage of the Exchange Rate
In Thailand and the Philippines, you can eat a lavish meal for less than the equivalent of $3. Traveling into some parts of South America, Africa, and Asia the exchange rate is commonly in your favor as a traveler.Some parts of the world offer highly unique items you can’t find anywhere else but there. For example, Limoge France is the only place they make the highly sought after and collectible Limoge Boxes. Nepal and Tibet are the only places you can find singing water bowls. It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of your higher buying power and also avail yourself of local products as well as services like a massage which might cost a multiple of the cost back home.