What's your golden travel rule?

[Mattg]

Do you have a golden rule that you always apply to your travels? If so, what is it?

 

[SydneySwan]

Always fly business class on long-distance flights, anything over about 5 hours.

 

[AIRwin]

Check if the inbound aircraft is on time or late

 

[kevrosmith]

As long as I have my phone, wallet and passport, I can probably buy anything I forgot.

 

[serfty]

I had to think about this as there are many standard rules I apply, even some vary as circumstances differ. Avoid short transits and get to airport early are a couple.

One that stands out and would be my Golden Rule is to avoid using hotel room safes; I rarely used them and on one of the few occasions I did, I managed to forget my passport. (On the way to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur, I realised just as the Espess departed Sentral. Fortunately I allow plenty of time and was able retrieve it and fly.)

 

[Captain Halliday]

Mine also applies to the family.

HLO or you don’t go.

 

[kallinch]

Why fly direct when you can connect (for the extra SC)!

 

[kpc]

If possible, avoid flights before 9 am

 

[Dmac59]

Arrive at airport at least 2 hours before scheduled flight.

 

[Hvr]

Travel insurance. Buy the ticket(s), buy the TI.

 

[ellen10]

Depart for the airport early, who knows what traffic/travelling mishaps can occur.
Yes @Hvr that is a given.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Count my bags/carry-on etc every time before leaving home/hotel/airport/car

 

[flyingfan]

Get to the airport and gate early, and don't rely only on the times on apps/screens/via announcements.

 

[aspro2]

Get to the airport and gate early, and don't rely only on the times on apps/screens/via announcements.

THIS. You can sit in a lounge waiting for the departures monitor to change to "go to gate" for as long as you like, but it's worth doubting the alignment with reality when scheduled boarding commencement has long passed!

However, I also almost missed an important flight once because the gate changed after I had sat in the original near-empty gate (which did gradually accumulate more people, but nothing else happened). The gate change was shown only on monitors unviewable from the gate area, and must have happened shortly after I arrived. It was never announced. I sat for ages wondering why nothing was happening at the gate as boarding time passed and no staff showed up, yet the other passengers weren't getting restless...

So I think a broader rule would be:

Act early, and if anything seems unusual, quiet, illogical, unannounced, contradictory then CHECK it. Again. Don't assume things or just wonder hesitantly.

 

[aspro2]

If possible, avoid flights before 9 am

Totally! It's so much harder to manage morning glitches anywhere in connections/disruptions/cancellations/misadventures.

 

[JohnK]

Avoid middle seats although with 3 of us travelling that means wife or daughter get middle seat.

Would also be nice to avoid recliners but it's expensive and not possible travelling with an 8 year old.

 

[dajop]

Try to board a long haul flight as late as possible, unless in First Class, but especially if in economy.

Don’t stress - if things don’t go as planned take it as an opportunity. (Easier said than done).

In US - check luggage. Then it doesn’t matter if you’re in boarding group 1 or boarding group 37. Don’t have to stress about fitting in your large carry on in the locker - I’ve always found room for a regular back pack. Just carry some underwear and if in winter appropriate warm clothing with you.

Never follow a tout. And related to that when arriving at a destination for the first time do some research on the best way (according to your preferences) to get to your hotel.

 

[I love to travel]

As long as I have my phone, wallet and passport, I can probably buy anything I forgot.

Add medication and that is really all you need to survive. It was a very helpful motto when Lufthasna lost my luggage for 6 days

Post automatically merged: Today at 10:25 AM

If possible, avoid flights before 9 am

Except the US in summer if you are in the storm areas on the East Coast and Southern states. The delays only get worse during the day.

 

[DejaBrew]

Check every room/cupboard/draw in the hotel room (twice!) just in case you’ve missed packing anything before leaving the room to check out. Has saved me on more than one occasion.

Don’t get so engrossed in the enjoyment of your trip that you forget to be aware of your surroundings and personal security/safety.

When the $h!t hits the fan and your plans are thrown into chaos, take a beat and analyse the situation. A solution will likely present itself - even if it’s not ideal - and in the long run, it’ll just become one of those funny travel stories you can tell people.

That last one saved me massively when I rocked returned to Düsseldorf airport later than planned to discover I’d missed the last train that would get me back to Schiphol (where I had a 6:30am flight the very next morning to connect to with my Sydney bound flight from LHR). Flights were available from DUS to AMS but they were crazy expensive (i.e. > €1K one way ). After some mild panic, I realised the car rental agencies were still open and I managed to get a cheap car rental that enabled me to AMS with hours to spare. Phew!

 

[Daver6]

I'm based in PER. When flying to the US, never take a red eye to the east coast or that god awful first flight of the morning out of PER. Always fly across the day prior and get a proper night's kip before the trans-Pacific flight.