Tag: Travel Tips

An Airplane sitting on the runway.

Traveling On a Budget: How I Scored the Cheapest One-Way Ticket, Ever

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When it comes to tallying up the estimated total cost of my trip, I keep adding that into the “do later or never” pile. I wouldn’t refer to myself as “money bags”, and even if I did, I would be focusing on saving money where I can (to hold onto that nickname)! For now, let me tell you about a score that I found when I booked my flight from New York/Newark to Singapore, non-stop, one-way on United Airlines.

Since I am a frequent flyer with United, and once upon a time I accrued a lot of miles on a credit card (responsibly, of course…) I have something like 100,000 miles sitting around and gathering dust. I guess I haven’t used mileage as often as I could have in the past because, like George Clooney in “Up in the Air”, it wasn’t about redeeming mileage, it was just about amassing as much as you can.

Six weeks it became clear to me that the window for my “epic sabbatical around the world” was approaching, which wound up consisting of just five countries for now in Southeast Asia, and I realized it was time to either put up or shut up with my planning and actually purchase the air ticket(s). I went to my old standby, Kayak.com, which I use pretty much exclusively for looking up or booking airfare. I think that all travelers are a little cautious about the airline they choose, preferring to stick with a well-known brand at a higher price, than an unknown airline or one with a poor reputation (see: Malaysia Airlines…). The best price I found was in the neighborhood of $700, flying from New York/Newark to Singapore, with one stop, maybe in Frankfurt, Doha, or Tokyo–can you tell I’ve done this route a couple of times? Just to reiterate, this is for a one way ticket. I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be coming home, or even from which airport, so one way suits me for now.

Out of curiosity, I logged into United Airlines’ web site and pulled up “rewards travel”, leaving the whole month of February open for my travel. Why February, why not January or March? Some of the reasons are logical and some are complete nonsense, but for my memory and for your delight, here is my reasoning:

  1. I had the house to myself for the month of January (PARTY)! Actually, my idea of partying is putting the heat up to a comfortable temperature…
  2. I wanted to give myself enough prep time for the trip. Considering the time it took me to set up a great bank account (no foreign exchange fees!) and receive an assortment of time-specific vaccinations, this worked out pretty well. And if I waited for March, I’d be cutting my trip shorter and shorter since I need to be back at the beginning of August no matter what.
  3. Most importantly… I need to give myself a window to see 50 Shades before I declare an official timeout from America.

A few clicks and scrolls later, and I was looking at the pricing for my awards travel. A grand total of 40,000 points PLUS a whopping $18 USD in fees.

Now, I don’t know what the airlines would tell you, but for me I believe this to be accurate. You can consider 10,000 miles to be the equivalent of paying $100 USD out of pocket. Whether you’ve amassed those miles through flying, credit cards, or some kind of promotion. The taxes and fees can be as little as $2.00 but I’ve seen them as high as $150, and often when buying a round trip ticket you’ll see that the fees in one direction are very cheap whilst the fees in the other direction are very high, giving you an average of something like $60 to $75 in fees per flight segment.

In other words, for the same flight route I should have expected to pay a minimum of 70,000 miles plus a higher dollar amount in fees. While there are lots of secrets to shopping for tickets, including the day of the week that you purchase, a series of settings like cookies and geographic tracking in your browser(s), and lots of ways to beat the system (hint: the airlines have very sophisticated revenue models and like Vegas, the house always wins), and more. In this case, being flexible with my departure date, using mileage to my advantage, and just old-fashioned luck really worked in my favor.

My travel tips to you: enroll in frequent flyer programs whenever you can and whenever possible do your shopping in such a way that it benefits you overall and your mileage in particular, shop around on a couple of websites, be flexible, and though I got lucky six weeks out you may want to try looking further in advance. Good luck and bon voyage!

7 things you should NOT pack for long-term travel

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21 days to go and I’m already packed. I am ready to get out of here! Winter wonderland though it may be, cabin fever hits hard in less than 24 hours. Besides, although I’m making efforts to be productive (we may have a different version of what that word means), I feel like I am just trying to make the time pass more quickly.

Isn't it magical?

Isn’t it magical?

To make the time pass faster I’ve been browsing through some blogs, where, shocker, I’ve come across the ubiquitous “what to pack” list filed away under travel tips. I’m gonna do you one better and tell you what NOT to pack when you’re traveling, and better yet, I’m going to talk about personal effects and equipment AND the mental baggage that you should make sure to leave at home (see what I did there?).

This is a general list and it’s going to depend on your circumstances, but since I’m a single gal traveling, you can bet that it’s going to be pertinent to at least this glorious and savvy demographic, if I do say so myself.

Let’s start with the obvious, your physical luggage. Do not bring…

  1. Too many clothes. We’re all guilty of this. Whether you’re going away for a short trip or a long trip, try and pare down your wardrobe so that you don’t exceed any weight limits–for the plane or for own back. Black, white and neutrals are almost always appropriate for any time of the day, with a splash of color in the form of a scarf, t-shirt or an occasional accessory. Stick with comfortable, more conservative basics that you can layer easily and mix and match. Go for comfort with shoes for the activity you’re going for. Note that this recommendation might go completely out the window if you’re packing for a long weekend trip and/or need to pack a variety of 6 inch heels for Las Vegas. Been there, done that.
  2. Too many electronics (and/or physical books)! We live in an age of data overload, and in my opinion gadget overload. If you’re not traveling for business, you can leave the laptop at home–actually, even if you are traveling for business, you likely can get all your e-mail and apps on your phone or a tablet. Laptops are bulky and just not that portable compared to other options that you probably already own or could access at a hotel business center, if you’re traveling for business. But aren’t you on vacation…? And unless you’re a pro photographer, you probably want to limit your recording equipment. Let’s be honest here, you’re probably just going to to use your smartphone anyway, but if you’re a klutz like me and would feel more comfortable toting a camera instead, go for a small digital camera. If you’re a bookworm, let’s not overlook the bulk of books. I’ll be the first one to agree that I prefer the patine of real book, I love the smell of the pages and the sound of the paper when you turn the pages, but for practicality, it pays to go digital and go with the least paper possible if you absolutely must bring a hard copy (travel guide, favorite novel or inspirational reading). It always depends where you’re going and what the activity is, but for long-term leisure travel, whether luxury or backpacking, a good general principle is to limit yourself in electronics to three big ticket items. Likely your phone is in the list, so you really have two more–think tablet, camera. Or camera plus big ass Bose headphones. And so on and so forth. And, don’t forget the chargers and converters if need be (whomp whomp). AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep your gadgets with you on your person when in transit (NOT IN CHECKED BAGGAGE!) and locked up somewhere safe when not in use. 
  3. Going to sound silly, but leave the food at home! One of the best parts of traveling is eating EVERYTHING (mostly). I won’t forget that I made this mistake with my mother, traveling to Japan, where we wanted to save on costs by bringing some snacks with us since we were under the impression that food costs would be astronomical. We brought a bunch of Cliff bars and granola bars with us–needless to say, we were GIVING them away only a few days into our trip, and couldn’t stop eating all the goodies around us no matter how hard we tried. I’ve also met some people (hi sis!) who survived in Mexico on only Snickers bars. Her girlfriends all got sick with food poisoning on that trip so I guess there’s a lesson in there somewhere–and while you SHOULD DEFINITELY pack for a Montezuma’s Revenge or Delhi Belly moment (to all you Brits), that shouldn’t deter you from trying something new and, hopefully, delicious.
  4. Excessive beauty tools, accessories and grooming goods–ok so I lumped a few categories together, potato po-tah-to–if it’s not something you would wear or use on a regular basis at home, or even for a night out at home, think again before taking it with you. Bringing your own make-shift salon with you, complete with blowdryer, curling iron and curlers? If you’re going that fancy, I think you’re better off splurging for a professional than schlepping that with you and still having to do all the work! Glitzy, glamorous jewelry? If you’re going to the Oscars, I say. Enough makeup to turn you into all of those girls I envy on Instagram? Girlfriend, start embracing your natural beauty, all your goods are going to get tossed around and melty on the road anyway… but seriously bring a little for yourself. Since men only have something like 4 or 5 tools anyway (unless they are from New Jersey, of course), this doesn’t apply to them too much.

    Nothing good came out of that rock around her neck.

    Nothing good came out of that rock around her neck.

Physical baggage, check. Now, onto your perceptions and attitudes, don’t take with you–

  1.  Preconceived notions that you are any better than the people or the country you are visiting! Especially if you are going from a country of privilege, Westernized nation, or developed nation, whatever jargon you prefer for it, to a less privileged nation. Don’t make the assumption that the people around you are idiots, as so many Americans people tend to do when they travel. Even going from one developed nation to another, you should be careful of criticizing the country you are in–you would be amazed at how patriotic you become when someone slams the politics of your country, whether you personally agree with it or not. You should treat people as you want to be treated, and it goes a long way. One precaution…
  2. Don’t leave your wits at home! When meeting people abroad, you don’t want to be entitled, but you don’t want people to walk all over you either. If you think I’m telling you that there are people out there who want to screw you over while you’re away from home, then you’re 100% right. Especially on WOO-WOO Spring Break(!) vacations, we feel immune on foreign soil. You shouldn’t be paranoid but you should follow the same reservations as you would when at home when dealing with strangers, and if you subscribe to the Julie philosophy of travel–no sex with anyone!   

    And from personal experience, your caution should extend to locals as well as expats–just because someone moved out of their home country doesn’t revoke the asshole card if such is their actions and personality towards you. In fact, there is a distinct possibility they chose to emigrate BECAUSE of asshole tendencies; while the cool expats left because of their coolness. Unfortunately, there is no litmus test; there is no asshole border control, either. 

    You feel wonderfully free when you’re traveling, and that’s one of the beautiful truths about going away in the first place, but just don’t be stupider than you would normally be. And if you would normally be really stupid and a risk taker, just try and take it down a notch.

  3. Last but not least, don’t pack an aggressive agenda. I’m not against making plans, but I believe that you have to budget some time for your trip to just roll along naturally, AND for hiccups along the way–missing your ferry, train, bus, whatever. Bad weather, unexpected travel companions (good or bad!). If you go on a trip with a precise military regimen, you might be so engrossed in keeping up with your schedule that you don’t really get a chance to “soak in” your environment and you cut off your chances of being surprised–hopefully for better and not worse. You should definitely budget time for your must-see’s and must-do’s, especially if that requires coordinating a booking in advance, but leave yourself a healthy buffer to enjoy the place at an enjoyable pace.

 

There are travel tips innumerable from here until the end of time, but for those who are just getting started on their journey, I hope that these can help you in your trip-planning as I keep them in mind for my own trip coming up, and that this is a little nudge in the right direction for those of you who are procrastinating hesitating about your own trip!