Old Dog, New Tricks: Preparing for a Domestic Air Travel Trip
Old Dog, New Tricks: Preparing for a Domestic Air Travel Trip
Or, How I Learned to Travel With Ease
I have traveled pretty regularly my entire life (mostly regionally) and feel pretty confident and comfortable doing so. But, I really picked up speed in traveling further (nationally and internationally) about five years ago. The reasons for this were many: I had several work trips, and my kids were finally old enough to travel farther and longer. I know there are couples who travel with their young children - but for me, will I ever forget the five hour flight from Hawaii with my infant daughter crying the ENTIRE way? Nope. So family travel was regional until they got older.
But the pandemic threw a wrench in all that, as it did for so many things. I traveled quite a bit prior to the pandemic, and really missed all of it during the lockdowns. So, after nearly two years of hunkering down at home, I finally had a couple of domestic air travel trips this fall, and was really excited for them.
In fact, did you know that some travel sites indicate that travel planning is good for your mental health? The anticipation and endorphins you get from seeing a travel plan come to fruition I could easily see impacting your mental well-being. And while there are other corroborating factors, I’m sure, I am glad there is a positive benefit.
And, as someone traveling more by air, I realized I wasn’t going about it in a way that made things easy and smooth for me. So, as I hoped to increase my travel experiences, I decided to invest a little more into the necessities of travel. As I hoped to post information and reviews about places, eats, and experiences, I realized I needed to be more equipped.
A few years back, I actually went and bought nice luggage. You have to know me to know this is a splurge I did not take lightly! Truthfully, I still have my regular old weekender duffel bag that I use for almost any other trip, but I was going places, like…PROFESSIONALLY, and I didn’t want to drag around an old bag with no pockets that I have had since college. After investigating a little bit, I went with pieces from Tumi’s Sydney collection along with a weekender bag and folding duffel bag, which I always carry in case additional space is needed on the return trip. Tumi’s material has held up well (lifetime guarantee) through numerous trips, and the compartments are perfect for both work and professional items (i.e, document folders, etc.).
It helped immensely having structured luggage space. So once I had the luggage, getting through the airport to my gate quickly was another challenge I wanted to tackle. I had been thinking about getting TSA Pre-check before the pandemic, but just never filled out the form. And, although now I can go through TSA like a pro (loafers or sandals, no belt or jewelry, electronics all in one place to pull out or put away quickly), I finally decided to hop on board the TSA pre-check bandwagon, and go all out with a Clear pass too! I was able to get Clear under a family account, and my TSA pre-check fee was paid for through my travel card. On my recent trips, they have worked like a charm. See my article on “front of line” airport pass for more.
Finally, I was talked into getting an airline lounge pass. Have you been to any airline lounges? I went as a guest on a recent trip this past spring, and…wow. The American Express Centurion lounge at LAX had recently opened in a modified form - it hinted at the possibilities inside. The food was delicious, and the concierge service was a perk. I will share more about my newest lounge experience in another post.
Finally, while travel is not new to me, this cottage industry of “maximizing travel” is, so here are some travel influencers on IG who inspire me and give me idea of what can be done:
@onegirloneworld
@thetravelingchild
@thepointsguy
To recap, here are some new preparations I’ve utilized for my domestic travels:
-Investing in decent luggage from Tumi
-Signing up for TSA pre-check and Clear pass
-Getting an airline lounge pass
Is there anything I’m missing that is a must for a domestic trip? Leave me a note in the comments. And feel free to like and subscribe. If this post is helpful, please share!