Posts tagged Airplane Travel
Start Your Holiday Travel Planning with Hipmunk
If you’ve got vacation days stored away, we’re about to enter the annual sweet spot for taking time off work. It’s about time you cashed in those vacay days, man. It doesn’t have to be an epic trip that breaks the bank. Just figure out a game plan and move on it. Whether you’re meeting family or friends or just trying to experience something solo, spending on travel is never a bad investment. You deserve the joy that comes with experiencing something new and different.
The new and improved Hipmunk site can help you plan your trip without wasting valuable time and energy. Hipmunk has a simple philosophy and travel planning. Everyone wants to find good value when booking a flight or a hotel, but cost isn’t the only consideration. Is it really worth 150 bucks for you to book a flight with two additional stops and a 10 hour layover? Probably not. You want to save money when you travel, but you have to balance cost with pain, travel convenience and a host of other factors.
This is what makes Hipmunk so cool. The site pitches itself as a better flight search and hotel booking engine, and really, it is. If you visit a big aggregator site like Expedia, Travelocity or even Kayak, you are bombarded with information about every single flight available to you. Sure, you can sort by price, duration of travel, non-stop vs. multi-stops, etc. But more often than not, there’s just way too much information to sift through. Hipmunk has some unique features that help you get past the information overload, so you can find a flight plan sweet spot that’s specific to your needs.
A couple weeks back, I started planning a trip to Barbados using Hipmunk. You begin the process by entering in your destinations and desired days of travel. It’s easy to add a plus or minus range to your dates. Next, you take a look at the results. They’re presented kind of like Gantt chart, with price on the right, duration of flights in the middle and expandable results to the left. Take a look:
So instead of looking flights up by price or duration, you get a quick, highly focused view of your options sorted by overall pain (price/duration). If you want to view more results that are similar to a particular flight, click on the left to reveal more options. You can hover over specific flights to get more details and you can easily select the right combo of price and time costs.
I found a flight from LAX to Barbados via New York that was affordable, included minimal layover time (just over two hours each leg) and featured the all-important flight option: Wi-Fi. I clicked on the link and booked directly through the airline site.
Once you’ve selected a flight, it’s time to start checking out hotels. Hipmunk just revamped their hotel search this week. You can view local hotel options that cater to your specific travel interests. Variables include property type, chains, amenities and neighborhood features like family, LGBT, romance, business and adventure. The results are provided by Trip Advisor, so you can dive into user reviews of each hotel pretty quickly. You can also sort the results by price, reviews or “ecstasy.”
It’s a really efficient way to cut through all the nonsense. You get a sense of a locale before you visit, and you can find accommodations that’ll fit your specific agenda.
So I used Hipmunk to book my Barbados trip, and I even checked with a travel agent buddy to see if he could get a better price. The Himpmunk price turned out to be cheaper. This whole process seriously cut down on the shopping around time, and you can sign up for email alerts that will let you know when any price changes to your flight take effect. If you’re still planning a trip by pouring through endless flight search results or hundreds of hotel reviews, try this site out. It’ll save you some time and money during the coming travel-heavy holiday season.
Nov 13th
9 Ways to Make Airplane Travel Suck Less
Nobody likes flying. We all love the excitement of traveling, but most sane people hate the actual flight. And for good reason. The airline industry sucks balls. Most planes are outdated, low-tech germ cans that were built to accommodate people the size of Willow. If you like cleanliness, modern technology, edible food or leg room, flying is a big pain in the ass. But with the right attitude and a few helpful tips, you can make your next plane ride less painful. Here are nine ways to make airplane travel suck less:
Drink Before, During and Potentially After Your Flight
Scotch makes airplanes better. It really does. Beer works for some people, but if you have the bladder of a small child, it’s just not a good idea. Liquor is quicker and it’ll keep you in your seat. Pay the outrageous fee for an in-flight head change.
Buy the WiFi
Why the hell isn’t WiFi free in every airport and airplane in the country? If coffee shops can provide you with free Internet access, shouldn’t the airline industry do the same? Sadly, like everything else these days, airlines charge you extra for web access. Splurge for this expense. It’s totally worth it. Don’t get stuck squinting to see the shitty in-flight movie. Forget about the Skymall mag, too. Pay whatever king’s ransom they’re charging for WiFi and boost your ability to stay sane during a long flight.
Own the Armrest
No matter where you sit on an airplane, stake your claim to the armrest early. Establish your elbow dominance as soon as you take your seat. Get big, box out your neighbor and own it for the whole flight. If you snooze, wait for the right opportunity and pounce that elbow back in there. Never give up. Never surrender. Hold the line like your life depended on it.
Spring for a Bottle of Water at the Gate
Nothing’s worse than having cotton mouth on a plane. Sure, the sky waitress will bring you a beverage when you hit the right altitude. But you need some liquids to get you through that first half hour or so of non-service.
Be Nice to Airline Employees
You think flying is a big inconvenience for you? Imagine if that shit was your job. Folks who work in the airline industry have to deal with stressed, uncomfortable and annoyed people every single day. They see people at their worst, so be nice to them. You’d be surprised how far a couple of extra smiles and thank yous can take you. I once got two free mini bottles of Johnny Walker from a flight attendant just for being the least douchiest person in my row.
Wear Shorts
It’s rare to find yourself on a plane and think, man, it’s freezing in here. It can happen, yea, but the more likely scenario is you sitting in a cramped seat with a bad case of the schweaty balls. Do yourself a favor and wear shorts on your next flight. If it get’s cold, you can always reach for a jacket or blanket. It’s not like you can air out your junk when things get extra toasty. Leave the air on, too. A little air circulation never hurt anybody.
Bring Snacks
Gone are the days of endless peanuts and complimentary in-flight snacks. Airlines make you pay for everything, and nine times out of ten, the soggy sandwich or questionable cheese & cracker combo or whatever overpriced snack option their pushing just isn’t worth it. If your famished, you’ll pay any price for airplane food, but you’re going to feel dirty about it afterward. You’re going to feel used. So stash some granola bars in your bag and schedule some time to snack it up before you board.
Don’t Smell
Sounds simple, right? And yet so many people insist on traveling extra ripe all the time. Don’t be one of those people. If you can’t figure out where the stank is coming from, it’s probably coming from you. Do the whole bathing/deodorizing/clean hair/clean socks thing. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Zen Out
Whatever it is you do to get to your happy place, make sure you can reach that state of mind on a plane. Get into breathing exercises, put some Enya on your iPod, pack a photo of a loved one or a favorite location. However you get there, the ability to zen out hard is a critical carry-on. With the right preparation, you can block out anything – chair kickers, coughers, aggressive screaming babies, loud white girls – you name it. Learn how to transform yourself into a zen master at will and nothing will get under your skin.
Nov 17th
