Best air travel tips?

[greatdane]

What are you best money saving air travel tips that you always use when going on vacation?

I always bring my own food and snacks to the airport so I don't have to buy it there where the food is overpriced and I don't get hungry on the plane.

What are some other great tips you use when you travel by plane?

[kork13]

I grew up on Guam (small Pacific island), so I've done alot of flying throughout my life. There's alot you can do to make the experience more enjoyable.

- Noise canceling headphones. I wasn't convinced for a long time, but now I never fly without them. They're a fairly expensive investment (around $300 for most mid-grade sets from Bose, Sony, or Sennheiser), but if you get a quality set, they'll last you for years. Between eliminating the constant drone of the engines & dramatically reducing the ear-piercing squeals of unhappy infants (in addition to the many other occasions I'll use them), mine have more than paid for themselves.
- Bring your own snacks & drinks (I always carry a 1L water bottle and a bag of pistachios or almonds)
- When possible, travel light. If I can manage it, I'll normally fly with just a backpack/small suitcase & a laptop bag. That way, no checked bags to lug around, wait for at the carousel, or (these days) outrageous fees to pay.
- Early check in online, & print your own boarding pass. If you're also traveling without checked bags, you can go directly from the curb thru security to your flight. The combination of these three can save you SOOO much time & hassle.
- Dress comfortably, and dress for walking. Your favorite pair of tennis shoes and loose-fitting clothes (especially shorts/pants) will make navigating the airport and sitting in your seat for a few hours WAY more comfortable.
- A good book & a full MP3 player (once again: noise canceling headphones generally have excellent sound quality)

There's alot more that I could get into, but I'll leave it there for now. I love flying, but doing it smartly makes flying alot more enjoyable.

[bjl584]

Definitely print out your boarding pass the night before at home. Take a carry on bag only if possible. And, get to the airport early.

[shaggy]

To minimize the amount of luggage you have, plan what to wear in advance. Consider washing undergarments & socks in the hotel sink with travel-size Woolite packets.

I always bring a bandana on the plane: useful to wipe my face, keep cold air off my neck, shield my eyes from glaring light through open windows, clean glasses, dry my face if I wash it in the lavatory & don't want to use paper towels, etc.

I'm guilty of bringing too much "entertainment" with me: magazines, laptop, e-book reader, iPod for games & videos, etc. I should minimize that.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Check in luggage instead of carry on luggage when traveling with kids. I am cheap and prefer to carryon but with two kids under 3 and flying solo checking in makes life a lot easier. Minimize the amount you carry. Also pack light consider what you can buy where you're going instead of packing it.

Two kids and me to hawaii for 3 weeks and I had a carry on for all three of us and a backpack period. I bought diapers there and carried 7x changes of clothes.

[AsiaTraveler]

Check in luggage instead of carry on luggage when traveling with kids. I am cheap and prefer to carryon but with two kids under 3 and flying solo checking in makes life a lot easier. Minimize the amount you carry. Also pack light consider what you can buy where you're going instead of packing it.

Two kids and me to hawaii for 3 weeks and I had a carry on for all three of us and a backpack period. I bought diapers there and carried 7x changes of clothes.

If you know you're going to have to check (I agree, with small kids, it's much easier), strategically get credit cards (following all the caveats about responsible use of credit, of course). Many airline cards now offer free checked luggage, and are fee-free for the first year. Also, some credit cards (such as the US Bank FlexPerks) offer some kind of allowance when you redeem your points for airline tickets ($25/trip for the US Bank card).

The number one way that I save money on travel is through frequent flier miles. There is no way that we could regularly afford to fly out of our small town airport any other way. It takes some attention and strategic use of bonuses, etc. (not just earning miles through flying), but for me, it is worth it.