Author: admin

No Free Flights

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

How often do you see a cruise or tour advertised as ‘Fly Free’?

That’s Bulldust! . . . It should really say just say ‘Flights included’

Stay Longer

If we are travelling long haul we would much rather stop longer than the packaged length of the holiday.

If you arrive the day before the tour starts you are probably in a trance for the first day.

If your luggage gets delayed will it ever catch up?

Going to Europe we typically want to visit friends and relatives in Britain before the tour starts.

We may also want to use our frequent flyer points to book business class travel.

Our Experience

We generally find that as soon as we ask for the package without the ‘Free Flights we get a significant discount.

The discount is likely to a little less than the cost of booking the flights yourself, but for us it’s still worthwhile.

Also

If you are booking a “free flight’ you might find the fare class you have been booked on:

  • Doesn’t include airline points!
  • Can’t be upgraded with either points of cash!

Cheaper Flights? or Convenience?

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

It really depends on your situation.

Days to Avoid

The days to avoid are the days when there is the biggest demand for seats.

That’s when business travellers and leisure travellers are wanting the same flight

Typically Fridays are bad with people setting off for holidays at the same time as business people returning to their home base.

Sundays is similar with people returning from their holidays and weekly commuters returning to be ready to start on Monday morning.

When I worked full time I used to be be caught in this trap when travelling for leisure as I wanted to get the most use out of the limited leave available.

That meant including as much of the weekend in the holiday as possible.

Convenience was more important than cost!

Cheapest Days

Generally the cheapest days tend to be midweek, typically Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Thursday and Saturdays are normally not too bad.

Now I am retired I like to take advantage of the midweek lower fares.

When we book cruises, or tours we now look to go a couple of days earlier and stop on a couple of days afterwards.

Not only do take advantage of lower fares, but if a flight is delayed we don’t risk missing the start of the cruise.

In this case cost can equal convenience!

Special Occasion – Let Everyone Know

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

I often hear about people keep quiet about special occasions.

They could be missing out!

My wife and I usually go away on anniversaries and birthdays and aren’t shy about telling others about it.

Here are some of the free things that have resulted from letting people know:

  • Bottles of champagne from flight attendants.
  • Bottles of champagne in the room.
  • Flowers in the room.
  • Chocolates.
  • Limo Hire.
  • Best table in a great restaurant.
  • Room upgrades.

Suit Carriers

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

Twenty five years ago suit carriers were the ‘go to bag’ for frequent flyers.

Now you rarely see them.

In the late 90’s I was living away from home for 2 years and used my suit carrier every week for the whole period.

These days I rarely wear a suit, or business shirts and some airlines are weighing carry on so it doesn’t come out so often.

It has not been completely forgotten as I would still use it 2-3 times a year, mainly for me and my wife on an overnight stay.

Advantages

  • Great for times when you need to travel with formal clothes.
  • Quick and easy to pack.
  • Great in the hotel room; just lay it on a counter or hang it in the wardrobe

Disadvantage

  • Much heavier than my Go To Carry On.
  • Not as ‘Trendy’ as the wheeled bags

Overall

I would never get rid of my suit carrier even though it’s not my main bag. . . . its still useful for certain trips

Shaving

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

Over the years I have tried most of the options for shaving.

I started with mains powered electric shavers . . . but too heavy.

Next it was battery electric . . . . but the battery always went flat at the wrong time.

Next was wet shaving with foam . . . . but the foam is expensive and after 9/11 you could only take the tiny and expensive foam canisters.

Now

Its just a BIC 3 bladed disposable razor and a shaving brush.

I also have half the blade container to protect the blades, and a plastic bag for the shaving brush.

I don’t need soap as I just use the hotel soap, or shampoo.

The whole kit costs around $10 . . . so it gets left behind it’s no problem!

It’s OK To Check In Luggage

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

I’m not one of those ‘travel hackers’ that says you should only take carry on luggage.

Quite often I do take only my carry on bag for two weeks travel, although there are other times when I check a bag in as well.

Why I Check In A Bag

Ten minutes waiting for a bags isn’t going to spoil my holiday.

Yes you can manage with only 4 shirts/blouses and wash them, but that can get a bit boring, and you don’t want to be known as the ‘Same Shirt Person!‘

Going away for a couple of weeks, or more, and I would rather take 7 or 8 shirts, another pair of pants and an extra pair of shoes.

What To Check In

Basically my thoughts for a checked in bag are:

  • Clothes that are nice to have, but not essential; in case the bag gets delayed (I still carry on a bag with all the essentials including spare clothes)
  • Avoid anything that has a risk of being broken.(These need to be in your carry on)
  • Keep the bag reasonably light (as I get older) I don’t want to be pulling 20kg + bag off the carousel or lifting it into a small hire car.