Do this on an aeroplane to change how you fly
Before you book your next trip, learn these insider tricks that will make flying a whole lot easier and more pleasant.
Travel like a local
Andy Abramson, the CEO of Comunicano who was named Business Traveller of the Year by Business Traveller magazine in 2015, suggests always using local SIM cards in mobile phones to get better speeds, connectivity and quality. “Uploads of photos go faster; if you need to be on a conference call, the quality is always better, as you are connecting locally to the provider’s point of presence; and there’s no need to buy any add-on bundles from your local carrier,” he says. You can get a SIM card at most local and international airports.
Sign up for free business programs
If you have a business – even if it’s not incorporated or profitable – sign up for airline’s free business rewards programs, Suro advises. You’ll get points every time you or your employees fly, which are over and above your frequent-flyer miles. Suro says that you can redeem those points for free flights, lounge access, upgrades, elite status and other goodies.
Access information without Wi-Fi
Chloe Vallencia, a frequent flyer and the owner of Couple-Gift, realised that she often doesn’t have easy access to Wi-Fi when she’s travelling abroad. So she uses the app Maps.Me to search for itineraries, maps and locations. It’s easy to use and doesn’t require an internet connection. But getting Wi-Fi isn’t always as impossible as you might think, especially when you’re on the way to your destination: Make sure to bookmark this map with airport Wi-Fi passwords all over the world.
Check on transferable flights
Plans change, and sometimes, vacations are cancelled. To add to the disaster, many flights are non-refundable, and travellers end up losing everything they shelled out for their holidays. “A very costly mistake many still do is not checking whether their flight is transferable,” says Galena Stavreva, a London-based frequent flyer and travel expert. “If it is, the name of the passenger can be changed, the reservation can be sold to someone else, and the seller can recover at least some of the cost of the flights.” So before booking your flight, check ahead of time to see the restrictions—and consider not booking the flight (even if it seems like a good deal) if it’s not transferable.
Written by Danielle Braff. This article first appeared in Reader’s Digest. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, here’s our best subscription offer.