I’ve been traveling quite a bit for work lately. Enough so that my frequent flier status gets me the occasional free upgrade. Usually I’m in the back with everyone else, but every once in a while I get to enjoy the comfort of some extra legroom, a wider seat and free meal service.
And it is nice.
Nice to be able to use the laptop without having to sit sideways. Nice that the time spent in the plane doesn’t only consist of wishing it was over.
I watched the movie Up In The Air a few months back. It’s a good movie on its own, but I enjoyed it even more since I could relate to many aspects of the traveling lifestyle: always looking to minimize the amount of baggage, finding the best way to get through airport security quickly, getting a good seat on the plane, obsessing over airline and hotel rewards programs, etc
I generally pack light – my general rule is to never check a bag for domestic travel. The only time I make an exception is when I need to transport wine. If I’m only staying away one night I don’t even bring my carry-on bag; I can fit toiletries and clothing for one day in my laptop bag.
The security lines usually are not an issue since I can use the shorter frequent traveler line, and I’m always well-prepared for the security checkpoint. I have my boarding pass and ID in hand and my pockets are empty. I know I need two - and only two - bins: one for my laptop and another one for my belt and my plastic bag of liquid toiletries. Shoes go directly on the belt.
When I book my flights I cross-check the seat configurations against seatguru.com to get the best seat I can. I know I always want an aisle seat, but it’s also good to know which rows have extra legroom, limited recline, trays in the armrests, etc. If I have some flexibility in my travel schedule, I sometimes go so far as checking several flights to see if the seat configurations are different. (Some flights have more first class seats than others, increasing the chance of a free upgrade.)
For both airlines and hotels, I always try to stay within the brand (and its partners) where I have my main loyalty program. For flying it’s US Airways (and the Star Alliance), and for hotels it’s the Marriott brands. When I rent cars I use Hertz because of their partnership with Marriott. Phoenix is a hub for US Airways (being able to fly without layovers is paramount) and Marriott has hotels everywhere – at least within the US.
I actually prefer Southwest to US Airways, but they only fly domestically so I can’t use reward flights for international travel, and with frequent flier status many of the US Airways annoyances go away (baggage fees, additional fees for certain coach seats, standby fees, etc)
I use a Marriott-branded credit card for all my purchases. Although it has an annual fee of $65, the value I get back is worth that many times over. I automatically get silver status and one free night's stay every year, and enough additional points through my purchases for several more free nights each year. And, that’s on top of the regular points I get from just staying at the Marriotts. I cleaned out my points last summer for the road trip I did with my parents, and I’m estimating that by the same time this year I’ll have enough points for a free week at the Ritz Carlton.
All-in-all, there are a lot of hassles around traveling and it can be very tiring, but I don’t do it so much that I hate it, and I do it enough to get some perks and travel conveniences to make it worthwhile. So, on balance, I’m pretty happy with the level I’m at right now.
