Travel Tips

General Tips

  • Give yourself a buffer day to be able to respond if anything goes wrong
  • Plan out your route from the airport to the hotel before you leave. You will be tired when you land and don't want to have to figure out a subway system in a foreign language.
  • Be careful about data roaming. It can be very expensive if you don't plan accordingly. I personally use US Mobile for e-sims, but there are many options out there.
  • Use a credit card without foreign transaction fees. Also, use a debit card that reimburses foreign ATM fees. I don't use it personally, but I've heard Schwab is good for a foreign debit card.
  • The first thing to do when you land is to hit up an ATM (or bring money with you). Even though most stuff works with a card now, you never know when it will be useful to have cash on hand.

My Favorite Apps

  • Flighty to track my flights and delays. It is better than any airline-developed app, but data may be inaccurate internationally.
  • TripIt builds my trip calendar and tracks documents. It is easy to forward emails in and have them automatically added to my Google Calendar
  • Google Sheets to track details if I am traveling with a group/family (birth date, passport, TTN, loyalty numbers, etc.). It makes it much easier to book flights
  • Google Flights to find most of my flights. For more complicated trips, I will check ITA Matrix.
  • Transit for navigating public transit. As someone who lives in New York, I also use this app locally (weekend subways suck).

Local Ride Hail Apps

Different countries have different ride-hail apps. Rates are often lower than Uber or Lyft. Some countries don't have Uber, so check whether it operates in an area before you arrive. Even if Uber exists, local apps usually have more availability. I have been burned several times by expecting Uber to work, and then needing to download another app in a panic.

  • Bolt in Europe
  • GoJek or Grab in Southeast Asia
  • 99 in Brazil
  • Careem in the Middle East, especially in Egypt
  • Taxa in Saudi Arabia
    • I have had issues signing up with a US phone number

Airports

US Airports (Generally)

PreCheck, Global Entry, and NEXUS

  • Use PreCheck to skip the normal security lines
  • If you fly internationally a lot, sign up for Global Entry or NEXUS for faster security and immigration. You do not have to be an American to sign up for Global Entry, and Canadians can sign up for NEXUS.
    • I've been able to get from the plane door on an international flight to the curb at LAX in 20 minutes.
    • Many credit cards have PreCheck or Global Entry credits. Some Chase cards also cover NEXUS, but if they don't explicitly say NEXUS, it is not likely to be covered
  • If lines look bad, airport employees can often advise on which line will move fastest. In Austin, for example, I've seen the Premier Access line move faster than Clear.

Los Angeles

International Terminal

  • If leaving from the TBIT, plan for long check-in times and very long security lines (even with Clear). I usually walk to Terminal 4 (American), clear security there, and walk back across the bridge to TBIT.
  • You can walk from all terminals to TBIT through the secured area. However, it can take a long time (20+ minutes), so add in extra time if connecting from United to Star Alliance.

United

  • Some United international flights arrive at TBIT. If you arrive at TBIT and are connecting to United, take a bus or the people mover to clear security at T7.
  • If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve (or are Star Alliance Gold), you can use the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in T6, which is close to United but has more relaxed entry rules.

New York/JFK

Security

  • I have had consistently bad check-in and security times in Terminals 1 and 4 (especially Delta). Terminals 5 and 8 have been better for me, but can still back up.

Take the Train

Traffic in Queens can get really bad, especially in the evenings. My personal favorite way to get to Midtown Manhattan is to take the Long Island Rail Road from Jamaica to Penn Station or Grand Central. You can pay for the JFK AirTrain (or subways) with any contactless credit card/Apple Pay, but you need a separate ticket for the LIRR.

International Airports

Cairo (CAI)

  • Make sure you know which terminal you are leaving from. Some EgyptAir flights leave from terminals 2 or S, but most taxis will assume terminal 3.
  • Cairo is incredibly busy; make sure you arrive several hours before your flight (including domestic flights). For early morning domestic flights, it might be worth upgrading to business class for Gold Track access.
  • For EgyptAir domestic flights, some check-in kiosks are in the back corner against the right-hand wall. You can save over an hour by checking in there.
  • Cairo has very little food available, especially in the domestic terminal. Eat before you get to the airport.
  • All airports in Egypt have multiple (usually two or three) layers of security checks. Arrive at the gate early to allow time for secondary screening.

London Heathrow (LHR)

  • Bus transfers and security can take a long time. If you have an inter-terminal transfer, head straight to your departure terminal.
  • Gates are announced shortly before boarding starts. Stay in the central area, even if Flighty reports a gate has already been assigned. Sit where you can see a screen.
    • Terminal 5 (BA) has two satellite piers. Once you go to the piers, you cannot come back without clearing security again.
  • The Heathrow Express is very expensive and only mildly faster than the Elizabeth Line to Central London.

Jeddah (JED)

  • Jeddah has Terminal 1 and the North Terminal. Double-check which terminal you will arrive at/depart from before you go. The drive from Terminal 1 to the North Terminal is longer than the drive between JFK and LaGuardia. Car services and tour guides may assume you land in the wrong terminal.

Rental Cars

  • Hertz waives the under-25 fee if you book through the AAA partner page.
  • Rental car insurance through credit cards is usually good enough, but make sure to activate it before you leave.