Travel Advice

Not using a travel agent because you think prices are lower online? Think again!

Over the years, a large misconception has formed that booking travel online is always better and cheaper. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Depending on the type of booking, travel agents can save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars compared to what is available online.

How is this possible?
Travel agents are highly commission and sales target based. This means they have different incentives and pressures to ‘make the sale’, which usually means lower prices for the consumer. Here is a list of ways a travel agent can help you get more for your money, including an example on a $3,000 tour from a major tour operator like Contiki or G Adventures:

Commission – Travel agents can ‘sacrifice’ part of their commission to lower the overall price. Note: the commission for travel agents is usually not above/beyond the pricing you see online, but is included (or accounted for) in the posted price. So if a travel agent’s typical commission on a $3,000 trip is 12%, but the travel agent is willing to only take 8%, this will be a 5% or $150 savings for the traveller.

Travel agent incentives form the supplier – Suppliers regularly provide travel agents with two kinds of incentives; agent incentives and consumer incentives. Agent incentives are ‘freebies’ that travel agents get (free flights, hotels, additional commission, gift cards, etc.) for hitting different sales targets for a given supplier within a given timeframe (usually monthly) so if the timing is right they will be more willing to negotiate to meet these targets. Consumer incentives are additional discounts/incentives that the supplier offers to help travel agents make a sales for the supplier (versus say its competitors). This can include discounts, upgrades, and freebies (everything from airport transfers to free connecting flights between multiple tours). Additional savings $25 – $300.

Travel agent incentives from the travel agent company – Assuming the travel agent is part of a larger agency network, the company itself offers its agents incentives similar to the supplier incentives based on its sales needs. Additional savings $25 – $100.

Bulk and returning traveller discounts – Both the travel agent and suppliers usually provide additional discounts for returning customers. Usually in the range of 5% or $150 savings in this example.

Other – Since travel agents live and breathe travel each day, they are always in the know of where additional savings can lie. Also, they may be inclined to provide a bigger discount upfront for a chance at selling additional services like travel insurance, car rentals, etc. Additional savings $25 – $100

Total savings for this example: $375 – $800!

 

So what can you do to help them help you save?
Make it easy for them – Do your homework and know what you want. The more specific the better as the less work the travel agent has to do, the more likely they will be to lower their commissions.

Send them the small stuff – For the most part, flights and hotels have a low markup so the travel agent will only be able to match what you find online. Even though it might be easier to book these one-offs online, sending these to your preferred travel agent will help them meet their sales targets and build goodwill for future larger bookings. Don’t be afraid to ask your travel agent if it’s worthwhile booking the small stuff through them – they will appreciate it a lot!

 

One more thing!
If you live in a country with a strong currency, be sure to do some research on some credible travel agencies outside of your country. This will allow you to take advantage of cost-of-living and FX imbalances to save you even more!

Traveling is an eye-opening, rewarding experience, but getting to your destination can be quite a pain. Airlines have many baggage restrictions for carry-on luggage, which may make it seem impossible to travel for a couple of weeks without a few bags. However, with a few tips and tricks, you’ll see that you can easily pack for a two-week trip using just a standard size carry-on suitcase.

But first, why bother with just a carry-on? You will not have to wait at the luggage carousels with a crowd of tired travelers after you land. Plus, waiting on luggage could make you late for your transfer to your final destination—for example, a private car or a bus that’s waiting to take you to a hotel. In some airports, you may have to go back through security at one of your connections, and you may have to wait on your luggage before you can go back through security. If your first flight was delayed, and now you’ve only got 45 minutes to make your next flight, waiting on your luggage can cost you precious time and may make you miss your next flight. It’s always easier to just have your luggage by your side at all times.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website, the largest carry-on size allowed is 45 linear inches. Great, you’re thinking. What are linear inches? This means the total height, width, and depth of the bag must be 45 inches or less when you add the three numbers together. If you’re shopping for new luggage, most now come with a tag that note if the suitcase is carry-on size.

On your flight, you’ll be allowed to take one carry-on piece of luggage and one “personal item” with you. The Transportation Security Administration defines “personal item” as a “laptop computer, purse, small backpack, briefcase, or camera case.”

Now that you understand what you’re allowed to take on board, for your two-week trip, the next step is to think about your destination. Are you going somewhere tropical? Cold? Rainy? Check the weather forecast for your destination for several days before you leave to get an idea of what the weather is going to be like. For purposes of this article, let’s say you’re going to France in March. It tends to be fairly chilly this time of year, and, should you head out to the coast, it can be wet, cold, and rainy.

Next, see what your hotel provides for you. Is there a hairdryer in the room? Will there be an ironing board? What toiletries are provided? Is there a business lounge with computers? Go online to see what you’ll have in your room (or cruise ship, or wherever you are traveling) and it will help you better plan for what you need.

If you’ve planned a two-week trip, you’ve got 14 days and 13 overnights for which you need to pack. Guess what? You don’t have to pack a new outfit for each day. With the right planning, you can mix and match a few pieces to create new outfits throughout your trip.

Since we’re planning for a chilly destination, plan to wear your heaviest shoes and your thickest jacket on the plane. This will free up a great deal of space in your suitcase. You can easily have the flight attendant hang your jacket for you once you board, and you can kick off your shoes and relax.

Plan to take 3-4 pairs of pants that you can rotate. Plan to take neutral colors that match most other colors, such as jeans, black pants, or khakis. You can save a tremendous amount of room in your suitcase by rolling your pants instead of folding them. Ladies, you can also pack 1-2 skirts. In this photo, I’ve got two pairs of jeans, one pair of black pants, and a black pencil skirt rolled up. Place your pants along the edges of your suitcase.

Next, think about the tops you’re going to pack. Pieces like cardigans, sweaters, scarves, and long sleeved shirts can be used in a multitude of ways. Pack 4-5 cardigans and sweaters, and you can add several long-sleeved shirts, blouses, and even a scarf. Pack fewer of the items that take up the most space—this is why I recommend packing fewer sweaters.

Most shirts will fold nicely into small rectangles that you can stack in your suitcase. For women, you can pair a single black cardigan with several blouses and have a different look each day. Gentlemen, if you pack a couple of crewneck sweaters, you can alternate button-down shirts underneath for cold days. If the weather is fair, women, you can perhaps get away with just a light sweater and jeans, and men, you could wear a button-down shirt and slacks. Grab your scarf and carry it along in case the weather turns cool. Here, I’ve got four sweaters and nine shirts folded in my suitcase.  I’ve also got two dresses folded neatly in the bottom right corner. I’ve got some space in the bottom left corner reserved for my bigger shoes.

A great trick is to lay out a few “heavy” pieces such as your sweaters and cardigans on your bed. Next, look through your closet for pieces that match the sweaters, and place them around the sweaters on your bed. This allows you to quickly see how many different looks you can achieve with a single sweater.

Now, it’s likely that the pair of shoes you wear on the airplane is not the pair of shoes you’ll wear every single day. Plan to take another pair or two of shoes, and try to take shoes that are as small as possible. This may be an easier task for women, as ballet flats are much smaller than men’s loafers! If you’ve got a lightweight pair of sneakers or walking shoes, throw those in. Ladies, a small pair of ankle boots is a good idea as well, and for men, a pair of loafers will work. For this demonstration, I’ll be packing a pair of Toms and some ankle boots. I slid one ankle boot under the stack of lightweight shirts, and the other is in the gap I left in my suitcase. The Toms flatten easily along the sides of the suitcase.

As for socks and underwear, stuff as many pairs as you can inside your shoes! You’d be amazed at how many pairs you can fit into a pair of sneakers or boots! Men, roll up your boxers as small as you can. Tuck any remaining pairs in between your sweaters and shirts, and along the edges of your suitcase.

Now, it’s likely that you’ll want to go out to a nice dinner or show at least one night during your trip. Women, pack a dress that’s made of a stretchy material—these will not wrinkle nearly as much in your suitcase, and they are easy to fold into a tiny rectangle or roll, whichever provides more space. Men, you can easily fold a dinner jacket, and you can roll up a tie or two and place them inside a shoe.

Now for the fun part: liquids. TSA guidelines mandate the 3-1-1 rule, which means that liquids, gels, aerosols, creams, and pastes must be 3.4 ounces (100 mL) or less per container. Additionally, they must be placed in a quart-sized, transparent Ziploc bag. One bag is allowed per traveler.

You may be thinking, this is impossible! It’s not! First, think about solid versions of liquids you can take. For example, instead of packing a small tube of sunscreen, look for sunscreen sticks. Ladies, instead of liquid eyeliner, pack a pencil. Instead of gel deodorant, pick up a solid stick. These do not count as liquids, and you’ve just freed up some space in your small bag!

Look for travel-sized bottles at your local drugstore, Wal-Mart, or Target. You can put your face wash, shampoo, and conditioner in these travel bottles. Or, if you really want to save space, you can plan to use the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash at your hotel (or wherever you’ll be staying). In addition, most places sell small sticks of deodorant, small cans of shaving cream, miniature cans of hairspray, and other toiletries you may need. Look around for these. As you shop, ask yourself if you REALLY need each item. Do you really need three brands of hair gel? No. Ask for sample sizes of your favorite liquid makeup at Sephora or Ulta, and for your perfume or cologne at your local counter. You can see in this bag I’ve managed to pack two 3-ounce bottles, foundation, contact solution, mascara, toothpaste, lotion, nail polish, extra contacts, and a couple of other small items. For this demonstration, I’m planning to use the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash at my hotel.

Once you’ve packed your liquids, they need to be easily accessible as you go through security. It’s a good idea to have these in your personal item—in your briefcase, backpack, or purse. This will allow you to quickly access your liquids without having to dig through your suitcase. This keeps security moving quickly and the TSA agents will appreciate it! Also, remember that prescriptions do not count toward the liquids rule! If you’ve got a 4-ounce jar of prescription face cream, just tell the agent as you go through security. The agent may ask to see it, but you do not need to cram it into your Ziploc bag. If you have any concern, get a printout of your prescription from your local pharmacy.

If you’ve followed these tips and are still a bit short on space, guess what? We haven’t taken up much space in your personal item yet. You can toss a few items in this bag, and still have room for your reading materials, wallet, keys, sunglasses, and other items you may need along the way.

There has been some buzz lately of a startup called Yore Oyster. Here is a summary of what they do.

At present, Yore Oyster offers tips and tricks (presently only for Canadians) on how to get up to 80% off flights using a combination of loyalty points and strategic airline selection when using these points. An easy to read (and free!) PDF is the first step to getting started.

The guide offers some basic, but good insights into flight pricing and the suggested strategy to get the lowest prices. They recommend using a combination of Aeroplan points collected through American Express‘s loyalty cards and using those points strategically on other non-Air Canada airlines (they recommend Delta as one of their top picks). They also offer a concierge service to those looking for additional help implementing the above strategies.

One note: Their American Express links on their webpage are affiliate links (similar to what I’ve used throughout this post) so each time someone clicks-through and signs up, they get a small kickback form American Express ( I on the other hand only get bonus Aeroplan points each time someone signs-up). Personally, I have no issue with this as startups have to make money somehow, but more of an FYI as to why they might be pushing the American Express card over say TD’s Aeroplan card. From personal experience, I find that Amex isn’t as accepted as MasterCard or Visa, which might explain the ‘first year free’ promotion. For those of you looking for a great card, I highly recommend the CapitalOne Aspire card (no affiliate links).

Traveling around the world is an adventure, no doubt about it; but one of the worst parts of visiting a new time zone is the accompanying jet lag. The last thing you want is to arrive at your destination and not be able to have fun because you are just so tired from the plane ride. The good news is there are some things you can to in order to stave it off.

Hydration
Drink water. Lots of water. It sounds cliché, but it really does work. It helps keep your body going and can help avoid the lethargic, tired feelings. Make sure to avoid caffeinated beverages; the perk helps for a few minutes, but you will ultimately crash and feel worse off than you did before. Also, avoid alcoholic drinks, because they serve the exact wrong purpose. They will only dehydrate you more, making you sleepy when you arrive.

Act Like You are in Your New Time Zone
As soon as you get on the plane, figure out what time it is in your destination and set your watch accordingly. If it is in the middle of the night during your ride, try to sleep on the plane and wake up refreshed. You might want to think about taking a mild sedative in order to help get you nice and rested. On the flip side, if it is daylight where you’re going, do the best you can to stay awake so you will sleep at night when you are there. Bring movies or puzzle books, or something else to stimulate your brain while you are on the long haul flight.

Get Outside
If you arrive and it’s in the middle of the afternoon where you are, but you’re still so tired, stay outside. Sure, go ahead and drop your stuff off in your room, but avoid looking at the comfortable bed for too long. Instead, find something to do that will keep you moving, but will not push you beyond your limits. Find a park with a nice view and people watch, or go to one of the smaller museums and walk around. This way you are still enjoying your destination, but you aren’t trying to take on one of the big “must-sees” right off the bat.

Stick to the Meal Times
One of the biggest mistakes people make is avoiding eating because they are tired. In fact, not eating will make you feel worse in the long run, because your body will be using up its energy trying to keep you going. You can even start this a few days before you go, by catering your meal times to your new time zones; at the very least, make sure you do this on the plane. When you notice it’s dinner time, have a little bit of protein; if it’s breakfast, have a light pastry. It doesn’t have to be a huge, elaborate meal, but something akin to what you would normally be eating around that time.

By following these few simple steps, you can mostly avoid the jet lag after a long day of traveling. This way, you are refreshed and ready to experience whatever adventures await.

Light Exercise
Keeping your body in motion is a vital component of not succumbing to jet lag, but be careful not to overdo it. During your flight, just stretch your legs and walk up and down the aisles every now and again. When you arrive at your destination, take a quick walk around to familiarize yourself with the area or take a dip in the hotel swimming pool. Don’t run a marathon or try to do 1000 sit ups; all you need is just enough to keep our body alert. On the flip side, don’t do anything too relaxing, either, such as tai chi, yoga, or mediation. Just some light motion will help keep your body awake until you are ready for bed.

Plan Your Flights Accordingly
Now, this one might be a little tricky, since travel websites and ticket prices may not be so flexible, but if you can, try to schedule your flight so you arrive in the early afternoon at your destination. This way, you have time to see one or two things, have dinner, and then head on back to the hotel. Also, it will be daylight when you arrive, so your body won’t think it’s time for bed yet. Anything you can do to help trick your internal clock a bit is a good thing on such a long trip.

Do Not Over or Under Sleep
A common mistake people make is trying to stay awake the night before a long flight, so they will sleep on the plane. While it sounds good in theory, often people find they can’t doze off on the flight and end up being overtired when they land and tempted to fall asleep as soon as they see the hotel bed. Conversely, some people think that sleeping twelve to sixteen hours before they travel will keep them awake and focused until they are ready to go to bed. What they don’t realize is traveling is tiring. You may think that it’s easy sitting on plane for six hours, but really, you’re constantly worried about luggage, children, connecting flights, or whether or not you’ll like the in-air movie. It’s stressful. Instead, just try to get the normal eight or so hours of sleep. If you can, try to sleep the same hours as your new time zone for a few days before you go, but if that’s not an option, don’t try to overcompensate.

Don’t Stress
As mentioned, traveling can be a stressful experience, but it doesn’t always have to be. The more you relax, the easier time you’ll have resting on the plane and feeling like you can enjoy the time on your vacation. Pack ahead of time, so you have time to squeeze in all of the last minute items. Plan your flights so you have time to look around the airport between connections and you don’t have to rush from one gate to the other. Anything you can do to take even a small load off your mind will help.

 

Safe Travels!

Are you a hardcore rewards points collector? Want to be?

If you’re a collector of Air Miles, Aeroplan (or any other flight company reward) and have a travel or points related credit card, be sure to use a strategy that is similar to the below to maximize the points you earn. You can earn up to 4 times on the same purchase!

Step 1:
Login to your Air Miles account and go to the Air Miles Shop section.

Step 2:
Choose one of the partners you can shop from (there are hundreds). e.g. Expedia, Coach, GAP, etc. You will get linked out to the vendors website. Note the below! Start over if you close your browser window by mistake.

This will get you Air Miles points once a purchase is made.

Step 3:
Make sure you make the purchase using your travel rewards credit card.
This will get you your travel rewards points (whatever it is).

Step 4:
If you book flights or travel, you will earn the usual flight/travel points from the travel company or airline. Moreover, many Air Miles partners have their own rewards system (e.g. Expedia, Amazon, IHG, Priceline, etc.)
This gets you even more points!

Real life example:
Booking a flight through Expedia (via Air Miles) will get you:
1. One Air Mile for each $35 spent
2. X points via your credit card
3. X points via your airline’s reward program
4. X points toward Expedia’s reward program.

So next time you shop for anything, be sure to see if you can get it for the same price (or cheaper!) online and watch the points rack up!

 

Unfortunately, living the 4-hour Work Week still requires checking-in and being connected. If you regularly mix work and travel like I do, these product are a must to ensure you never miss a beat!

1. USB Charger. Any USB Charger!
Getting disconnected from the inability to charge your device is the worst! Avoid this with a backup USB power pack like the Motorola P4000 that’s compatible with most major phone brands, including Apple and Samsung. Light-weight and easy to carry.
Available on Amazon (affiliate link) (non-affiliate link)

2. Foldable Phone Charging Platform
‘Cause some phone companies don’t give you enough cord, this platform will allow you to charge your device anywhere regardless of the height of the outlet.
Available on Restoration Hardware

3. iPhone Charging Bracelet
Too many cords making travel life complicated? Try the Cabelet Charging Bracelet by Kyte&Key where the charger turns into a fashionable bracelet.
Available on FancyCrave

4. Roll-up Travel Charger
If you do a lot of group trips where you’re sharing a room with others power outlets can be a rare commodity. With the Roll-up Travel Charger, everybody will be able to charge their devices without the frustration. It even rolls-up into a nice leather case.
Available on Restoration Hardware

A cool simulation shows why you should sit far behind a sick passenger. Researchers at the FAA Center of Excellence at Purdue University, created this simulation of a sneezing passenger using ANSYS to study the mechanics of pathogen travel in airplane cabins. Read more at the ANSYS Blog.

This week, especially if you’re on Reddit, you may have heard the name Elizabeth Gallagher. Unfortunately, Elizabeth and her partner Jordan Axani (both from Toronto) split-up before leaving for an around the world trip.  So Jordan offered to fly someone named Elizabeth Gallagher around the world for free (the name has to match exactly), or be forced to forfeit Elizabeth’s portion of the flight, with no refund. “To date, you have little recourse. You can change your dates, which costs a few hundred bucks per flight, or you can cancel it altogether, forfeiting the entire price you’ve paid. Neither are exactly compelling options.,” as per a posting on Yore Oyster.

As you can imagine, this blew up around the world getting picked-up by numerous news outlets.

Out of this though came Connections, an online platform that allows others in similar situations post similar trips/flights.  Yore Oyster states, “You’re at your desk on a Tuesday afternoon when an email hits your inbox: You’ve been matched! Someone has posted a two-week roundtrip flight to Europe in your name, and you can claim it absolutely free. Pretty great, right?”

So although the chances might be slim, you just never know when you might get that email telling you that there’s a free flight available!  Sign-up here.

Some flights currently available:
Kelly Marshall – Toronto to Paris Round-Trip
Jon Benson – Toronto to San Francisco Round -Trip
Jordon Bishop – Prague to Tokyo One-Way
Vancouver to New York City Round-Trip

Can’t take credit for these.  Borrowed from Distractify.  Personal thoughts* below for some.

1. Use a private or incognito window when booking flights and hotels online.
Travel sites often track your visits and will raise the price simply because you’ve visited before.
*Turns into a whole ethics argument, but according to the Wall Street Journal “Offering different prices to different people is legal, with a few exceptions for race-based discrimination and other sensitive situations. Several companies pointed out that their online price-tweaking simply mirrors the real world. Regular shops routinely adjust their prices to account for local demand, competition, store location and so on. Nobody is surprised if, say, a gallon of gas is cheaper at the same chain, one town over.”

2. Keep loose chargers and cables organized with a glasses case.

3. Use straws to carry travel-size amounts of skin care products.
*Good idea, but seems like a little too much work.

4. Put a dryer sheet at the bottom of a suitcase to keep your clothes smelling fresh.
*I do this every time.  Highly recommend this.

5. Use a spring from an old pen to protect chargers from bending and breaking.
*I guess this is a good idea, but is it that much of a common problem?

6. Skip the long lines for airport bathrooms.
It may seem like common logic, but the first bathroom in the terminal is the most crowded one. Use the next one to skip the long waits and save precious time.

7. Use a binder clip to protect the head of shaving razors.
*Good idea.  Save you from carrying the whole razor holder.  Also, if you have an electric one, take the battery out to avoid security issues if it turns on by accident.

8. If you forget your wall plug, charge devices through the USB slot on a TV.
*Like!

9. Roll clothes, instead of folding, to save tons of baggage space.
*I’m undecided on this one.  I feel like there are some more creative ways to pack.  See here.

10. If you have clothes that need to be folded, use tissue paper to keep them from wrinkling.
*I’m undecided on this one too.  How much of a difference can it make?

11. Use a pill container to keep jewelry organized and untangled.

12. Scan important documents before leaving for your trip.
*If you’re not doing this already, start!

13. Tuck your soap and wash cloth together with this easy-to-fold pouch.

14. A shower cap is an easy way to cover the bottoms of shoes.
*I still use a plastic bag as I find it keeps the smell contained as well.

15. Put smartphones in airplane mode to save battery and charge faster.

16. Keep your headphones from tangling by winding them around a binder clip.

17. Keep hair clips tidy with an empty Tic Tac container.

18. When packing, line collars with a belt to keep them crispy.
*A must for business travelers!

19. Sit in the seats near the wing of the plane for the least turbulence.
The seats along the wings of a plane usually have the least amount of bounce when flying because it has more structural support.

20. Keep your travel-size containers and refill them, instead of buying new each time.

21. To use Google Maps offline, type “OK Maps,” and the visible area will save for future access.
*This is very handy and should be part of your trip planning!

22. Instead of buying water at the airport, bring an empty bottle along and fill it up after passing security.
*Good way to save money for sure if you’re ok with tap water.

23. When reserving airline seats for 2 people, get the aisle and window.
If no one takes the middle seat you get a full row, and if someone does, just ask to switch so you can sit next to your travel partner.

24. Pack your suit coats inside out to keep them clean and avoid creasing.
*I find this works for all articles of clothing

25. Wait to buy airline tickets until 3 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Typically this is when the big Airlines reduce their fares in order to compete with the discount airlines like Southwest and JetBlue. If you’re looking to save some money, this is the time to buy.

26. To prevent messy spills in your luggage just unscrew the lids and place a simple patch of saran wrap on the top and screw them back on. This will prevent any liquids from ruining your trip.

27. Get the WiFi password for many establishments by checking the comments section of FourSquare.
*Sometime a simple good search will work as well.

28. Use your GPS when traveling abroad.
If you’re travelling abroad without an international plan, turn on airplane mode and turn off data to use the GPS without connecting to the internet. Simply load the Google map of the area before heading out the hotel, and you’ve got a fully functional map to navigate the area.

29. Get a free cell phone charger if you forgot yours at home.
Forget your charger? Often times hotel front desk’s will have a box full of chargers left by previous guests.

30. Skip the wait at the baggage claim.
Even if it’s not, marking your bag with a fragile label leads to gentler handling by airport staff. Also, they’re often loaded on the top of the other luggage meaning it’s one of the first to come out at the baggage claim.
*Can’t help by feel like this is like parking in a handicap spot when you’re not handicapped.  Airlines are required to balance the weight of luggage to ensure a safe balance on the plane so I’m somewhat against this.

31. Get free WiFi at airports
When you’re at the airport, add “?.jpg” to the end of any URL to get around the ludicrously expensive WiFi. Alternatively, you can sit right outside an airport club lounge: Wi-Fi signals often glide through the walls.

32. For bonus points, travel with a power strip and be the airport hero.

33. On your last day in a foreign country, collect all your loose money and give it to the homeless.
*Big fan of this one!