Guest post by Andrew Orvedahl.
Flying is a great way to turn what would be an execrable twenty-hour car trip into two hours of reading a magazine and drinking a tiny bottle of wine, but you can probably make your trip even faster. Here are some tips to speed up your air travel, from your home to your destination.
Plan Ahead, Dummy!
I’m sorry, that was super rude of me. It’s just that I may have been behind you in line for airport security when you realized you were wearing knee-high lace-up boots, or you were trying to bring a gallon of shampoo through. When you get dressed for your trip, remember that you will be going through airport security. The faster your shoes come off, the faster they’ll also go back on. If you can help it, avoid a belt. Yes, that goes double for suspenders. If you haven’t flown in over a decade, refresh your knowledge of what is and isn’t allowed through airport security. TSA agents don’t care if the jar of barbecue sauce was the highlight of your trip; it’s not going through.
Carry-on, My Wayward Son.
Waiting for your luggage sucks, frankly. Especially when at the end of that wait you discover you were waiting in San Francisco for something currently in Cleveland. If you can make do with a carry-on bag, it’s the way to go. Your luggage never leaves your side, enabling you to move at your own speed, which may be an all-out sprint if you overslept your alarm.
Bags within bags. Instead of fumbling through your carry-on bag in the aisle of a plane while all the standing passengers behind you mentally plot your murder, save time by thinking of what you want with you at your seat and putting that in a- wait for it- smaller bag, ready to go! Also, and this isn’t a travel tip, just an aside: if you put a coat or little purse in that overhead bin, expect those same murder fantasies.
Get with the Program Already.
Every company on Earth now has some form of Loyalty Club or Ambassador’s Guild, or Frequent Renter’s Illuminati, and they’re all annoying. But the one place they can pay off is with car rentals. They’re always free, so sign up and you can probably skip the Dantean line of suckers waiting an hour for their car. Bonus Tip: No car renter ALWAYS has the lowest rates, so make sure you aren’t especially loyal with your loyalty club.
