Since mid-March, we’ve been forced to dramatically change our lives. We’re home more than ever, large gatherings are cancelled, and worldwide travel is at an all time low.
At Westport Lifestyle we typically love featuring luxurious travel destinations for our readers to explore. We certainly miss traveling and bet you do too!
So, what happens if you must get on a plane? We weren’t sure, so we reached out to Brian Kelly, aka The Points Guy, to give us his best suggestions on tourism in the new normal. Here are Brian's tips:
- Taking the first flight of the day has always been a good tip to avoid delays, but now its even more recommended since overnight airlines have more time to clean planes vs during the day on quick turnarounds.
- Download your hotel and airline mobile apps to avoid interacting with people. Many hotels now let you use your phone to unlock your room so you stay safe and save time.
- Expect limited amenities. Hotels and airports will have limited food services, lounges and fitness centers are still closed or have limited hours, so prepared for a different life on the road and plan accordingly - bring your own snacks and drinks, even in business or first class.
- Check your itineraries a day prior (or more) to departure. Airlines are changing flight times and aircraft types. Some are better than others at alerting you of these changes, but make sure you check seat assignments as they have been changing a lot. We recommend window seats towards the front of the plane for least exposure potential (and book on airlines like Delta and Southwest who have committed to only selling 60% of their planes for the time being).
- Make sure you've signed up for any promotions from your credit cards and loyalty programs. There's lots of bonus offers for traveling right now (like double miles from American Airlines), so don't forget to get bank even more miles and points than before.
Brian Kelly is the founder and CEO of The Points Guy (TPG), the leading voice in loyalty programs, points, miles, credit cards and travel. He has grown TPG to be a powerhouse travel and lifestyle media platform that reaches over 10 million unique monthly visitors around the world. For more travel tips visit thepointsguy.com