Fly with Chris and Di

Airline travel can be a big part of a travel adventure. Unfortunately, it can be filled with headaches. In fact, many of these start before you even board the plane. That's why we are doing this special 3-part series on saving time (along with your sanity) at the airport. We are going to cover things like how to be prepared, security tips that have you traveling like a pro, how to properly travel with carry-on bags, and how to board the plane.

Show Notes

[02:15] How to be prepared for airline travel. Dianne's dad worked for the airline, and they traveled standby. There were rules like they had to be dressed up and had to be there extra early.

[03:22] Being on time can really help save your sanity. Keep in mind things you have to do before you board the plane such as checking in and waiting in lines. You also have to drop off your bags, grab a snack, and go through security. It also takes time to get to your gate.

[04:56] Allow yourself enough time to make it to the airport. Give yourself at least an extra 20 or 30 minutes to make it to the airport and park.

[05:26] Do your parking research in advance. You can drop the family off at the terminal and then park. They can check in the bags.

[06:21] Have your documents ready and easy to get to.

[07:54] Keep in mind that there are weight limits when you check your bags. Either check a second bag or put some stuff in your carry on. Weigh your bag ahead of time. Take a lightweight empty carry on in case you shop at your destination.

[10:17] Different airlines have different weight limits so check that ahead of time.

[10:29] Snacks can get expensive once you pass security. Bring an empty bottle to get water and bring snacks.

[12:47] Think about comfort items you will want on your flight. Temperature on planes fluctuate. It's nice to have a blanket, sweater, and socks instead of flip flops on the plane.

[14:36] Electronics can make your flight more entertaining and productive. Don't forget the charging cords and headphones. Books are great too!

[15:24] Download our podcast, other podcasts, and movies to watch. An extra battery or external power bank can come in really handy.

[17:56] Know what you have to check and what you can carry on. One personal item and one carry on is all that is allowed.

[19:52] Taking the time to prepare is way better than the time it would cost if you miss your flight.

[20:16] Next week, in part 2, we talk about security and carry on bags.

Links and Resources:

How to Save Time and Your Sanity at the Airport

Fly with Chris and Di Travel Gear

For pictures, tips and more, be sure to check out our Fly with Chris and Di Facebook page and signup to download a copy of The Best City for You. Please take a moment and subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. It will only get better from here. Don't miss out on future episodes where we continue to share tips and tricks to get the most out of your vacation.

We took a recent trip to Vegas and used reviews to plan a large part of it. We used reviews for activities, restaurants and for the shows that we saw, yet we hear other travelers frequently say that it's hard to find reviews that they can trust. No one wants to make a choice based on a bad review and have a bad experience.

It's our promise to you that by listening to Fly with Chris and Di, you will learn how to make the most out of your vacation and truly feel relaxed, organized, and proud of the time that you took away from work. In this episode, we give you all of the tips on how to find reviews that you can trust. We love reading reviews and this should be a fun episode.

Show Notes

[02:10] Tip Number 1 - Look at the overall rating and pay attention to how many reviewers there actually are.

[02:50] Aim for four to five stars and make sure there are plenty of reviewers.

[02:59] People usually take the time to review if either they love something or hate something. Once a restaurant review gets below four and a half stars, it means more people disliked the restaurant than liked it.

[03:24] A Vacation Rental By Owner VRBO review that Di loves. It's for a beach rental. Every person that reviewed this property gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

[03:50] Review sites let you know when reviews are verified or sponsored. This particular property only has 79 reviews which is a decent number for a VRBO rental review. This is about 79 weeks worth of reviews.

[04:48] A good review mentions extra perks like beach gear. The owner being quick to respond is also a huge key for a great rental. Owners that go above and beyond and check in are big bonuses.

[06:35] It's important to look at the top and bottom reviews to understand the concerns that people have.

[07:16] Chris shares a bad review. The reviewer has eaten there multiple times and got sick every time. Why are they going back?

[08:00] It's important to understand if the reviewer may have some type of personal issue with a particular place. Check how many reviews they have done and review ratings on Yelp.

[09:24] Reviewers who consistently review places that they love can be great review resources. Reviewers who only have negative reviews could only review when they have a really bad experience, or they could review anytime anything irritates them.

[09:59] We look for people who review often and go into some type of detail.

[10:15] We look at and read reviews thoroughly. We try to understand the pain points that cause bad reviews. Sometimes people will give bad reviews when one little thing goes wrong.

[11:22] Read a review in detail to understand the viewers perspective and see whether it's similar to yours and other people's.

[13:24] Think about some of the best places you have been and their reviews and see what other people have said.

[13:57] Also pay attention to the dates of the reviews. If you are going in July or the busy season, read reviews from the same time of year. Also, look out for old reviews, because things could have changed.

[15:26] It's important to trust the reviews, but always verify them. Spend time reading reviews that is equivalent to the amount of money you plan on spending.

[16:41] Look at the photographs.

[18:27] Look at the apps we mentioned in episode 2 and go through those pictures. You can also use Google Maps to look at what the area looks like.

[19:20] For vacation rentals, the area is really important to think about.

Key things you need to evaluate:

1. Look at the overall rating. Compare that rating to the number of reviews.
2. Take a look at the top and the bottom reviews.
3. Read the review thoroughly.
4. Pay attention to the date.
5. Put the amount of time in your reviews compared to the amount of money you will be spending.
6. Look at the pictures and Google Maps.
7. Always trust but verify.

Links and Resources:

Our Favorite Free Travel Apps

VRBO

For pictures, tips and more, be sure to check out our Fly with Chris and Di Facebook page and signup to download a copy of The Best City for You. Please take a moment and subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. It will only get better from here. Don't miss out on future episodes where we continue to share tips and tricks to get the most out of your vacation.

This episode is about key apps to make your travel more enjoyable. We share the apps we use to plan our trips, the apps we use to get around while on vacation, and other apps that help us with impromptu decisions. We know that having a well planned vacation is a fun vacation, and we want to help you discover that too.

We talk about the six apps or types of apps that help us plan trips in advance, so we don't waste our valuable vacation time having to decide what to do and where to go. We also talk about the apps that help us get around once we are at our vacation destination. We also talk about some apps that we love to use to add local flavor.

Show Notes

[02:30] TripAdvisor gives you access to lists with details of things to do, places to eat, and places to stay.

[03:01] It's great for researching fun things to do at new locations.

[04:03] We use Yelp all the time. It's great for finding restaurants.

[05:31] When you put in pizza, it provides you with all of the nearby places with pictures and reviews.

[07:45] Yelp is also great for finding fun things to do. You can also create bookmarks and have lists of great places to visit.

[08:57] It also gives you a map of all of your bookmarked locations.

[09:49] Chris is a Hilton Honors member, and he has found the Hilton app to be very user-friendly. You can use it to check in and get a digital key. You can also use it to check out.

[10:52] Hilton will also give you the lowest possible price when searching.

[11:24] Hotel chain memberships are free. Sign up and you earn points as you stay. Also be sure to download the app.

[13:15] Airline apps. Southwest, Delta, and American. If you're a rewards member, all of the up-to-date information will be on the app. This is helpful if there are any changes. Make sure you're logged in while traveling.

[15:29] You can also track your bags. Plus it gives you access to music and entertainment.

[16:50] Airbnb and VRBO are apps to rent homes, condos, and apartments. They are vacation rentals or sometimes in people's homes. These are great for getting beach houses.

[18:09] Sometimes people are shy about using these. The app gives you access to locations all over the world. We balance the cost and the location. Sharing these can get you a really nice place that is affordable.

[19:12] These are great for beach, mountains, and the city. There are also great perks like communal space and a kitchen.

[20:52] You can read reviews and also communicate with the owner with email or phone calls.

[22:14] YouTube is great for travel. You can learn so much like the video version of what you find with the pictures in the apps. We used it in Paris for a tour of the Louvre.

[23:51] All six of these apps are great for planning trips. Especially, when you don't know a lot about the destination.

[24:19] Apps that help us get around with these once we are at a location.

[24:25] Google Maps is great for planning and getting around. You can also select walk or mass transit choices.

[25:11] You can pinpoint locations and see how far they are from each other.

[27:09] Waze is a GPS social media type map. It has GPS and live social input. You can also change the voice on Waze.

[29:44] GasBuddy is a great way to find the best places to get gas with prices. Gas prices can fluctuate by 10 or 20 cents a gallon. It also shows you where the gas stations are. Don't let your gas get less than a quarter of a tank.

[31:34] Lyft and Uber are phenomenal. You can save cash and it's easy.

[33:16] We usually use Lyft in Vegas. Check the license plate and make sure you are getting in the right car. Lyft and Uber are everywhere and accessible. They also have scheduled pickups now.

[37:48] Apps that we love to add some local flavor. We leave down time for resting and while we're here decisions.

[38:47] Yelp, TripAdvisor and Top 10 Lists all help to find and provide local flair. Most cities will provide you with these lists in local papers. A Google search can help you find great top 10 lists in specific cities.

[42:14] If we come across a place that looks interesting, we'll check on Yelp real quick and then possibly give it a try.

[42:57] Another impromptu tip is to ask locals, the hotel concierge, or your driver.

Links and Resources:

Our Favorite Free Travel Apps

TripAdvisor

How to Choose the Perfect Vacation Destination

Yelp

Hilton Honors App

Southwest App

Delta App

American App

Airbnb App

VRBO App

How to Find Travel Reviews You Can Trust

YouTube App

Google Maps

Waze

GasBuddy

Lyft

Uber

For pictures, tips and more, be sure to check out our Fly with Chris and Di Facebook page and signup to download a copy of The Best City for You. Please take a moment and subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. It will only get better from here. Don't miss out on future episodes where we continue to share tips and tricks to get the most out of your vacation.

Welcome to the first episode of Fly with Chris and Di. On this podcast, we will be sharing tips on how to help plan your vacation to make it as stress free and fun as possible. On this episode, we share tips on how to choose the perfect vacation destination. We talk about what you need to ask yourself and those you're traveling with.

What type of trip do you want? What type of trip would each companion want? Are you traveling with friends or family or both? We talk about budgeting. How to have something that interests everyone on the trip. We touch on what to think about when choosing modes of transportation. We talk about how and why to narrow down your choices and how to find the best information.

Show Notes

[02:47] What specific locations are you interested in?

[03:12] You should have a top 10 vacation list.

[03:23] Chris likes to travel to cities, and Dianne likes beach travel.

[03:54] Think about the specific type of vacation you want and whether you can combine some of these together.

[04:32] We hit a home run when we can combine fun excursions and the beach together.

[04:58] Think about what will be fun and exciting for you as a family.

[05:06] It's also important to think about each of the people that will be traveling with you.

[06:04] Vacations with other couples look different than vacations with children.

[06:53] You have to look at your budget and determine how much you want to spend.

[07:36] If you choose an all-inclusive trip, find one with a lot of activities.

[08:14] A plan for budgeting on a vacation is critical.

[09:09] You can also download a copy of I Need a Plan on our website.

[09:29] Do we want to jet ski or deep sea fish? Think about the activities everyone wants.

[13:18] Be realistic with people's abilities with activities. National Parks are great places to get in outside time.

[14:24] Are there any modes of transportation that you are unwilling to use?

[17:09] Once you've answered all of these questions, narrow your choices down to about three to five locations.

[17:19] Get online after you've narrowed your choices down to avoid becoming completely overwhelmed.

[18:12] Once you've narrowed down your choices go to TripAdvisor or download the app.

[18:57] Do your research two or three months in advance of the travel date. This allows you more time to work on research and maximize your time on vacation. Planning food is a good idea. This also maximizes your budget. You can purchase excursions in advance.

[20:33] You don't want to spend a day on your vacation planning. We also leave time for spontaneity.

[22:55] Make a decision tree based on mode of transportation, budget, and things to do.

[24:03] Go through each location and identify price and availability of modes of transportation.

[24:38] Google Maps can help research transportation and distance.

[26:01] Does the location meet your budget today, or is it a location you may need to go back to at a later time? Keep your notes.

[27:27] As you narrow down your choices, think about the things to do there.

[29:25] Is there enough stuff to do there that's in line with you and your traveling companions?

[30:23] Use these decision points to narrow down the right location for your trip.

Links and Resources:

Dave Ramsey

I Need a Plan

TripAdvisor

Google Maps

For pictures, tips and more, be sure to check out our Fly with Chris and Di Facebook page and signup to download a copy of The Best City for You. Please take a moment and subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. It will only get better from here. Don't miss out on future episodes where we continue to share tips and tricks to get the most out of your vacation.