GET ORGANISED
Before you get your credit card out to pay for an overseas holiday, do a quick health check on your passport. How long before it expires? Is it almost full?
Depending on where you’re going, if you don’t have a minimum six months left or up to four blank pages, you could be turned around at the airport.
Always check your destination’s passport and visa requirements before locking in that flight.
Once you’re ready to book it’s time to get the best seat you can.
Thanks to Seatguru.com I’ve dodged some seat selection bullets over the years, including the time I was about to pay more for an exit row before discovering it had no recline and was one of the worst seats on the plane.
If you aren’t already a member of an airline’s frequent flyer program, sign up.
Most are free to join and you can start collecting points from your first flight.
Don’t forget to buy travel insurance as soon as you start spending any money on your trip.
It won’t cost any more and that way you’ll have cancellation cover from the start.
And when you are shopping around, bear in mind that the first price may not be the final price when you go to pay.
Drip pricing is when extra fees and charges are added in as you make your booking, so make sure you compare the final prices between your options.
PLAN YOUR GETAWAY
Money saved on flights can be well spent at your destination, so it’s worth finding the best deal.
Skyscanner and Kayak price alerts send emails when your potential flight’s price changes, and in the past I’ve snapped up some bargains after a flight I was watching went on sale.
Call me frugal but when I’m planning to fly Virgin I hold off until their Happy Hour sale on Thursdays (from 4pm AEST) to see if a deal lines up with my dates.
I’m also signed up for email sales alerts from every airline I could use.
Expedia Australia and New Zealand’s Michael Pearson says, generally speaking, travellers buying on a Sunday find the lowest airline prices. Booking 21 days or more in advance can also keep costs down.
Pearson says you should also consider alternative airports. “Not long ago, the cheapest airports in Europe were the largest and busiest, but times have changed.
Consider flying into other major cities, including Budapest where, on average, you will save 15 per cent
over flights travelling to London.”
In the past year, a record 24 million people flew on Jetstar for under $100.
Catriona Larritt from the Jetstar Group says: “If you find a cheaper price for a comparable flight elsewhere, we’ll beat it by 10 per cent.”
GET PACKING
The days leading up to a trip are a heady mix of packing and ticking things off my to-do list.
I always like to double check my luggage allowance and have found weighing my bags easier since I bought a luggage scale.
It cost less than $10 and has saved ridiculous scenes of balancing on bathroom scales while trying to see over the bag I was holding.
You also need to understand carry-on weight rules.
While a 7kg limit could be just for your main item on one airline, on another it could be a combined weight for all your items, thwarting any plans to put your heaviest things in your handbag or laptop bag.
According to the SITA Baggage Report 2017, mishandled baggage reached an all-time low last year with 5.73 bags for every thousand passengers going astray.
Those are pretty good odds that your bag will make it, but in case it doesn’t always pack medication and chargers for your devices in your carry-on.
Some medications that are sold over the counter in Australia are banned in other countries, so check the rules before you fly.
I also like to include noise-cancelling headphones, toothbrush and mini-toothpaste, eye drops, moisturiser, lip balm and antiseptic wipes in my carry-on, as well as my own tablet device loaded with entertainment and a book or magazine in case technology fails me.
Webjet’s David Galt stores copies of his passport and documents in a separate location to the originals, so he can continue travelling with minimal interruption if they are lost.
“Charging the camera is high on my to-do list along with notifying banks of my travel plans so they don’t block my credit card while abroad,” Galt says.
“I generally exchange some money before departing so I have cash available on arrival. Also, make sure you know if tipping is customary.”
Michael Pearson adds that it’s always best to check your itinerary and flight details well ahead of time.
“Ensure you know the date and time of your flight, what airline carrier you’re with, which terminal, and travel times to get there. It may seem simple and obvious.
However, it’s these details that can often be overlooked, that result in missed flights and connections.”
CLEARING SECURITY
If travelling internationally, have your liquids, aerosols, gels in a plastic resealable bag ready for inspection.
Wear light comfortable clothes if possible with no buckles, belts or excessive jewellery or accessories. Slip on shoes are quick to
remove, if necessary.
And Vandeven says you do have the right to refuse any screening process.
“However, if you refuse, you will not be permitted to go through the security screening point and will not be able to board your flight.”have checked in for your flight, any seat changes need to occur at the airport.
If you’re driving to the airport, you’ll also find the best parking deals if you book online.
CHECK-IN ONLINE
Checking in online helps speed things up at the airport and letting the airline know you’re coming reduces your chance of being bumped off an oversold flight.
Online check-in is also a chance to get a better seat. Virgin Australia is among the airlines to release seats that have been held for top-tier frequent flyers in the lead-up to a flight, with most released 48 hours and the remainder 12 hours, before departure.
Virgin Australia’s Tash Tobias says you can select or change your seat any time before or when you check in, but keep in mind that once you have checked in for your flight, any seat changes need to occur at the airport. If you’re driving to the airport, you’ll also find the best parking deals if you book online.
WHEN TO GO
When it comes to airport arrival times there are those who like to get there early and those who like to skate in late. I belong to the first camp and on flight day can only truly relax once I’m in the airport.
Brisbane Airport Corporation’s Leonie Vandeven agrees, and says you shouldn’t make the mistake of assuming all airlines have the same cut-off time for check-in.
“Follow the recommendations of your airline – which may request you arrive at the airport anywhere from two to three hours before your flight.
Keep in mind unexpected traffic congestion on your way to the airport. Cutting it fine gives you no contingency if there’s a problem en route.”
