When people think of travel, they often have thoughts of all the wonderful things they expect to happen. Suppose it’s a beach vacation; travelers think of sunny beaches and warm waters. If it’s a winter vacation, many will think about the snow and the incredible snow activities. However, for many, vacation expectations can be disappointing and frustrating. These expectations are because social media often only shows picturesque and positive vacation experiences. Therefore, it’s best always to have an open mind when traveling and expect the unexpected. Here are a few things that could go wrong despite all your best-made travel plans.
Missed flights.
Even though travelers may have booked their flights in advance and know the time guidelines for getting to the airport before a flight, many still miss their flights. Reasons from waking up too late, confusing am times with pm times, long TSA lines, or leaving items at home are common. It’s always best to prepare and do prechecks the day before departure to ensure none of these scenarios is a factor for your travel plans.
Expired passport.
Many people do not have a passport, but many of those who do, have passports that have been expired or are very close to being expired. International travel requires having at least six months validity. Many travelers take the time to plan and pay for their trip then get to the airport with an expired passport. An expired passport is a traveler’s self-inflicted wound; all related expenses are at the traveler’s cost. If you plan to travel internationally, check your passport’s expiration date before booking your flight.
Getting sick.
Getting sick is probably one of the most common realities of traveling. Most often, travelers get sick from consuming contaminated food or water. However, many often get overexposed to the sun and get sunburnt or are bitten by insects. Travel, in general, puts us more at risk for sickness as we most often travel to places with persons we are not familiar with. Traveling by air puts us in close contact with people we don’t know, and the airplanes’ recirculated air makes encountering germs more possible. If you plan to travel, take precautions like staying hydrated and getting enough sleep. In addition, traveling with some medicines to combat minor sicknesses is highly recommended.
Lost items.
When traveling, it’s not uncommon to lose personal items. Items such as passports, mobile phones, losing your wallet or purse, losing luggage, and forgetting to pack certain items are common occurrences for many travelers. Often, we are so caught up in our new surroundings that we forget our belongings. It’s best to be organized when you travel. Use packing lists if you must and keep copies of your important documents like passports, credit cards, and reservations. If you lose your electronics or wallet, you can more easily make reports if you have more than one way to access your information.
I hope you never experience the unexpected when you travel, but I want to make sure you are prepared if you do. Have you ever experienced any of these scenarios? If so, how did you handle it? Please let me know in the comment section below.
When it comes to travel essentials, everyone has different choices. Travel essentials can range anywhere from a travel wallet, change of clothing, toiletries, portable chargers to snacks. Although those bare travel essentials might be great, I’d like you to consider the absolute travel essentials. Here is my list of the absolute travel essentials I think you should always have on your person and never travel without.
Your ID
No matter your travel destination, your ID is essential. There are cases where you have lost your ID and can still travel but know that you will have a few hours delay proving your identity. In most cases, you need a valid government-issued form of identification, and this identification must match the name under which you are traveling. If you are traveling internationally, a passport is needed. Not only should you travel with your ID, but it should always be with you or in your person.
A credit card
A credit card is a traveler’s best friend. It provides security, convenience, and it makes it easier to make purchases when you travel. Certain credit cards can get you better exchange rates, can be tied to different travel reward programs or services, and gives you the flexibility to make safer purchases. Paying with a credit card will allow travelers to monitor their bills and expenses upon returning home. Most importantly, you can more protect yourself from liability due to fraudulent activity. Like your ID, every traveler should always keep at least one credit card on their person.
Your cell phone
It is advisable to always travel with a cell phone. Ideally, travelers should make preparations with data plans for making calls. However, almost all airports offer free Wi-Fi where you can get connected in an emergency. In addition, your cell phone will provide the ability to access resources such as travel information, destination guides, language apps, or currency converters. While some of these resources require a data plan, many are also available in offline mode. Downloading movies and books on your phone is a perfect example of using it in offline mode. Most importantly, we keep everything on our cell phones. Even though they can are replaceable, once stolen, the data is not easily replaceable.
In my last blog post, I discussed theft on an airplane. Theft can happen anywhere, and travelers should always be aware of this possibility. However, if your bags are stolen or misplaced, your ID, credit card, and cell phone are things you cannot replace very quickly. Imagine not being able to contact your friends and family in an emergency. Not being able to check into a hotel, rent a car, or purchase an airline ticket back home. While many things are considered essential for travel comfort, think about what is critical to your travel safety and security.
Have you ever misplaced any absolute travel essentials? Comment and let me know.
Most travelers never stop to think of having their items stolen on board an airplane. I recently took a women’s safety awareness class. The one thing that stood out to me is that most crimes are crimes of opportunity. Although theft on the airplane is rare, it does occur. In most cases, the person never realizes that they were victims until after the flight. Unfortunately, flight crews can do very little if it happens in flight unless the person is caught red-handed. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind when traveling to prevent your items from being stolen on the airplane.
Place luggage across from your seat
Many travelers like to place their carry-on luggage directly above their seats. When you are seated on an aisle seat, you can usually see what happens when someone goes into the overhead bin. However, when you are sitting in a middle or window seat, you cannot see your luggage if it is directly overhead. Your items can be stolen right before you without you knowing it has happened. When you place your luggage across from your seat, you will always see it and anyone that handles it.
Lock your carry-on
Travelers assume that they only must secure their checked luggage, and I would advise that you lock and protect your carry-on luggage as well. Remember that overhead bin space is shared space, and there is no guarantee that you will be able to stow your carry-on items at or near your seat. On most crowded flights, especially during holidays, overhead bin space gets full very quickly.
Make your bag easily identifiable
Many bags look alike, and some dishonest travelers take advantage of that fact. If caught, their excuse is that they thought it was their bag. Place something on your bag that makes it easily identifiable, like a brightly colored ribbon, sticker, or bag tag. Anything that differentiates your luggage will discredit the excuse of unintentional handling of your carry-on luggage.
Stow your valuables well
Many people like to have their wallets or purses at hand. Unfortunately, this can be a perfect crime of opportunity for a fellow traveler. Once you are onboard an airplane, there is no need to have your purse or wallet out. Most airlines now are cashless, so having a single credit card accessible is enough for most travelers.
Use common sense
If you go to the restroom, take your purse or wallet. Men tend to remove their wallets or phones from their back pockets and place them in the seatback pocket, and women will leave their purses unattended to go to the restroom. In both these cases, travelers leave the opportunity open to become victims of theft. The person traveling next to you is usually a stranger. You may never see them again in life, and it is not likely to get to know them well while onboard. Even though your seatmate or fellow travelers can be friendly, always remember that they are strangers.
I hope you have never experienced any theft while onboard an airplane. I have seen it happen, and I know it can happen. Be careful and use your common sense. Have you ever given theft on the airplane a thought? As always, your comments are welcome.
Being a mother is a never-ending travel experience. Just like taking an actual trip, preparation is vital! My recent journeys have been a bit different as I felt like my travel and motherhood journey was at an end. Yet the reality is that it is still at an inflight stage. Covid19 became part of my reality in 2020, and I could no longer consider myself an empty nester. Even though my children are in their 20’s, I immediately felt the mothering phase kick in; are you well, taking care of yourself, wearing masks, social distancing, and the like. I will always be a mother, but after becoming an empty nester, I lived my life as such, and so was an absent but present mother.
My oldest has graduated college, started a career in the USAF, and became a homeowner at 23 (shameful humble brag). My youngest is in her senior year of college and is doing well in her social and school life. She attends the number 1 HBCU Spelman College (prideful plug), responsible enough to have been a resident advisor, scholarly enough to be on the honor roll, and social enough to be on several school boards and activities.
2020 came, and the Covid pandemic was apparent. My youngest had to leave school in Atlanta, a ten-hour ride from our home in Texas. I am an empty nester, was +24 hours away on another continent. All I could do was advise. “Pack up the car and drive safely,” I said. For the next six months, I remained in Asia while my baby girl lived at home alone. The choices we made were heart-wrenching and although I constantly checked in, not being there was very difficult, so my “inner” motherhood travel journey began. Was I a bad mother? Should I be with my grown daughter instead of my husband? What were people thinking of me? Should I travel back home?
I have been home in Texas for a year now, and another inner journey has begun; am I a bad wife? Should I be with my husband? What is the right choice? How do I feel? What I do know from my lived experiences is that self-care and self-love are essential! We must acknowledge the inner journey. I live my life between two continents, North America and Asia, so my journey has to continue.
What will my next journey be like? I’m not sure, but what I do know is that I will share it with you, so keep following for more. Let’s take this journey together.
Travel is a stressful situation. As an international flight attendant, I served over twenty years in the travel industry. I have seen the realities of stress on travelers firsthand. Based on the latest incidences in the travel industry, it seems like travel and stress have increased significantly. Here are a few thoughts to reduce the stress around traveling, not only for yourself but for everyone around you.
There are many reasons why travel can be stressful. There is a financial strain associated with travel. Air travel can be expensive and places a burden on many. At the same time, many people think of travel to get away and destress from financial situations. The reality is that the stress relief expected at the end of the travel experience requires lots of financial planning and logistics many do not anticipate. Many travelers have worked hard to save and plan for their trip. Therefore, maximizing every dollar is essential to them.
As a flight attendant, I often heard many frustrated passengers claim, “I paid for this seat.” The reality is they paid for transportation from point A to point B. All the service received between is extra. Even if you preselected a seat, there would be no guarantee that you will be assigned that seat. In addition, the overhead bin above your seat is not your designated space. It is a shared space. Hence, frustration and anger when seat selections are not honored, or there is no room in the overhead bin for carry-on luggage.
Covid has brought on the realities of reduced onboard services. Many travelers are often taken aback by the lack of services. Again, they assumed that what they paid for was service. This is far from the truth. When travel expectations are unrealized, this creates a stressful situation the traveler has no control over. Most frustrating is the fact that they have already paid for what they believed to be their rights. Expectations do not meet reality and they try to vent their frustrations.
Most importantly, think beyond yourself when traveling. Those in customer service positions in the travel industry have not met you and have no personal grudges against you. They work for the company you paid and did not personally receive your hard-earned dollars. In most cases, they are also trying to save for the experience you are trying to have. Rules and restrictions govern them, and it is their unfortunate job to explain to you those same issues you find aggravating.
So please give grace to yourself and others when traveling. Remember that the stress you are experiencing is often an everyday reality for the customer service personnel. Whether they be flight attendants, gate agents, or TSA, they too are only doing the job they were hired to do.
I hope these thoughts have given you pause. Practice kindness when traveling. It will improve the experience not only for yourself but for everyone else.
Happy Pride month! The LGBTQIA+ community makes up a large percentage of the travel population but can face singular challenges when traveling. For example, many countries do not recognize same-sex unions, and in some countries, same-sex relationships are considered a crime with significant or severe punishment. Here are a few things to consider for LGBTQIA+ travel.
History suggests that members of the LGBTQIA+ community are some of the people most willing to travel. In addition, the LGBTQIA+ community tends to travel more than their non-LGBTQIA+ counterparts. This reality is partly because the LGBTQIA+ community is often dual income, with no children, and having more discretionary money and time to travel.
With the prevalence of travel in the LGBTQIA+ community, however, there are significant considerations to be made for travel. As recently as 2019, the country of Brunei enacted an Islamic law that makes it legal to flog and stone LGBTQIA+ people to death. It’s not the only country where LGBTQIA+ individuals can face the death penalty for the simple act of loving someone of the same sex. Therefore, for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, travel to top destinations is not a simple decision of when and if they have the resources to travel.
Many of the top destinations, such as the Maldives and Dubai, are primarily Muslim countries. In addition, top Caribbean destinations like Jamaica or Dominica have laws and attitudes quite contrary to the LGBTQIA+ community. Therefore, travelers need to be aware of these laws and attitudes before planning their trips.
Simple gestures like hand-holding that heterosexual couples take for granted are not a given for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Along with other travel issues, members of this community must consider when or if to show public displays of affection. Even sharing a bed or using a dating app can be a hazard for members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Therefore, while many may want to travel as we all do, traveling to certain countries for LGBTQIA+ members can lead to the possibility of death for many. As we wrap up Gay Pride month, I want my readers to be aware that many of the things non-LGBTQIA+ travelers take for granted are not a given for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Have you ever had issues when traveling as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community? Were you aware of the risks many people unwittingly take when traveling? I’d like to know.
