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Overseas air travel tips?
Those who have gone on this tour or similar (Australia and/or New Zealand), what were your air arrangements to / from the US? Especially interested in to/from DFW. Did Tauck arrange your flights? Was getting there half the fun, or was it totally exhausting? Did you find a way to break the long flights into shorter segments, e.g. with stops in Tahiti? Any recommendations, tips and things we should know would be appreciated.
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We flew Qantas direct from SFO. No point in breaking up the trip with all the hassles of flying these days and risking lost or delayed luggage. We arrived two days prior in order to relax. My family wanted to do the tourist trap thing and scale the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I didn’t enjoy that for one second but 80 year olds were doing it without any issues snd I was decades younger. At that point in time, I realized I had a complete fear of heights and only had two panic attacks. The same thing happened zip-lining. Live snd learn and at least I try.
Sir Rapvk HI
Best recomendation.. go Direct! the more stops you do, the worst it will feel- it's going to add many layovers, you could miss of flights and a lot more chances to loose luggage. Not Worth it!
Take 3 advils and a glass of whiskey! you will not feel it.
We are flying to San Francisco first...One to break it up a little, other in case there is a storm in Mass where we live..Then we are taking United non stop to Melbourne...Flying Premium Economy which is 2 seats so no one sitting net to us
We flew via San Francisco to New Zealand on Premium economy on Air New Zealand. It was a separate cabin with business class food as far as I can recall. The timing of the flights were nice, not leaving early in the morning which was a better start to a trip than having to rise very early morning. We could use the premium lounges at the airports and I took a shower there between flights.
We flew from LAX to New Zealand on Air New Zealand in business class. I dislike their herringbone seat arrangement but otherwise the flight was okay. Not outstanding and not bad - sort of an average flight.
I flew from SFO to Melbourne in United's Polaris class. It was a very nice experience -- much better than I had expected, since United's business class from BOS to SFO was just ordinary.
We also had a positive experience with United. Chicago to LAX, then a nice dinner in the Polaris lounge. We boarded late evening for the flight to Melbourne, did not need another dinner on the plane, and had a very good sleep - at least 6 hours - a record for me.
Lotus Girl: that's our MO, as well. Living eight miles from a United hub (Dulles) with lots of international flights, we now give preference to late flights (10 PM IAD-LHR in August, and 10 PM IAD-AMMan tonight. We had and will have dinner in the Polaris Lounge before boarding tonight and decline dinner with the expectation of actually getting some sleep before arriving in Amman at 4PM the next (9 AM by our body clock). You probably know this, but for others: if you have a domestic flight hub to hub (that's where the Polaris Lounges are) on United connecting to an international United Polaris flight, you get access to the Polaris Lounges on departure and connection. Like when we'll be flying to Japan next March...Polaris Lounge at Dulles and again at O'hare. Very nice perk.
On Delta, with a bus class ticket- you can use the Sky Lounge at your starting location and the US gateway and the reverse coming home. (At least until your flight has been delayed past closing time of the lounge like happened to us at JFK coming back from Greece!
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To combat jet lag take a look at Timeshifter. It is an app that I have used for several years and it really reduces the jet lag especially when we from the US are literally turning day into night to travel past the International Date Line! I and friends found it very helpful when traveling from the mid US to both China(pre Covid) and Australia
Sir Rapvk I was living in Boston when I took this tour in 2014. I flew business class on Air New Zealand from Boston to San Francisco, SFO to Auckland and Auckland to Melbourne. It was my first time flying Air New Zealand and I enjoyed it--that said, I love the entire flying experience...the lounges, the lie-flat seats, the meals, the pampering, etc. The longer the flight, the better.
I arrive at my destination a day or two prior to the tour start to acclimate my body and get familiar to the surroundings and enjoy the 5-star hotel accommodations.
I try to avoid layovers as much as I can, but it's just not possible as I no longer live in a hub/international city. One thing I NEVER do is check luggage. I want to be assured my luggage will start the vacation with me.
Hope this helps--tI look forward to the travel to/from my tour destinations as much as the tour itself.
@PureLuxury--After our August trip to Alaska where we didn't get our luggage for 3 and 5 days, we're planning to join the "Never Check" club for our trip to New Zealand in February. Any tips for packing would be appreciated.
AshvEd I'm a bit OCD when it comes to packing. I carefully review the itinerary and plan my clothing choices based upon each day/evening activities. For long tours 16+ days, I usually wear an outfit (or some variation of an outfit) 3x. To ensure no duplicates or uncertainty when I wake up each morning, I prepare a detailed excel spreadsheet which list each outfit for each day--no deviations. I usually wear my bulkiest outfit and heaviest shoes traveling to/from--especially if boots are involved. I limit the number of shoes. For multi-climate trips - usually low boot which I wear on the plane, a Keen/Teva type shoe that allows air flow but also provides protective coverage, and a dressy sandal for evening,
I use compression bags and Briggs & Riley Baseline luggage which has compression technology--it really helps. I've used this luggage over a decade (wide body International Carry-on) and its great. No issues at all. Caveat: Briggs & Riley luggage itself is heavy; however, I've never had an issue or been questioned by any of the airlines. Caveat#2 - I travel business class so not sure if that matters for weight as I'm carrying-on and not checking bags. It's art+science for me...
I also carry a camera bag which also holds my mini-pad and phone. I use a nylon collapsable backpack for day activities and also pack a Longchamps Pilage foldable tote for any small souvenirs I purchase. I don't bother brining my own shampoo, lotions, etc. Whatever is provided by the hotel is fine with me--it's only temporary.
I enjoy every aspect of preparing for my trips!
Like PureLuxury, I plan ahead and know precisely what I am wearing each day/evening. I use packing cubes as well as clear plastic, zippered bags. Each bag/cube is packed with everything needed for that day/evening. For example, undergarments, socks, outfit and jewelry all in one bag so I do not have to search for individual items each day.
I love my Briggs & Riley Baseline luggage. They are smaller but hold quite a bit, even for trips of three weeks. I only used the expansion feature once. The luggage also has a garment bag section for suits/jackets and dresses. I don't find them to be heavy at all, but perhaps that is because they are smaller.
Some of you are way too organized for me and there’s nothing wrong with that. I can’t predict what I want to wear on a daily basis on a trip. There are too many variables such as climate, activity, my mood. My 27” inch Samsonsite weighs 5 lbs empty. Yes, I’m a packing cube person and extremely organized to a fault. My husband’s suitcase is a nightmare after day 1. He thrives in organized chaos.
We have light suitcases and use cubes and i do sort of pack in outfits but I never keep to them. It depends on the weather or activities on the day which can’t be accurately predicted. Or I find I can wear an outfit for longer, or what if I get a stain on my sweater etc. etc. I rarely take any jewelry these days and certainly don’t pack any I take in my checked luggage, I would not recommended doing that. …any baggage handler seeing jewelry on a screen attracts attention, they don’t know whether it is valuable or cheap junk like any I travel with.
I’ve still not just taken carry on for a long time, even without taking shampoo, conditioner, body wash. Toothpaste, any makeup, sunscreen, medical supplies etc might fill my little plastic bag. Most places we travel are nowhere near any shops.
Our next trip is quite likely to be a trip where we might lose luggage. So I’m trying to avoid taking any favorite items with me. We always carry at least one extra outfit and extra underwear for a couple of days in our backpack carry on. You can’t always guaranteed that underwear’s will dry overnight. I sometimes take photos of what is going i my suitcase, but if lost for ever, the price of my suitcase would barely be covered with any instructions claim, never mind the contents.
I do not travel with expensive jewelry. The few items I do take along are kept on my person (carry-on luggage). Upon arrival in the first hotel, I then tuck the jewelry into the corresponding bags/cubes holding my outfits.
The toiletries give me the most angst. I always take too much, even knowing that most of what I bring is already provided by the hotels.
My tips for during the flight -
1. Drink plenty of water. I always carry on an extra large bottle of water and drink that along with all the water the FAs offer.
2. Get up and move around during the flight.
3. Avoid salty snacks.
4. Purchase a ticket for the highest class of service you can comfortably afford and upgrade if a reasonably priced option is available.
5. Seat choice matters. Study the aircraft you will use and look up your flight on seatguru.com.
6. Ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones help.
7. If you use electronic devices in flight bring the correct charging cords AND a mobile charger in case you can't charge at your seat.
My packing tips -
1. Limit your color palette. For an upcoming trip I am using black, gray and burgundy. It all mixes and matches.
2. A couple of colorful scarves and some inexpensive statement jewelry help change up that limited color palette. Learn a few ways to tie a scarf.
3. Never take anything so valuable or sentimental that you couldn't bear its loss.
4. Take a variety of weights in your clothes - tanks, short sleeve, longsleeve, sweater, hoodie and seasonal coat. You can layer up or down to adjust for temperature variations.
5. Merino wool is a remarkable fabric.
6. I use a mix of packing cubes and rolling.
7. I use an excel spreadsheet to to list the days and activities and loosely plan my outfits accordingly.
8. I sometimes will lay out all the mix and match outfits with accessories and shoes and photograph them with my iPhone to remind me later of options when I'm having trouble coming up with an outfit idea on the fly.
9. Just because you can bring a 3 oz product in your 3-1-1 bag doesn't mean you have to. I decant products into smaller containers if I know I won't use 3 oz. LABELS are necessary if you do this - confusing cleansing balm for hair product is not a good way to start or end the day.
10. Pack your 3-1-1 bag horizontally and you'll get more in it.
11. Throw a few various sized zip lock baggies in your suitcase. They are remarkably handy. (location permitting)
12. Pack a nylon shopping bag.
13. Rather than hair tools, I bring 1 or 2 pretty hair accessories and style my hair in uncomplicated buns or ponytails to vary my look.
14. Shoes should be selected for comfort. If they are cute, that is a bonus. Never ever pack brand new shoes.
15. Pack a small "what if" bag - Tylenol, cold medicine, upset stomach medicine, a few regular bandaids and a few blister bandaids.
Happy travels!
Excellent post, Karenna. Thanks for sharing your tips. There are so many things we can learn from each other!
I use advanced Excel techniques (pivot tables) to keep track of airfare rates, hotels and itineraries, but I will now add my outfit choices for each day. Thanks again.
@PureLuxury, kfnknfzk, British and Karenna. Thank you for sharing your packing approaches and trip tips. Our delayed bags (3 and 5 days) on a recent trip to Alaska was the first time it happened to us. We had insurance and went shopping for essential toiletries and clothes as the airline updates on when our bags would arrive were initially unknown and then not factual. We had Apple AirTags in our suitcases and had real time locations which didn’t jive with the airline updates. One occurrence was enough for us, so getting back on topic I think we’ll do a trial packing after the holidays to get a sense of what our “carry on only” might look like. We appreciate your posts on this topic. Happy and safe travels!
AshvEd. Yes, it might be a good idea to do a trial. We are just about to pack for our one week river cruise in a week’s time and already thinking we may try to just take one suitcase between us. We are going in a small group of people we know and I’m assuming the remaining travelers will be British so it will be very interesting. Our group is mainly very casual unless we are at a black tie and then we gussy up…a term I’ve learned to use here.
The weather should be 60’s and 70’s so clothing will hopefully be able to be worn a few times. There is no laundry service on the boat. I do want to wear makeup and take certain toiletries and Mr. B takes a whole medicine cabinet, even though I”m the nurse, he is just like his mum and acts like we will never see a pharmacy even if we go to a major city…and lots of sunscreen which is why carry on is a problem these days. I think others are just taking carry on and some are staying longer.
I don’t think we will travel without AirTags from now on, it’s ‘fun’ to see where the suitcases are, but only when you know they are in the same place as you!
kfnknfzk, I need to upgrade my excel skills!
Karenna - No, you are doing just fine!
I pretty much do everything Karenna listed though my excel spreadsheet starts as the clothing I'm considering taking with their weight. As I whittle down the list to what I'll actually pack I eliminate items in part by weight. Then the final packing list gets printed so I have a copy in case of !most luggage. Am currently at the end of the Douro plus Lisbon and Madrid tour. The weather has been colder than expected but I had planned for a range of temps. I'm hoping for warmer temps these next couple of days as I only have clean short sleeve tops. I did have the ships laundry wash my jeans.
On our tour only one couple had their luggage not arrive with them. They did buy a few things in Lisbon and have kept the ships laundry very busy.
Plastic compression bags save a ton of space. I packed into cubes on my last trip and changed to the bags, squeezes the air out and, although probably they're the same weight, they took up much less room. This was carry-on for Kenya and Tanzania for 2 weeks.