Now that the worst of the pandemic is presumably behind us, and travel restrictions are being eased and lifted in many U.S. cities and airports, travelers are beginning to make summer and fall reservations and bookings at a healthy clip. Whether by land, sea, or air, Americans are now more than anxious to travel anew or to make postponed or previously canceled business or pleasure excursions.
According to one global luxury travel network, there has already been a considerable surge in hotel bookings. Overall hotel bookings for June 2021 are reportedly up 146 percent over that of May 2021. That steep upward trend looks to continue into the fall travel season.
If you’re considering being one of the many that may be planning on traveling in the near future, consider these five ways to help make your travel much easier:
Consider Going Through a Travel Agent.
There are so many nuances in air travel, hotel reservations, car rental, etc. Nowadays, even seasoned travelers have difficulty keeping up with everything. Travel agents keep up with current regulations, trends, and other factors relevant to facilitating a smooth and easy trip. They are also up on discounts, specials, offers, and other deals to save travel time and money. Anything outside of typical reservations should be handled by a travel professional.
Get New Luggage.
Put those old, heavy, tattered bags in storage or the trash. It’s time to upgrade to rolling luggage before your next trip. Luggage with wheels and convenient pull-out handles are a terrific convenience, especially if you’re transporting bags throughout airports, parking lots, in and out of vehicles, and so on.
What would be a terrific piece of luggage to get ahold of is an eBags Travelon 18″ Wheeled Under-Seat Bag. This piece of luggage is perfect for a change of clothes, toiletries, and a laptop on the inside; in the outside pockets, a tablet, cellphone, and documents can easily be transported. As this bag fits under the seat, it’s never checked at boarding.
Enroll in TSA PreCheck.
Administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and initiated in October 2011, this Trusted Traveler program is popular with both airlines and U.S. airports. More than 70 airlines work within the guidelines of the TSA PreCheck, with over 60 airlines participating.
This measure allows approved passengers expedited security screening before airplane boarding. Of the 10 million members enrolled, many are in special frequent flyer programs. So if the airline you are interested in flying on offers a frequent flyer program, by all means, sign up. It won’t cost you anything, and you may get to take advantage of this very convenient and time-saving program at the airport. Your travel agent will know what frequent flyer programs, airlines, and airports participate in the program.
Pack Lightly.
Most everyone tends to overpack in one way or another. This may not be such a considerable problem if traveling in your own car or going on an extended voyage, but if you’re flying out and about, it can be cumbersome and much more expensive, having a bunch of extra things (and bags) to transport.
If you are going on a brief trip and can get away with having to just have one carry-on bag as your luggage, you’ll save a lot of time passing by baggage claims along the way.
Know The City You’re Going To.
If you’ve never been to your next destination before, research the city well. Find out where desired dining and entertainment venues are, for example. See what’s in proximity to where you’re staying. Having a good, general knowledge of areas you may be visiting can save you time searching around for things “on the spot.”
You can also get a general feel for the budget by researching where you may be going, how you’re going to get there, what your expenditures may be in the process, etc. It can make your time spent at your destination much easier and more predictable to negotiate, big plusses in travel to new and unknown destinations.
Nickida
Nickida is a first-generation Trinidadian American wife and mother of four. She enjoys sharing recipes from her childhood growing up in Trinidad with her readers. Nickida has a son with Autism and shares posts around traveling with a child with special needs to help other families like her own. She loves television, movies and is a true 80's baby.
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