Winter travel is a joy: red cheeks, hot chocolate, skiing, sledding. But winter travel can also be a hassle: long lines, weather-induced delays, and bleary-eyed families in overcrowded airports.
To help you minimize the inconvenience, we asked Jules Older for a few tips on how to take some of the bite out of winter travel. As editor in chief of not one, but two ski magazines, Ski Press USA and Ski Press Canada, Older covers skiing from New England to New Zealand, Switzerland to the Sierra Nevada. If anyone knows winter travel, it’s him. And when he’s not writing about skiing, he writes about — and travels to — warm winter destinations, like Florida, the Caribbean, and Hawaii.
Continental: Let’s get right to it. What’s the best protection against getting bumped from an overbooked flight?
Jules Older: Two words: online check-in. Do it within 24 hours of your flight. It’s easy. Just go to continental.com, and find the Print Boarding Pass area in the center of the page. Then, just plug in your information and you’re on your way, in the seat you booked.
Continental: What can you do to ensure that you make that flight?
Jules Older: This time, five words: Get to the airport early. Getting there early is good advice any time of year, but never more so than in winter. Why? Winter is holiday time. Winter is wild-weather time. Winter is when you’re most likely to arrive at the airport and find a line like a Presidents’ Day sale snaking slowly, ever so slowly, toward Security. Get there early. And to make sure that you’re not that person holding up the security line, check out the TSA Web site at tsa.gov o review the list of prohibited items for checked and carry-on baggage. Another Web tip: sign up for TripAlert, so you’ll know the status of your flight. You can do that on continental.com under My Account and choose how you want to be alerted to changes in the status of your flight.
Continental: What about connecting flights?
Jules Older: When booking your trip, leave extra time between Flight A and Flight B. Even though you can change planes with just a 30-minute layover — don’t. If your plane is weather-delayed, that 30 minutes can turn into a long stint of airport time. It’s much smarter to spend an extra hour or two eating an ice cream cone in an airport shop (even in the winter) before making your connecting flight than to miss it and spend the night at the airport.
Continental: What if you have missed your connecting flight, and the service desk tells you your next confirmed flight is two days from now.
Jules Older: Don’t panic. Even if your next confirmed flight is 48 hours away, the odds are good that the airline will be able to get you to your destination much sooner on standby.
Continental: Let’s talk about baggage.
Jules Older: Great — it’s a misunderstood topic. The most common mistake is the assumption that baggage rules never vary. In fact, they change with destination and with seat class. Most (but not all) international flights allow more luggage than domestic. First-class passengers are generally allowed three checked bags, compared with two in coach. I urge you to check the airline’s Web site before you pack — not when you’re at the ticket counter.
Continental: Weigh in, if you would, on checked luggage versus carry-on bags.
Jules Older: First, regardless of what you do, make sure your name, address, and phone number are on both the outside and inside of your baggage. Include your itinerary if available. For bags that you check, review your baggage claim stubs to make sure they’re going where you’re going. And since many bags do indeed look alike, place an identifier on your bag such as a blue or yellow ribbon. Here’s a good packing tip: put your toiletries in the center of your bag to protect them from heavier luggage that may be placed on top of them. I only pack toiletries and clothing in my checked bags, and I put anything breakable — and my laptop — in my carry-on baggage. And always keep your car keys, house keys, and passports in a pocket (or a purse) in the event that you have to gate-check your carry-on bag.
Continental: What about traveling with medicines?
Jules Older: The standard advice is pretty good: Don’t pack it in your checked luggage; carry it with you. I take it one step further. I take enough to last through the trip plus a couple of extra days with me, and I put an equal amount in my suitcase. That way, if I should leave my carry-on bag in Starbucks, I’ve still got the pills I checked, and if my luggage is lost, I’m OK with the ones I’ve carried.
Continental: Finally, any advice for skiers?
Jules Older: First, consider renting skis at your destination. That saves a lot of heavy hauling and potentially a lot of waiting for them to arrive at the special gate. Second, if you do decide to carry your equipment, skis and boots constitute just one piece of baggage (for purposes of calculating your baggage limit). Renting new skis can be kind of fun, but being without your faithful old boots could mean a world of pain.
