Where the buffer goes
Most travel misery is a schedule with no slack in it. Plan to be at the airport two hours before a domestic flight and three before an international one. When booking connections, prefer a layover of at least ninety minutes at home and two to three hours when you must clear immigration and customs. Avoid the last flight of the day when arriving matters, because there is nothing after it if it cancels. On the ground, leave the first evening of a trip unscheduled. Check passport rules early, since many countries require six months of validity beyond your travel dates.
On the plane
- Have your documents in hand before you reach the front of any line.
- Put your bag in the bin above your own row, wheels first, and put the smaller item under the seat.
- Leave both inner armrests to the passenger in the middle seat.
- Recline slowly after a glance behind you, and sit upright during meal service.
- Use headphones for every sound your devices make, and keep your shoes and socks on.
- Let the rows ahead of you leave first, unless someone has asked to get through for a tight connection.
When things go wrong
Delays and cancellations are rarely the fault of the person at the desk, who has absorbed the anger of everyone in line ahead of you. Be the calm one. Greet the agent, state your situation in a sentence, and ask for something specific, such as a seat on a named later flight. Agents have discretion, and they use it for the civil. While you wait in line, call the airline or use its app at the same time, since the phone is often faster.
In someone else's country
Before you go, learn to say hello, please, thank you, excuse me and sorry, along with the phrase that asks whether someone speaks English. Open with the local greeting before switching languages, because launching straight into English assumes a debt nobody owes you. Look up the tipping custom, which varies from expected to mildly insulting. Speak more quietly than you would at home. Dress modestly for religious sites, with shoulders and knees covered, and ask before photographing people. In American hotels, leave three to five dollars a day for housekeeping, daily and not at the end, since the staff changes.
Tip Keep a photo of your passport's main page and your reservations stored offline on your phone, and a paper copy in a different bag from the passport itself.
