Travel Tips

Surfing the web at an airport is OK as long as you are careful about entering personal information such as banking passwords or credit card numbers when connected wirelessly.

Hotspots are an open invitation for hackers. Here’s why: though you believe you’re logging on through a legitimate wireless hotspot at an airport, cafe, hotel, etc., hackers are creating look-alike networks to steal your sensitive information. It can happen anywhere!

No! No! No! All airline programs have rules against this, and if caught you will be denied boarding and possibly worse. With today’s security technology, your chances of getting caught and possibly being prosecuted are greatly increased. Additionally, these types of items are often copied or faked, leaving you the victim of fraud.

Be flexible with your itinerary options. Changing times, dates, and routes can reduce the points required to book your ticket and save those valuable points for another trip.

Look at all of your airline’s partners as these partners generally accept your points and some may even require fewer points than your airline requires.

Stay in hotels and use rental car companies affiliated with your program. When you charge meals and services to the hotel room, you can earn even more points. You can also use sponsored credit cards to earn extra points.

Always take your medications in your carry-on baggage, never ever in your checked luggage. Additionally, follow these simple guidelines:

• Keep your medication in their original bottles to help avoid security issues.
• If you have any suspect medications or unusually large amounts, bring a letter from your doctor explaining your need for these medications.
• If you’re traveling outside the U.S., be sure your medications are not prohibited in the areas you are traveling to.

It’s always prudent to know the recommended arrival time before your flight departure. The correct time varies from airport to airport and country to country. A general rule is one to two hours before departure for domestic flights and two to four hours for international flights.

Always check before leaving for the airport to see if your flight is delayed or possibly canceled. Delayed and canceled flights lead to longer lines and you may need to arrive even earlier so as not to miss your flight or an alternate flight if required.

Important Tip! When possible, check-in online rather than at the airport, pay checked baggage fees online (you avoid lines and often save money), and use curbside baggage check-in to avoid long lines at airport counters.

Immediately, call or check online for alternate flights which may be available, the last thing you want to do is wait in line at the airport counter with everyone else.

If you will need hotel accommodations due to the flight delay or cancellation, you might also want to make a reservation yourself as rooms quickly become unavailable in these situations.