Travel Tips

General Travel

The Best Day to Buy Airline Tickets - The Prime Time to Find Airfares Has Changed; How Early Does the Lowest Price Pop Up? 

Flight Information

My favorate travel app is FlightAware. I use it to update me on updated flight information and essential if you're picking someone up at the airport. The information is up to date and more timely than any airline will deliver to you. The raw information. 

Seating on a Plane

• Want to know the best seat to sit in on a plane? Use Seatguru

  • SeatGuru.com is a website that features aircraft seat maps, seat reviews, and a color-coded system to identify superior and substandard airline seats.

• Travel Matching Platform

International Travel

Check to see if you need a passport / Visa

Airport Tips

MSP Parking

Travel - Airport Logistics - Early Travelers

Flight Check-in

• Use the Delta app to check in 24 hours in advance.

• At that point - i am not clear if Androids have a way to save a ticket, however, the easiest thing to do is take a screen shot, why? because that is your ticket and you use it to scan in during security check vs. having paper

• Worst case - at the airport - you go to a Delta departure line and get a paper ticket but you have to wait in line

Lyft/ Uber Ride - Least Stress

• Take a ride share and get dropped off so you avoid all the parking logistics...

Park-N-Fly Arrival

• For a 10AM flight, for example, get to the Park N Fly by 745/ 8AM and that will give you plenty of time

• The Park N Fly/ The Parking Spot (Park N Fly was acquired) vans are usually following you when you go to park

• When you drive into the ramp someone is usually there to tell you what level to park in if not - read the signs that tell you what level

• Once the van drops you off - go inside and veer off slightly to the left to the escalators

Parking Van Drop Off

• When you walk in you'll see this. Go left to the escalators.

• Once down you will follow the signs to the Terminal 1 Tram: there happens to be a terminal for other Trams - just follow the signs for Terminal 1.

• The Tram to Terminal 1 goes back and forth - get on - ride - get off

• From there - follow the signs to Departure - you'll see signs to take the elevator or escalators up one level - the MSP airport has great signs - you will see the signs and it also lets you know which security line is shorter - take the escalator to the shorter line as they all lead to the same place

• When you take the escalator up to Departure - you go up two escalators both in a row and from there look at the security line time: there are two lines - take the shorter one and walk to it. You are in a general line. Not Pre-TSA. Not Clear.

Bag Check or No Check?

• Travel light - avoid checking a bag if possible. It saves on time standing in line to drop it off and time to pick it up at the end of the flight. 

• You can carry on to the flight a small suitcase AND a backpack - two items only.

Security Check

• While waiting in line - take everything out of your pockets, everything but your phone/ identification. Put all of that stuff into your suitcase or backpack - someplace temporary. 

• When you get to security TSA have your ticket (on your phone) ready first - sometimes that is all they need and sometimes they need the ticket and sometimes the identification as well. 

• After that - put your phone/ ID, etc. - everything into the temporary place in your backpack/ suitcase. 

• Shoes come off.

• Coat comes off.

• Belt comes off.

• Put everything on the conveyor belt. Walk your stuff on the conveyor belt up to the edge of the x-ray and don't leave it until it is ready to go through - there is a small chance someone might grab it

• For non Pre-TSA i think you have to take off your shoes (ask). For sure take your coat off and place that on the conveyor belt as well. 

• Once that is done - they will direct you to go through the screening machine and on the other side you go to grab your stuff that went through security - sometimes - you win the lottery and you get a random search - they will tell you what to do

After Security Check-in

• Fill up your water bottle near a bathroom that has filtered water dispensor

• Grab food/ something to drink and head to your gate 😊.

  • Check an information kiosk if you have something specific you wanted to eat and go to that area.

    1. Food/ drink places exist down each gate corridors - different ones

    2. There are several gate areas - look for the letter such as F, G, etc.

For the Flight

Flight Entertainment

• You may want to use your favorite music and/ or movie streaming app to download your music playlists and a few movies.

• Bring your noise cancellation headphones

Clean Air - Seats...not so much

• The air is being replaced every few minutes - very clean...not so much in the airport - keep clear of people unless you want to pick up a travel bug

• The seats/ tray table needs a good wipe down - bring some Purell Sanitizing wipes - and - have mercy - don't put anything into the seat back pockets - those are not cleaned well and people put all kinds of things in there...