What are your rules on Travel?

[jdb in AZ]

Stay away from Allegiant Arlines. Far, far, away.

 

[Smugpugmug]

- Never check a bag when flying to and from MCO.
- Nonstop flight always unless there are no nonstop flights offered.
- Arrive early and leave late
- Bring a sandwich and snacks for long flights (was so glad I did on the 14 hour flight from Washington DC to Tokyo).
- Always try new foods
- Always bring some cash. Many stores and restaurants internationally did not accept credit cards from my experience.
- Absolutely no Airbnb. I'll stay in hotels only.

 

[lilmc]

Never eat something we can get at home.

 

[adkkev]

Find new places to explore.
Don’t be afraid to get off the beaten path, like avoiding interstates if at all possible.
Camera. Always.
Travel is for personal exploration and enjoyment, it’s not a competition with others.
Go where you want to go, do what you want to do.
Hike your own hike.

 

[Colleen27]

Be open minded. Go with the flow. And go as often as possible.

In terms of specifics: No chain restaurants/places we can go at home. Everything else might vary from one trip to the next, sometimes you just gotta check a bag and sometimes camping is the best way to see a place while other times only a nice hotel will do, but I do like travel to be about new experiences so we tend to steer clear of fast food and other chains when we're away from home.

 

[Colleen27]

In defense of Spirit in particular, you just have to book with the expectation that you're going to pay a lot more than advertised. If you do then you can actually have a much better experience than the same amount of money at a lot of competitors. IOW if you can only afford $400 per ticket, booking Spirit can get you a lot further, with a lot more comfort and perks, than spending the same amount on United, American, and a lot of other airlines.

And weirdly, Spirit seats are a little more roomy. The tightest flight I ever had was on United; some of the most comfortable have been on Spirit. Yes, you have to do the math to get to all-inclusive pricing when comparing fares but there are definitely worse airlines out there. Of course, these days "bad" is all a crap shoot anyway - the airlines and airports seem to be taking turns with a rotating slate of problems, so you really never know when you book what kind of experience you're going to get.

 

[tvguy]

I agree about direct flights, but at least here those are much harder to find than they used to be. A lot of the airlines force you to go through one of their hubs and change planes. In the 1980's our cruises out of Florida usually included a direct flight. Now almost everything now you have a change of planes in Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles or Phoenix.

 

[disneychrista]

Lunch & Dinner will be at a local brewery.

 

[KristaZ]

Read hotel reviews - it needs to be clean and in a central location. Travel carry-on only - I do laundry on longer trips and have packed for 3 week trips in just carry-on, even with a baby.

 

[RUDisney]

Read hotel reviews - it needs to be clean and in a central location. Travel carry-on only - I do laundry on longer trips and have packed for 3 week trips in just carry-on, even with a baby.

With a baby?!? You are my hero!!!

I always only carry on. Once bitten, twice shy.

 

[Moliphino]

I avoid the Toronto airport, not a good experience there.

I try to avoid Heathrow for the same reason.

 

[Mysterian]

Never eat something we can get at home.

This. I never get people that go to a new state or country, and then go to places like McDonalds or Subway.

Right now there's a guy running around the streets of Venice looking for an Olive Garden.

I can understand if:
1. You arrive late in the day to your destination and need a quick and easy fix.
2. The franchise in your area stinks, but you hear the local one is really good.
3. Poor weather limits your choices.
4. You're evading an spirit-possessed fetish doll that wants to stab your ankles, and you need to duck inside Applebee's. Honestly I make this mistake even at home.

 

[Mysterian]

Assimilate to the location visiting.

Is this the same as "When in Rome"?

 

[Moliphino]

This. I never get people that go to a new state or country, and then go to places like McDonalds or Subway.

Right now there's a guy running around the streets of Venice looking for an Olive Garden.

I can understand if:
1. You arrive late in the day to your destination and need a quick and easy fix.
2. The franchise in your area stinks, but you hear the local one is really good.
3. Poor weather limits your choices.
4. You're evading an spirit-possessed fetish doll that wants to stab your ankles, and you need to duck inside Applebee's. Honestly I make this mistake even at home.

Sometimes it's fun to see the difference. Dunkin Donuts is so much better in Spain, for example. One even had ice cream!
We hit Dunkin and BK a few times in Granada because everything shuts down in the afternoon there and we needed something to tide us over until we could eat dinner at 9pm. They were the only places still open and serving food.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Sometimes it's fun to see the difference. Dunkin Donuts is so much better in Spain, for example. One even had ice cream!
We hit Dunkin and BK a few times in Granada because everything shuts down in the afternoon there and we needed something to tide us over until we could eat dinner at 9pm. They were the only places still open and serving food.

I agree. I mean some places are the same regardless of where you go (Subway and Burger King for example) but Mcdonalds has different items depending on where you are and quality varies quite a bit. Mcdonalds in Japan for example is WAY better than in the US and in Germany you can get Doner kebabs and paprika fries.

 

[Mysterian]

Sometimes it's fun to see the difference. Dunkin Donuts is so much better in Spain, for example. One even had ice cream!
We hit Dunkin and BK a few times in Granada because everything shuts down in the afternoon there and we needed something to tide us over until we could eat dinner at 9pm. They were the only places still open and serving food.

SPAIN has a Dunkin Donuts? Whoaaaaaa.

 

[Mysterian]

I agree. I mean some places are the same regardless of where you go (Subway and Burger King for example) but Mcdonalds has different items depending on where you are and quality varies quite a bit. Mcdonalds in Japan for example is WAY better than in the US and in Germany you can get Doner kebabs and paprika fries.

That's a good point. KFC is a whole new animal in Japan too.

 

[disney-inspired]

No flying out of LAX.

I wonder if this is for all flights or international/domestic specifically? I usually fly out of LAX because the flights are cheaper but they are pretty organized and I never have an issue.

Never fly Spirit or any other discount airline. For land travel, the bigger the vehicle the better. No sleeping on the ground, in a tent, or in a car. It's got to be comfortable.

Agree on Spirit - I've seen too many videos on Instagram. I'm also definitely not a person who can camp.

 

[Moliphino]

SPAIN has a Dunkin Donuts? Whoaaaaaa.

And they do cute decorated stuff like Cookie Monster donuts. The one in Seville had Kinder Happy Hippo ice cream.

 

[DLgal]

I wonder if this is for all flights or international/domestic specifically? I usually fly out of LAX because the flights are cheaper but they are pretty organized and I never have an issue.

All flights. I live close to SNA. I won't travel out of LAX. If I'm going international, I'll take a connecting flight through SFO or literally anywhere else. I have a very low tolerance for travel hassles and LAX ratchets up my anxiety too much.