My favorite websites to
use for flights are:
It’s important to know about the budget airline that you are flying on. I have learned this the hard way. When I backpacked for the first time in Europe, I was new to taking budget flights such as RyanAir, EasyJet, and Air Berlin so I made many mistakes. I purchased a cheap flight from the south of France to England with RyanAir for about $60 but little did I know, I needed to print out my boarding pass online before I got to the airport. This error cost me another $40. Yes, I was mad. Most budget airlines have a strict luggage weight limit, which I already knew, so I decided to wear almost all of my clothing that I had in my backpack (thankfully it was winter time anyways and it was cold out). Also, not only is there a strict weight limit, you can only have ONE bag. Not a suitcase and a personal item or a purse. Just one item. If they don’t fit within one another, then you must figure something out. Since my backpack was under the weight limit just a bit because I was wearing all of my clothes, I had room to put my purse in there. But, I also had a giant box of cookies with me that I bought in Spain and was taking to the family that I was staying with in England as a gift. Unfortunately, the cookie box was too heavy and wouldn’t fit in my backpack, I had no choice other to….eat the cookies.... No worries, I didn’t eat them all, I shared with others around me. I needed some cookies anyways since I was having such a rough day (my experience of just getting to that small airport in the middle of nowhere is a whole story on its own!).
When I got to England, I
had another flight with RyanAir a few days later back to Ireland (where my trip
began and was ending). I thought to
myself, “I will not let RyanAir fool me this time!”. I thought that if I
self-checked in online and printed out my boarding pass beforehand and read
their other guidelines online, I’d be good.
Boy, was I wrong! When I got to the airport in England to board my
flight to Ireland, I went to the check-in line.
They said that if already checked-in online and had my boarding pass, I
could just go through security and go to the gate. I was relieved. I used my last few pounds to buy a coffee and
I lollygagged through the airport because I had some time to spare before my
flight. With about half an hour before
take-off, I got to the gate and saw a line of people. There was a person walking down the line of
passengers and looking at our boarding pass.
When the person got to me, he said “where’s your stamp?”. I asked “what stamp?” He replied “the stamp that you needed to get
before you went through security”. I
started to panic. He said that the gates
close 20 minutes before the flight which gave me only about 10 minutes to get
my stamp and get back to the gate otherwise I’d miss my flight and have to buy
a whole new ticket. Are you kidding
me!? I threw my freshly hot coffee into
the nearby trash and bolted down the hall.
They had someone assist me back through security so that I didn’t have
to go through the line again. I finally
made it back to that first desk that initially told me just to go to the gate,
got my stamp, and bolted back towards the gate.
I was in so much pain because I have chronic and random pain in my feet
(a constant and awful problem that I deal with) and I was wearing winter boots
that didn’t make it any better. I
honestly did not think that I was going to make it back in time. I started to cry. I wanted to just go home. I was so stressed and frustrated. I wanted to just give up trying to make my
flight but I kept going. Looking like a
hot mess, running and crying through the airport, I finally made it just in
time for my flight. Thank you RyanAir,
never again.
Some tips on airlines
and airports:
*Try to fly in and out
of the closest main airport. This is
usually help to save you some money on flights.
I always fly out of Chicago, despite being in Milwaukee many times,
because it tends to be cheaper than flying out of Milwaukee, WI.
*Try to avoid wearing
jewelry, belts, etc; things that take longer while going
through security
check. Make it easy on yourself and make
it quick.
*Be sure to get there
extra early just in case of flight/gate changes and to
make it less stressful
on yourself.
*Check on your airline’s
website days before departure to double check their
guidelines and make sure
that you aren’t required to check-in online or won’t
get penalized for not
printing off anything. Every airline is
different and
some can be sneaky.
* Ask for your entire
return itinerary at the airport before departure. This
will come in handy
because some European countries will ask to see a return
ticket or a departure
ticket.
* Write down your
accommodations address, name, and phone number on a piece of
paper that you’ll easily
find once you get to immigration- they will ask you
questions on your
intent/purpose for being there, where you’re going, for how
long, and why. Each
airport will do this.
*Use a credit card that
earns you miles! I have gotten a few free
international flights this way! I have a
Citibank Advantage credit card that earns miles with American and its partner
airlines. This credit card also saves me
from having to pay for checked luggage fee for up to four people that are paid
for on the card.
*One of my biggest
pet-peeves is when the person sitting in front of me decides to lay practically
all the way down. I slightly recline my
seat, if any at all, unless there isn’t anybody sitting behind me. I’m 6 feet tall so it’s very uncomfortable to
be crammed into a small place for sometimes over 10 hours. I ask that you just keep others in mind and
be considerate. Treat others how you
would like to be treated.
Some Airlines that I have flown:
United
JetStar (online check
in)
Cathay Airways
American Airlines
China Air
Asia Air (baggage fee,
7kg limit)
Philippine Air
Tiger Air (no food, no
space)
Jet Airways
Garuda Air (great
service and food)
Indigo Air
Qatar Air
Iberia
Vueling.com Airline (no
food, no space)
RyanAir (check in online
and print boarding pass)
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