Are you tired of travel stress, lost luggage, and chaotic packing? We've got solutions. On the latest episode of Amiga's Let's Talk, Damaris takes you through her top 10 travel tips that every woman should know, aiming to revolutionize your travel experiences. We unpack essential advice from the benefits of having Pre-TSA and Global Entry to packing hacks using cubes and shoe bags. Ever heard of Apple AirTags? We delve into its innovative use for travel and address any privacy concerns you might have.
That's not all; this episode takes a deeper dive into uncommon travel tips that will transform your travel routine. I'll share insights into why hydration and a checklist are key, and why snapping pictures of your suitcase and its contents can save you a world of hassle. And for those dreaded long layovers, get the inside scoop on airline lounges and clubs. So, brew a cup of coffee or steep some tea, and join us as we redefine the art of traveling.
Are you tired of travel stress, lost luggage, and chaotic packing? We've got solutions. On the latest episode of Amiga's Let's Talk, Damaris takes you through her top 10 travel tips that every woman should know, aiming to revolutionize your travel experiences. We unpack essential advice from the benefits of having Pre-TSA and Global Entry to packing hacks using cubes and shoe bags. Ever heard of Apple AirTags? We delve into its innovative use for travel and address any privacy concerns you might have.
That's not all; this episode takes a deeper dive into uncommon travel tips that will transform your travel routine. I'll share insights into why hydration and a checklist are key, and why snapping pictures of your suitcase and its contents can save you a world of hassle. And for those dreaded long layovers, get the inside scoop on airline lounges and clubs. So, brew a cup of coffee or steep some tea, and join us as we redefine the art of traveling.
Damaris Ramirez:
Hello and welcome to Amiga's let's Talk the show, where we discuss life and business and everything in between. I am your host, demaris Ramirez, and every week we will bring you stories and insights, hopefully to inspire you to think differently. My goal is that every woman lives her best life. So, amiga, grab a cup of coffee or tea and let's talk. Today I was preparing for the Powerhouse Women Conference later this week. That's going to be held in Scottsdale, arizona, so it's doing a lot of packing, planning, and I got to thinking, maybe, that the ladies here in this community might want to know what are my travel tips. So I put together 10 tips that I think every woman should know. These are from my personal travel experience and also the years that I spent traveling for work, and I thought I would share them with you and that way, hopefully, this will make your travel experience a little easier, whether it's for business or personal. So let's get started.
Damaris Ramirez:
So, amiga, number one, I suggest that you get the pre-TSA of the Global Entry Approval. You can do both of these online With the Global Entry. It usually includes the pre-TSA. So you basically, if you apply for Global Entry, you end up getting Global Entry and the pre-TSA With the Global Entry. That one's more geared towards international travel and it's good for five years and it allows you to have expedited US Custom screening. So in that sense it's very beneficial. The pre-TSA is faster to get the approval. It's also for five years. For both you're going to need to pre-enroll online and then you make an in-person appointment.
Damaris Ramirez:
I do think that with the pre-TSA now they also have walk-in centers after you do the pre-enrollment online. But I would say, check online on the tsagov website for the up-to-date instructions. Also, don't worry about the in-person appointment. It's approximately it says online 10 minutes but honestly, even with my Global Entry, it was like five minutes. They're just basically going to review your application, but review everything online on the website. This is going to allow you to go through the tsa pre-check line, the pre-TSA. It allows you to keep your shoes on, keep your laptop in your bag and overall I find that it's a better experience than even the priority line. The only thing is it's not available in all airports, but it is at over 200 plus airport ports and you know the way I see it. That's good enough for me.
Damaris Ramirez:
Number two we have to get those packing cubes and shoe bags. They are fantastic. They're the bags that have zippers that allow you to separate your clothes in your suitcase. They have them also for shoes and dirty laundry. We don't want to throw our dirty shoes in with our clean clothes.
Damaris Ramirez:
I would say a word of caution, though, that not all of these cubes are the same. I did purchase some on Amazon and unfortunately the zipper was not a fantastic. It would sometimes get caught on my clothes, so I didn't like that. I'm sure they have better ones, but at least the ones I selected were not that great. But you can look around a lot of the department stores or like Target, walmart, they also carry them, and you know I separate different types of clothing into different cubes. So I might have one for shorts, I might have another one for t-shirts, another one for dresses, and sometimes I don't wear all the clothes that I take in my suitcase. I always say I'm going to take less, but I mean I just sometimes I take too much clothes and so it's just nice to keep it folded in the cube and you know, when I get back home I could just hang it up again if I didn't wear it. So it also helps to protect your clothes from any spills If you have your toiletry bag in your suitcase, or if it's raining and your suitcase is out in the rain trying to get loaded onto the plane. I think it's not waterproof but it could potentially protect a little bit your clothes, especially if you have a cloth suitcase. So definitely get the packing cubes in the shoe bags.
Damaris Ramirez:
Number three get some Apple Air tags. These are good to be able to track your important items. So I have placed one in my backpack, one in my laptop bag, one in my suitcase. They give me peace of mind. I like to know that. I can go into my phone, into my app, and I am able to see where my items are. They also send me alerts. I think I turned it off because it does send you several alerts. It'll say your item is no longer with you, which is a little funny but definitely useful, right?
Damaris Ramirez:
We don't want to lose our items, so you want to look around. You can buy them in packs of three or four so that you can get the best deal. These would be good to have. Also if you're traveling with children. You can put it in their little bag in case they leave their backpack somewhere. You'll know where they left it.
Damaris Ramirez:
But if you don't have a iPhone, then if you have an Android, you probably want to consider getting, maybe, the Tile Pro. Or if you have a Samsung, they have the Samsung Smart Tag, because the AirTags will only work with the iPhone. I would say look online and check the specifics before you purchase it so that you know exactly what you're getting. And one last note, ladies, in case you're wondering about the privacy component of these AirTags if someone places one in your bag and you have an app and it's not yours, your phone's gonna send you a notification that somebody's AirTag is in your bag. So don't worry. Also, if you're thinking well, if I get a couple of AirTags, is that gonna happen to other people? No, it doesn't. It doesn't happen. As long as you're not separated by your AirTag, it won't activate. So they've figured all of this out and it works fine. But it is a fantastic way Say, for instance, you lose your suitcase to figure out maybe where it may be. So let's get some AirTags.
Damaris Ramirez:
Number four is extremely important. You have to take pictures of your important documents. This will allow you to have your travel documents and your ID in case you lose it or it gets stolen. So make sure that you take pictures of it and you'll have it somewhere in your phone and this way, if you need to get back home, they may consider these copies and let you get back on the plane.
Damaris Ramirez:
Number five consider booking a day pass at one of the airline lounges or clubs. You don't even have to be flying that airline to buy the one day pass. So usually these passes range from $30 to $80 for that one day. You can purchase it at the door or book it in advance online. What you wanna do is check the specific airline that you're traveling to see if you can get a day pass with them. But if not, I was able to see that online. You are able to go to websites such as Lounge Buddy Lounge Pass, plaza Premium Lounge and the Club Lounge. Those are websites that also advertise that you may be able to get day passes at these websites.
Damaris Ramirez:
I usually stay at the United Clubs because most of the time I am flying with United Airlines. Keep in mind that I have heard that if they're at capacity at these clubs or lounges, that they may deny you entry. So it might be better for you to try to get these passes in advance if you know that you might need it, or if you have an important work conference that you wanna take, it's much easier to do it at a lounge. A lot of them also have private spaces that you can go into so that you can have that professional conference without all the noise from the airport and be able to have a successful meeting. You can get a few hours of comfort at these lounges, right. Maybe your flight is delayed or you have a long layover? They have a lot of charging stations. They also have some free snacks, even though, I will say, in the last couple of years the choices have not been the best. I know they had better choices years ago, but hopefully that's all coming back. And also keep in mind that every lounge is different and limits may apply. So, and also, just because you bought a pass does not mean that you can bring in your family and friends or children. So I would say, check the guidelines before you buy it so that you don't buy a pass and then your companions aren't able to go into the lounge with you. But definitely something you should consider.
Damaris Ramirez:
Number six invest in getting some noise-canceling headsets. They're really fantastic. You can now get these in Amazon for about $60. If you wanted to go high-end, then maybe you wanna invest in getting a pair of bows or Sony noise-canceling headsets, but those will then run you $300 plus and certainly they have even some that are more expensive than that. I have had my bows for many years and they still work fine. I love that they're over the ear, I love that I can wear them to listen to music, to sleep or to read on the plane, and it cancels everything out, so it makes it a really nice experience At home. I sometimes even use my bows-canceling headsets when I'm trying to do homework, when I'm trying to do PhD research, so that I can really get into that deep work and into concentration and not distracted about hearing an opening door or someone in the kitchen. It really allows me to focus on what I'm doing. And for kids, I think this would be even a great idea for children to wear noise-canceling headsets while they're doing their homework. If they're having trouble concentrating, try getting them a pair, and maybe that might be helpful to them too.
Damaris Ramirez:
Number seven don't forget your battery packs and your chargers. I know this is obvious, but from time to time people forget. You know we're rushing, we get distracted, we think we put it in our bag. So what I do is usually I have a little checklist in my notes on my phone and it just reminds me that I take my phone charger, that I take my laptop charger if I have a battery pack. Did I take that? So I go down the list and I'm checking off that I have everything, just as a double check.
Damaris Ramirez:
I also think it's a great idea for you to purchase a small outlet splitter. You could get a smaller or large, depending if you're an individual. I say, go with the small one that maybe has like three outlets and maybe has a USB. These are fantastic, these little mini extensions to take on the go. There has been times when I have been at the airport and all the outlets have been taken. This will allow you then to ask someone to share their plug and that you show them your outlet and splitter and you say I'd like to connect that and then you can. Then I'll allow you to connect to me if that's okay with you. Ask nicely, and then you're able to plug whatever it is that you need to charge at the moment.
Damaris Ramirez:
The other thing is we have phones, ipads, laptops, so even if one outlet's available, you sometimes need, especially if your flight's delayed. You might need more than one plug. You might need, on average, three plugs. So invest in having a splitter. That will help you, and it's great for families too, if you all have phones. Also, I would say the battery pack really important because sometimes you get on the plane it says that they have the battery charger and they do, but a lot of times when I'm connecting to that, my plug falls out. I don't know if it's that it gets stretched out or what the problem is, but they don't stay put. I'm sure others have had the same problem and or it will go in, stay in, but for whatever reason it's broken, it's not working. Maybe somebody stuck something in there, I don't know. So you wanna have that battery pack so that you're never in a situation where you're in a long flight, you can't watch a movie because you don't have enough battery for your iPad or your iPhone. So make sure to bring your battery pack, your chargers and that outlet splitter on every trip that you take.
Damaris Ramirez:
Please let me guess number eight always travel with your meds on the plane on your carry-on bag. Never check it in with your suitcase. You don't know, you might be stuck on the tarmac, you might lose your suitcase. Whether they're prescriptions or over the counter, it doesn't matter. You may need something during your flight. You know you don't want to be in a situation where you don't have the meds that maybe you need. Don't take any chances.
Damaris Ramirez:
Number nine did you know that you can file a claim if your suitcase gets lost or damaged? That would be even if you didn't purchase the flight insurance. You should probably look at the airline's policy or call customer service. But in preparation for that, you want to take pictures of your suitcase and the items in it. A lot of times I travel with my jewelry, electronic equipment for my presentations and I want to make sure that those things come with me. But if I do put it in a check-in bag, I will take pictures just in case something happens. And for those that purchase suitcases that you know maybe have batteries there's, you know, very fancy ones. Now you want to keep the receipt. That way you can then have the information whether a picture or the receipt to submit with the claim. Some airlines will either give you the money or they will just send you a new suitcase. So definitely check the airline policy. And finally, number 10, for our self- care Stay hydrated.
Damaris Ramirez:
Bring a water bottle on the plane, whether it's a water bottle that you purchased at the airport or maybe you just brought your own water bottle. Airports now have places where you can fill up your bottle with filtered water past security. So you have to bring it in to the airport empty and then, once you get past security, they have places where you can fill your bottle with filtered water, and that is definitely something you need to have before you get on the plane. You don't know, you don't even know if you're gonna get service. So there have been times that I have been on a flight and if the weather is not cooperating, the pilot might tell the service that they cannot stand up that if the seatbelt is on, they. There are times where they have skipped their service and then you would not be getting water unless you ask for it. So definitely you want to bring it on your own so that you have it available. It's really important while you're flying to stay hydrated, so don't forget, always bring your water on the plane.
Damaris Ramirez:
I hope these were helpful and they make your traveling experience better, amiga. So there you have it, my 10 travel tips for you. As said by Eleanor Roosevelt, it takes as much energy to wish as it takes to plan. So definitely plan for a good travel experience. Thank you for making Amiga's let's Talk part of your day. We hope you enjoyed listening to today's episode and be sure to hit the subscribe button to get notified when we release the next one. And if you know someone who would enjoy the show, please share it with them. I would really appreciate it. Thanks for listening and remember to smile, listen and be patient today Until next time. Bye.