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:: This page was originally created on Mozilla's internal intranet. However, it contains lots of information that could be useful to Mozillians who travel to Mozilla events, or really, anyone who travels, period. | :: This page was originally created on Mozilla's internal intranet. However, it contains lots of information that could be useful to Mozillians who travel to Mozilla events, or really, anyone who travels, period. The original page (and its history) disappeared when the intranet site was retired. | ||
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Do those three and you’re already in the 80th percentile for travel success. What follows below is travel ninjitsu. | Do those three and you’re already in the 80th percentile for travel success. What follows below is travel ninjitsu. | ||
= Planning = | = Planning = | ||
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* Take a window seat for very short flights or very long flights. Window seats have more shoulder room, less hassle from other passengers, and a window. The only downside is bladder management, but on short flights you can stick it out and on long ones you can get up when your fellow passengers do. | * Take a window seat for very short flights or very long flights. Window seats have more shoulder room, less hassle from other passengers, and a window. The only downside is bladder management, but on short flights you can stick it out and on long ones you can get up when your fellow passengers do. | ||
* ''Every'' plane has some seats that suck. No recline, noisy, cold, lack of floor storage or slightly narrower than most, [http://www.seatguru.com SeatGuru] will tell you what to avoid. It'll also tell you which seats are great (extra legroom, etc) that you should take given half a chance. Usually, exit-row seats have extra legroom (good for tall people), and the last row and the row in front of the exit row do not recline (bad in general). The first row in a section (where you have a bulkhead in front of you instead of another seat) typically does not have under-seat storage, so everything must go in overhead bins, but it typically does have more legroom. (Seatguru will tell you whether or not this is the case on a particular plane.) | * ''Every'' plane has some seats that suck. No recline, noisy, cold, lack of floor storage or slightly narrower than most, [http://www.seatguru.com SeatGuru] will tell you what to avoid. It'll also tell you which seats are great (extra legroom, etc) that you should take given half a chance. Usually, exit-row seats have extra legroom (good for tall people), and the last row and the row in front of the exit row do not recline (bad in general). The first row in a section (where you have a bulkhead in front of you instead of another seat) typically does not have under-seat storage, so everything must go in overhead bins, but it typically does have more legroom. (Seatguru will tell you whether or not this is the case on a particular plane.) | ||
* ''The Middle Seat Gambit'' - If you’re | * ''The Middle Seat Gambit'' - If you’re traveling with someone else, check in online together and look for an empty 3-person row. Take the aisle and window. Middle seats fill up last, there’s a decent chance the seat stays empty. If so, you have a lot more space to dump things during the flight, and more legroom since you can use that space instead of putting things under the seat in front of you. | ||
* If you’re traveling alone, you can still use the middle seat gambit by checking in online and looking at the seat map for someone acting as a de facto accomplice. | * If you’re traveling alone, you can still use the middle seat gambit by checking in online and looking at the seat map for someone acting as a de facto accomplice. | ||
* If there is only one (worst possible) seat left when you go to select seats, ''don't take it''. It will be claimed by someone else, and the gate agent will assign you a different seat. A flight that full might mean that someone gets bumped, but lack of a seat assignment doesn't guarantee it will be you. | * If there is only one (worst possible) seat left when you go to select seats, ''don't take it''. It will be claimed by someone else, and the gate agent will assign you a different seat. A flight that full might mean that someone gets bumped, but lack of a seat assignment doesn't guarantee it will be you. | ||
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* If you can’t fly nonstop, you probably at least have your choice of connection airports, and the choice matters there. What’s more, a given airline will have certain preferred connection cities, so a couple trips should get you a reasonably complete list. (For example, connecting from Toronto to San Francisco on Star Alliance, it is much preferable to connect in Denver or Vancouver than it is to connect in Chicago O’Hare.) Consider the immigration/customs procedures of the country you're connecting in if it's separate from the origin or destination (e.g., prefer Vancouver over a US airport for connecting between Toronto and Auckland, since the US requires internationally-connecting passengers to go through immigration and customs). | * If you can’t fly nonstop, you probably at least have your choice of connection airports, and the choice matters there. What’s more, a given airline will have certain preferred connection cities, so a couple trips should get you a reasonably complete list. (For example, connecting from Toronto to San Francisco on Star Alliance, it is much preferable to connect in Denver or Vancouver than it is to connect in Chicago O’Hare.) Consider the immigration/customs procedures of the country you're connecting in if it's separate from the origin or destination (e.g., prefer Vancouver over a US airport for connecting between Toronto and Auckland, since the US requires internationally-connecting passengers to go through immigration and customs). | ||
* If you have to have a connection, you might also have the opportunity to fly to a better airport (e.g., if you have to connect to Washington, DC, you are likely to be able to fly to DCA instead of IAD). | * If you have to have a connection, you might also have the opportunity to fly to a better airport (e.g., if you have to connect to Washington, DC, you are likely to be able to fly to DCA instead of IAD). | ||
* Take the season and likely weather into account when picking connecting airports; avoid snowy airports in winter, | * Take the season and likely weather into account when picking connecting airports; avoid snowy airports in winter, thunderstorm-y airports in summer. | ||
* If you have to layover overnight, prefer airports that have on-site hotels (and for god’s sake prefer Munich over Frankfurt). | * If you have to layover overnight, prefer airports that have on-site hotels (and for god’s sake prefer Munich over Frankfurt). | ||
* If you’re crossing a border during your flight, it’s often preferable to layover in-country before crossing over. It means your first flight is domestic, so you can arrive later at the airport since there’s no immigration headache there. | * If you’re crossing a border during your flight, it’s often preferable to layover in-country before crossing over. It means your first flight is domestic, so you can arrive later at the airport since there’s no immigration headache there. | ||
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= More advice = | = More advice = | ||
* [http://www.jonobacon.org/2016/08/10/the-bacon-travel-survival-guide/ Travel Survival Guide] by Jono Bacon | * [http://www.jonobacon.org/2016/08/10/the-bacon-travel-survival-guide/ Travel Survival Guide] by Jono Bacon | ||
* [http://christianheilmann.com/2014/02/16/how-i-save-money-when-traveling-for-work-san-franciscovalleyus/ How I save money when traveling for work] by Christian Heilmann | |||
These podcasts have some excellent advice on business travel: | These podcasts have some excellent advice on business travel: | ||
* [http://www.manager-tools.com/2009/07/airline-travel-basics-1-part-1 Airline Travel Basics, part 1] | * [http://www.manager-tools.com/2009/07/airline-travel-basics-1-part-1 Airline Travel Basics, part 1] | ||