Why You Should Get to the Airport Early

As you know, I love the airport, so much so that I don't mind getting there two hours early for my flight. I like to browse the shops and eat a meal there. I think it's fun, in the way I no longer enjoy the mall. Each airport is different and they all offer similar, yet totally different souvenirs and gifts in their shops. Of course, getting to the airport early is not just for exploring. You never know what can happen on the way there or once you arrive. There could be an accident or a long, long, long security line. Also, if you haven't chosen a seat because you don't want to pay extra, you get first crack at the good seats.

Exit row seats normally don't get assigned until travelers arrive at the airport and request them. The airport employees like to see that you are qualified to operate the emergency door if needed (and how often does that even happen?). Exit row seats always have more space than regular economy seating. This can be anywhere from a few inches to a few feet. it all depends on the plane you're on. 

Other seats that are available for those that arrive early are those priority seats like Economy Plus and some First Class if they haven't been reserved yet. this can be your chance to snag one for free. Sometimes the airline will claim that the flight is overbooked if only priority seats are left, so you can't even choose a seat online if you aren't willing to pay extra. Once you get to the gate or the check-in desk, you may be able to snag whatever seats are left, which can totally work out in your favor. 

Getting to the airport early and not choosing my seat ahead of time has worked for me plenty of times in the past and each flight I took to and from Phoenix last week ended up with me getting a pretty awesome seat. On the way out of Portland, I was able to grab an exit row seat to Denver, From Denver to Phoenix, I was put in Economy Plus, because the flight was "overbooked". Basically, I saved $29 by not choosing my seat ahead of time and paying money for one of those fancy seats. 

On the way home, I got to the airport a few hours early, because I wanted to miss rush hour traffic and again was able to request an exit row. not only did I not have a seatmate next to me, but I was also a few steps away from the bathroom and had more legroom than I've ever had on a flight. My feet didn't even though the wall! I didn't have an underseat in front of me, so I had to put almost all my baggage in the overhead, but that's okay. If you get a choice, ask to sit on the right side of the plane, where you will have a place to put your carry-on and also have a window (usually). 

What's the best travel experience you've ever had?

Review: Clipa Handbag Hanger

Do you ever go into a public restroom or a bar and have no place to put your purse? You could put it on the floor, but A) there are disgusting germs that you don’t want to end up taking with you and B) someone could easily snatch it up and run away with it. It would sure make you sad if you either lost all your money and other important stuff or you ended up with some yuck disease.

I found myself in three public restrooms in two days last week that that didn’t have a purse hanger on the door and one that had the fold-down shelf that worked badly. I’m sure you’ve tried to hold it on your lap or keep it on your shoulder. How awkward was that? Really awkward, right? If you never want to have that issue again, then you’ll want to get a Clipa. 

This heavy duty hanger hangs your purse on any table, counter and most doors. Hang it on purse until you need to use it and you’re set. It’s particularly great when traveling and your only choices are to hang your bag on the back of your chair (easy for thieves to steal out of and outright), in your lap (super awkward when you’re trying to eat) or on the floor by your feet (tripping hazard and also easy for thieves to access). Know exactly where your bag is, but keep it out of the way by using Clipa.

The great thing about this purse hanger is that it can hold up an average of 45 lbs, though it has been tested at over double that, so if you have a heavy non-rolling carry-on bag with you when you travel, or a diaper bag, it will hold that, too. In fact, I used it on my table with my small roller bag just to show you how well it works.

The Clipa has padding on both ends, so it won’t mar any surface you use it on. It also comes in a bunch of fun colors, including this year’s it color Radiant Orchid, so you can match it to your bag if you want. It’s pretty, too. It would look great as a bangle, meaning it doubles as an accessory and that’s one less thing you need to pack!

Okay, so now you want one of those awesome Clipas, but while you’re on their site, you can pick up something just as cool and useful. I’m not sure why nobody else ever thought of it. The No Chip Clip is a key ring – that comes in a set of 3 – that has a starter tang that allows you to put your key on and slide it right onto the ring without having to snap your nail off or use a pen or a coin or a paperclip to try to get it open.

They are so easy to use and work just as well as normal key rings – your keys won’t figure out how to fall off – and your won’t ever need to put your nails near the ring. I mean, I have just left keys on my rings before, just because they were so hard to get off again and hurt my fingers. Am I the only one? No? Well then, like me, you are probably going to buy a bunch of packs of these to replace all your key rings…and then tell all your friends about them.

More information on Clipa:

How big is it? Clipa: 3” diameter | No Chip Clip: 1” diameter

Where can you buy it? Clipa website

How much is it? Clipa: $14.99+ | No Chip Clip: $1.99 for 3-pack

Colors it comes in: Black, Silver and a rainbow of other colors

Like the coolness of Clipa? Follow them on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclosure: I was provided with a Clipa Bag Hanger and key rings for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Review: Trakdot Luggage Tracker

Almost everyone’s had that experience where they get to their destination and head to the carousel, only to wait and wait and never see their bag show up. If they’re lucky, their luggage has just been diverted and will arrive shortly, but if they’re not, it can be lost forever. Where do those bags go? Probably the same place where one-off socks go when they don’t come out of the dryer again. 

There are many things that can go wrong at the airport where your bag may not leave, may be routed to the wrong place, may be delayed or whatever else and you hear, “We’ll contact you if it shows up.” That isn’t really all that reassuring, especially if you just arrived at your destination and most of your stuff is in that missing bag. This is exactly why Trakdot was invented. Track your own bag and know if the bag made it to your destination, stayed in your previous one or went somewhere totally different.

I picked up a Trakdot at the Travel Goods Show to review and was able to use it on my trip back home and didn’t turn it off right away, so it tracked the bag even after I was home. Pretty cool, right? While it won’t tell you exactly where it is – like that it was in my driveway in my trunk – it will tell you the general vicinity. In fact, it will let you know when you are within 30 feet of your bag!

The Trakdot is super easy to use. You register your unit online, put two AA batteries in it, turn it on and watch it show up on your account. You can name it whatever you want – I called mine my name – and then add your mobile number and/or email address to your account, so it knows who to notify. Want more people to know your bag arrived? Add multiple email addresses or phone numbers to one Trakdot device.

The unit itself is small, and fits anywhere in your bag. It fits in the palm of your hand and isn’t much bigger than a cell phone. I put it in the front pocket of my roller bag, but you can slip it in any free space you have: inside a shoe, wrapped in your clothes, in a corner crevice. It’s really convenient and won’t waste valuable space you need.

Wherever you have cell service, the Trakdot works. The only places it won’t work are in South Korea and Japan. Turn the device on before slipping it into your bag and checking it. The battery lasts for 250 hours, so even if you have a transcontinental flight or several days of travel, it won’t run down. Each time you turn the device on it gives you a battery status, so you know if you need to replace them or not.

When you get to your destination(s) and turn your phone back on, you’ll immediately receive a text (or email if you chose that method) letting you know where your bag is. Above is a picture of the my original text when I registered my Trakdot and the second when I arrived back in Portland. Luckily, my bag showed up where I did. The president of Trakdot arrived in Phoenix and two of his bags didn’t. He was able to see that his bags were still in L.A. and he could rest easy knowing that they would probably arrive the next day. Of course, he would know when they made it to Phoenix, too.

The Trakdot is one of those items that is invaluable if you find yourself checking bags when you travel. The purchase price includes one year of service and then you pay just $12.99 annually, which is not that much for your peace of mind and is a lot cheaper than having to replace your necessities (at the very least) when you arrive without your belongings. Why wouldn’t you buy one if that sounds like you? I sometimes check a bag on my way home, because of my purchases, and this is perfect for that, too. It would suck to get home and lose all my souvenirs, because the airline “misplaced” my bag.

More information:

How big is it? Really small! 3” x 2.25” x .75”

Where can you buy it? Trakdot website or Amazon 

How much is it? $89.99 (includes first year of service) + $12.99 annual service fee.

Like the coolness of Trakdot? Follow them on Facebook | Twitter

Disclosure: I was provided with a Trakdot Luggage Tracker for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.