Fanspired Travel: Tips and Tricks

Airport pic

We LOVE to travel, clearly since we both live thousands of miles from home it is something we are interested in but the most annoying part about traveling is the ‘Travel’ part. Shauna recently returned home to Ireland for 10 days and two of those days were spent on planes and it is exhausting, we really wish someone would invent some type of machine where we could just be beamed home or something, wouldn’t that be great?  To make your next trip go a little smoother here are some of our travel pet peeves & tips we thought you might appreciate;

1. Lines – no matter what time your flight is, where you are going or where you’re flying from you spend forever just standing around and it is so boring. The most irritating thing is when there are several staff members standing around chatting and laughing while 50 people are waiting to use the one security line. DO YOUR JOB! Always expect the worst when it comes to security lines so you don’t miss your flight.

2. Comfort – People who dress like they are going somewhere fancy when they’re flying drive us crazy. Airplanes are not comfortable places to spend hours on so why wear uncomfortable clothes? We just don’t get it. Sweats/Leggings etc. are perfect for flying in, we have before and changed into Pajamas when we boarded the flight then again before we landed. Travel in comfort not style, you will enjoy your journey so much more if you do. Also those little travel pillows are worth the investment if you plan on sleeping, they save you from those awful neck pains plane sleep gives you and if you have room in your bag a little advice; bring a little blanket and fluffy socks, it makes your flight so much more comfortable.

airportdelays3. People/Airlines being late–  Okay it is not that difficult to get to the airport in time for your flight, if you are travelling internationally especially DO NOT BE LATE because it is not like there are lots of flights going to the same place daily like there is domestically and if you have a connection to make you will be under so much stress it is just not worth that extra hour in bed. Airlines being late, unless there is a weather problem there is not a valid excuse. ‘Technical difficulties’ is possibly the most annoying excuse ever because they usually stick you on that plane anyways so let us board while you fix your little problem and we won’t be too far behind schedule!

4. Food– Why is airport food so freaking expensive? $11 for a sandwich, as in two pieces of bread and some chicken salad, that should be illegal. All airports should have a McDonalds, seriously it is the perfect, affordable, fast and easy travel food.  Airplane food has really improved over the years, we have been travelling since we were a couple months old and have endured 22 years of Airplane food and over the past five or so years it has become edible and sometimes really nice. Virgin Atlantic gives you a little menu in economy to choose from and they bring you yummy treats like cupcakes! We approve of anyone who gives us cupcakes, it was no sprinkles but it was still yummy.  We don’t think packed lunches are great for plane journeys but bring snack; chocolate, chips, granola bars etc. are PERFECT!

IMG_07645. Customs– Okay so before people start attacking us we completely understand that there are rules for a reason but seriously us bringing back some meat from outside of the country is not going to destroy the whole country. There are so many foods we both love that are next to impossible to find in Los Angeles that we would love to stock up on but the food we can bring back with us is limited to dry foods. Luckily  Shauna returned home with enough Chocolate and Chips to feed the whole of LA so us Fanspired Girls are sorted!

6. Entertainment– Our main advice if you have a long flight – BRING EVERYTHING! Technology has made everything small so bring as much as you like. Laptop, Tablet, Ipod, EReader, books etc. if it will help the time pass stick it in your bag. A lot of airlines have WIFI now too so your flight will fly by (we’re hilarious, we know!).

packing

7.  Packing– If you have limited room your best friend is a vacuum bag, they save so much room and free up so much space. ALWAYS pack a change of clothes and some toiletries in your carry on, we have been stranded or had our bags get lost too many times without our bags to take this risk again.

8. Lists– Our last piece of advice is to make lists for everything, when you write everything down your trip will be a lot less stressful as you can visualize everything a lot clearer. If you end up with ten lists who cares? You will be so grateful for them when it comes time for your trip.

9. Be Prepared– Print everything, do not rely on “Oh I can just check the email”, having everything printed will make your travel a lot smoother. Also double check ID/Passport when you get in the car, when you get out of the car, after check in and remember to put it back in your bag when you board the plane.

10. Make some plans– Decide what you want to do before you get there, the internet is your best friend, you can find some amazing deals online for tours, shows etc. before you even board the plane. You don’t have to be super organized like us and have a vacation schedule but having an idea of everything you want to do really helps and you won’t be going home kicking yourself because you ran out of time. Turning up in a new place and deciding what to do is not a good idea.

Wherever you are heading on your next trip, we hope this helped and HAVE FUN!!