UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED
Last week, to celebrate Points With a Crew being the featured blogger on Boarding Area, we offered a $50 Amazon gift card giveaway. To win, you could either make a comment on that post with your best traveling tip (though some of you stretched the definition of a good travel tip :-D), or sign up for our email newsletter.
We had 119 comments and 151 newsletter signups (!) for a total of 270 entries. Labeling the commenters first from 1-119 in order of their comment, and the newsletter subscribers from 120-270 in order of their signup date, I went to our friend random.org
And the winner is….
That is one of our email newsletter subscribers, S. Reichhardt. I will send him/her an email confirming. If he/she does not get back to me in a timely fashion, we will re-draw!
Another $50 Amazon gift card giveaway?!?
I also said I would give away another $25 if we got me to 1000 Twitter followers by the end of the week, but alas, we came up a bit short!
Cmon guys, you’re killin’ me!!! 😀
But what can I say, I’m just a sucker, so to celebrate the good times I had last week being the featured blogger, this week AGAIN I am giving away ANOTHER $50 Amazon gift card
Again, the way to enter is the same. Leave a comment on this post with your favorite traveling tip (try to make it a good one this time!!), or sign up for our daily email. This gives you the best travel news, once a day, with no spam, guaranteed.
All commenters on this post between now and 11:59pm EDT on Sunday night (March 22nd) and everyone who subscribes to the newsletter between this morning (12:00 midnight) and Sunday at 11:59pm EDT are entered. Good luck!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
My favorite travel tip is a rather unconventional one – I always wear a soft, wide, cotton-elastic headband when flying. It’s handy, of course, to keep hair out of my eyes, but I will pull it down over my eyes when trying to sleep. It’s thick enough to actually keep almost all ambient light out and is never too tight.
Travel Tip: Traveling is gross. I ALWAYS toss a pack of disinfectant to-go wipes in my carry on and clean the tray table, seat belt, and arm rests. People’s thoughts/stares go like this:
1. What is that smell–
2. Oh. It’s those disinfecta–OMG. Is that guy REALLY cleaning like that? That’s ridicu–
3. Well. Hm. I wish I had the same idea. I wonder if I could ask him for a wipe.
4. *Looks at me longingly*
travel light! don’t bring too much extra stuff with you. your back will thank you.
always bring an extra battery pack and USB cord for your electronic devices!
Find a hotel by the airport that you can book with a low number of points where you can also leave your car and save on parking.
When flying, always carry a card that reimburses airline fees (if you have not already used up your benefit for the year). You never know what’s going to happen and you may just end up getting stuck with some bogus fee along the way….not having to actually pay it will make it much easier to take.
Board the plane early to find luggage space.
If going on a long trip, pack everything you think you need then once you are done, take out a 1/4 of what you packed since you more than likely won’t need it
my question to you is, how do you afford giving things away when you have 7 kids to feed ?
Travel powerstrips are cheap on Amazon and they don’t take up much space in your carry-on.
Mine is from Rick Steves originally: give yourself an imaginary departure date a couple days ahead of a big trip and have everything ready by that day. Then your last couple of days will be relaxing instead of frantic trying to get everything done.
I always travel with hand sanitizer. Try not to sweat the small stuff, lots of people traveling are stressed so take a deep breath and relax.
be prepared to buy small items you may have forgotten to pack or run out of during the air travel parts of the trip.
Whenever I pack them, I’m always thankful to have a few empty zip-loc baggies. They weigh nothing, take up no space, but I always find that they are super useful and very versatile.
I like to carry a portable cell phone charger and an empty water bottle – they always come in handy
Definitely pack hand sanitizer and then turn the air on over your seat to blow away germs.
Pack as little and as light as possible.
Bring an eye mask, it makes sleeping in unfamiliar places so much easier.
Favorite travel tip is to always travel with an open mind!
Lounge access for free drinks!
earplugs are a must
My travel tip is a 3 oz container of coconut oil in your carry on. I’m sure you’ve read (and are sick of hearing!) the hundreds of uses of this oil but at least give it some thought for travel. On the plane it is idea for keeping skin hydrated in flight and leaving you looking refreshed upon arrival. (This is a huge plus when I fly in the day of an event). Once on the road you will find so many uses. Makeup remover, sunscreen, moisturizer, lip balm, cooking oil, etc. It’s a super versatile liquid to carry with you.
If checking a bag, keep an extra set of clothes in your carry on in case your luggage is lost or delayed.
i purchased a multiple outlet USB adapter that would allow me to charge Apple devices, micro usb, and mini usb so I only have to carry one cord instead of 3
Pack everything you think you need. Then take half out and put it back. You.Don’t.Need.It!
Staying positive when plans change!
I always bring printouts of all confirmations. I can’t tell you how many times people don’t “find my reservation” and then I have a printed copy and bingo. Also, it’s a way of making sure that other things that were promised (upgrades, free breakfast, etc) are honored.
When problems occur, and you are trying to resolve them, keep in mind that they are most likely not the fault of the employee to whom you are speaking at the moment. Be nice to them, and they will be more inclined to expend just a little more effort to fix the problem.
One of the best things to bring with you is a portable battery bank “Portable Charger”. Seriously, it could save your life when traveling!
Read travel blogs for the best advice and to find out when sales are going on! 😉
Reduce stress by getting to the airport early. Pack light – one 20″ – 22″ roll-aboard suitcase is all the space you need. On longer trips, visit a local laundromat.
My tip is to bring along cash in a few hidden places just in case you lose your wallet/purse.
Always keep a spare credit card hidden in your bag
my best traveling tip – say yes to everything!
Wear clothes that you don’t need; throw them away while traveling, while you buy the next things you really wanted.
Pack shirts & pants that can me mixed & match to make multiple outfits.
My best traveling tip would be to make sure to give yourself some margin on your trips to splurge yourself. It can be an expensive trip but if you can’t splurge a little, your trip won’t be as fun.
Best travel tip it to take a ton of wipes and wipe down the entire seating area you are sitting in. It is scary how gross those plastic surfaces are.
Pack light! I really recommend a backpack over a suitcase as well!
I look up the right hotel, and I loved hotels, because they leave free souvenirs, like all the free toiletries, like soap, shampoo, even cups, ice buckets, etc. And even free breakfast, all paid for in your travel bill, and even paid for by the people whom you go in these overnight trips, whether its school field trips for classes or activities, or even business trips and vacations. It is exciting and awesome. 🙂
Half the clothes. Twice the money
If you fail to check-in at the airport for ANY reason, Southwest has a policy that will automatically cancel the rest of your itinerary with absolutely no refunds or re-booking. The same goes if you book on Southwest Vacations, and they will also cancel everybody else’s itineraries in your group, including hotel + car. I learned this the hard way last spring, and my wallet took a BIG hit for it. Now I only book one-way travel on SWA to avoid getting screwed on the no-show policy.
For me, I always adhere to this tip: Don’t pack clothes that require ironing. Who wants to iron while traveling. Buy fabrics that do not wrinkle and roll them up in your luggage.
jslbrown2009(at)aol(dot)com
Take advantage of the new benefit for fourth graders and the their families now get free admission to all national parks starting this fall.
My favourite travel tip is to try and find a language partner on a long flight! I was lucky enough to find an Italian next to me on my flight to London, and since neither one of us had anything to do for the next 8 hours, a long, great practice conversation ensued. Very fun!
I enjoy using Rapid Rewards points for Southwest flights whenever possible. I wanted to share some good deals and some not so good deals in light of the current Southwest sale.
$73 for a flight from Atlanta to Indianapolis is pretty good. But 3803 points ($38.03 if you value points at a penny) is even better! That’s about a 48% “discount” by using points.
It seems that the current Southwest sale affects the Wanna-Get-Away (let’s call it “WGA”) fare more than the others. The most common concern I hear from people is that you can’t cancel a WGA fare. Actually – even if you buy the fare you can still cancel and get a credit to use anytime in the next year. But if you are using points then cancellations (within the rules of course) are no problem and the points just go back on your account. Keep in mind if you want to catch a WGA fare you have to book early. They start disappearing within two or three weeks of the flight – sometimes sooner than that.
If you are forced to the Anytime fare then buying with points is still a bit of a deal but not nearly as good a deal as in the WGA column. Using the above example flight, the purchase cost of the Anytime fare is $254. The points cost is 22,316 (or $223 in value). That’s about a 12% “discount”.
If you look at the Business Select fare, the purchase cost is $270. The points cost would be 28,566 (or $285 in value). That fare would actually be 6% MORE expensive using points. If you are booking Business Select just to get the Early Bird check-in then you would be better off to book the Anytime rate using 22,316 points then paying for the Early Bird separately. Or perhaps pay for the fare on a points earning credit card and save the Rapid Rewards points for your next flight. (Then book early enough the next time to get the WGA fare. 😉
I always bring one scarf that I wear when traveling. I choose one with multiple colors that coordinate with my traveling wardrobe. It doubles as a shawl on cold planes and otherwise dresses up an outfit.
I always email a copy of my passport to myself, and also copies of my e-tickets, reservations, etc. That way, if my bag is stolen, or I lose my documents, I have a copy I can retrieve from my email.
I do the same for my husband and daughters, too. Came in handy when my daughter lost her passport in the UK. She printed a copy of her US passport and was able to take it to the US Embassy in London to get an emergency travel passport that enabled her to come home!
I usually carry my current and my expired IDs when traveling. When going to the beach or out at night, I carry the expired ID. If I happen to lose that, I can always board the plane back home without much hassle using the current ID.
I always travel with 2-3 small adaptors when I travel to Continental Europe (not talking about the bulkier multi-countries ones & also the big ones for the UK, of which I only take one). Just in case one gets stuck in the outlet & is left behind and so I can help out a fellow traveler or two.
Make sure you read Pointswithacrew before you travel!!
My favorite traveling tip is to put clothing and liquids in plastic bags! That way nothing can spill and clothes never get stained.
Simplest traveling tip: Keep your g/f/wife happy or it’ll be the “longest” trip of your life 🙂
My fav traveling tip is to put clothing and liquids in plastic bags. That way nothing will spill and clothing will never get stained while en route
When my children were small,traveling was scary.I had 4 kids so I had to be inventive.I used an index card with my name,address and phone number for each child and placed it in the childs suitcase.I also put any health problems on it,plus the name of the child.I don’t know if it is a good idea in present time but it made me feel better years ago.
Always print out all hotel and transport reservations. I put them in chronological order and include any additional info on each one (I.e., pay with gift card, free breakfast, request specific room, etc) so I don’t forget anything.
When I was overseas I bought a little travel pack and put cash in there, my personal details, drivers license and passport then I added a bull clip and put it on a lanyard that went around my neck and never took it off lol except to bath. The no one could steal my money, lose my passport etc
I like to Tylenol 3 when flying because it helps me sleep, and I don’t have to use the restroom very often.
Make a scavenger hunt list for the kids so they will pay attention to places we’re traveling to.
Rent a condo or do an an apartment swap. You get such a better feel for a place than staying in an impersonal hotel
my best travel trip, if your planning on taking children down south where its warm, during OUR winter months, at the end of summer before you are going, pack your childs summer clothes in a suitcase and packing is done for the kids. Then fill up kids closets with fall and winter wear. By taking your childs, last summer, summer clothing with you south and knowing they will not fit your child next summer if your in a country where children do without, give the clothing to a child who can wear them and pass them on to siblings. Now you have an empty suitcase to take home your souvenirs and you have made a child very happy..:-)
travel is an open window for me that i love to open everyday
Disposable undies!
A pillow! Only your pillow isn’t filthy.
There are so many great travel tips out there, but here are just a few of my favorite:
Make sure to sign-up for student/youth discount cards.
Check out free walking tours to get a feel for the city.
Make digital copies of all of your travel documents.
To get the best price, be sure to clear your cookies before booking flights online.
Travel during the shoulder season for decent weather, less tourists and lower prices.
My most important travel advice is to bring a carry on with everything that you NEED (medications, a change of clothes, and other necessities) because your luggage may not end up where it’s supposed to be! Unfortunately I learned this the hard way!
My travel tip is to avoid fighting lions and elephants because they are big and scary.
may seem basic but I find a good tip to always ask for what you want. Upgraded room, better seat, etc. you might be pleasantly surprised!
My traveling tip is to stay hydrated and bring snacks!
I like to take hard candy.
Travel tip: Make a copy of your passport and store it somewhere else when traveling overseas. If you ever lose your passport, you at least have something to speed up the process of recovery.
Have an app like GasBuddy to help you find the cheapest place to fill up.
What I would do, is plan ahead, like go to a travel agent, and have them squeeze you in for a spot for a plane, hotel room, etc. Also, mark your planner/calendar, so youll have plenty of time. And if you’re traveling with school or work, then listen and make sure when to meet at the airport and either take a limo or taxi or carpool to the terminal.
get there early, pack wisely. be careful what is in your carry-on and pockets
When traveling abroad for pleasure, leave the electronics at home. Instead of phone photo snapping, buy and send a postcard. Get off of the tours and in with the locals. Feel the culture – learn a little of the local language, even if only a few words, eat at smaller establishments, contribute to the local economies.
Bring an inflatable lumbar pillow to save your back on long flights.
Keep using a saline nose spray on the plane, it helps keep the nasal passages moist and flush out bacteria. Great prevention for colds!
Always keep an emergency credit card or two separate from your wallet!
Also, if you have any health issues, like asthma, ADD/ADHD, etc. Be sure to pack your medications, such as your prescription tablets, inhalers, etc. Even over the counter medications, like Tylenol, robitussin, etc. In case you get sick. If you forgot to pack your medications, both prescriptions and over the counter, then go to the nearest store/pharmacy, like Walgreen’s or CVS, and they will help you out, like call your doctor back home, or look it up, and then take it from there, and so that you can enjoy your vacation, and nothing to worry about. And if you have any emergencies, while out of town, find the nearest clinic, and they’ll help you out.
Dress smart/comfortably with loose fitting shirt and comfy pants along with slip-on shoes which will save you time at security checkpoints at airport.
My favorite current tip is to Pack Light. Saves you money, time, and stress.
I always pack a combo usb, voltage adapter, plug adapter when traveling internationally.