Going Awesome Places
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Travel Blogger Tip of the Month: Hey there! Welcome back to Ticket To Awesome, for all you travel lovers out there. Travel is a fun π’ roller coaster that's thrilling, filled with mostly ups and some downs but you just gotta strap in and enjoy the ride. Here's what we're rolling with this month!
If you're new to our monthly newsletter, thanks for joining us! Before you go, we would love it if you could give us a follow on you preferred social media channel, whether it's Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube! Oh and we're on Pinterest too if you're building out your travel inspiration boards! π« Airplane HacksThis is a topic that's been covered to death BUT it never hurts to get a reminder about it to make sure you have the most comfortable flight. 1) Leave the middle seat openThis one is an old one but still works today. On flights where you can select your seats ahead of time and you're travelling in a group of two, pick the window and aisle seat, leaving the middle empty. Unless the system forces someone there, no one in their right mind would pick that middle seat if they had a choice. We did this on our winter trip to Sapporo, and voila, nobody showed up so we had the whole row to ourselves (hence the big smile in the photo above)! This of course only works when flights aren't super full but worst case, if someone comes in, just offer that person the window or aisle, and they'd be happy to not be stuck in the middle. 2) Go wirelessI used to pack a pair of wired and wireless earbuds - one for the plane, and the other to use with my phone/laptop. One day, I asked myself "wait, why do I need both?". I started looking around and discovered this bluetooth transmitter and receiver. That's what you see in the second photo. It's super simple. You plug it into your seat's stereo plug (I've tested this on a number of planes, and even the old ones that still use two-prong) and it works! PRO TIP: To make the connection easier, turn off your phone's bluetooth before you turn this on so it doesn't get confused. My only word of warning is that you want to be super careful with your wireless earbuds. I almost lost my Beats Fit Pro a number of times so handle with care! 3) Stop holding your phoneAnother neat do-hickey is this airplane phone holder for Magsafe devices. It clamps onto the tray in a number of ways and is super sturdy. So stop holding your phone uncomfortably for hours or using that can of pop to prop up your phone, only to have it slide down. Genius right? For an alternative, I am also a huge fan of the Peak Design mobile tripod which not only works well on the plane but is super handy when traveling for group photos. 4) Comfy feetNot everyone's going to love this but have you noticed how those fancy first class passengers get slippers? What's stopping you from bringing your own disposable hotel slippers? Nothing! So if you're the kind of flyer that loves to take off your shoes but don't want to walk around the plane in your socks (you really don't want to be doing that), going slipper-mode is a clutch move. If you haven't already swiped a pair from a hotel, these are a great pair for travel, they'll keep your feet cozy and clean! 5) Bring a pillowWant to avoid the awkwardly awakening to sliding over to your neighbour's shoulders or restless sleep on your flight? Pack a pillow. With pillows, everyone's got a different take to what works so this might take some experimentation but we know that a lot of people love the turtl pillow and others just prefer the basic cushioned pillow. 6) Pack a water bottleLet's be honest, the drink service doesn't come all that often and you only get a small cup. The easiest thing for you to do is to pack something like a Hydro Flask with sippy straw lid and fill it up at the airport before you board. If you're out of water, you can always ask the flight attendants to fill your bottle as they have tons of bottled water on the plane. 7) Speedy special mealsHave you ever noticed that some people get delivered their meals first before everyone else? This is because these are for those that ordered special meals. These days, airlines offer quite a wide range of special meals that include gluten-free, kosher, low-calorie, vegan, vegetarian, and more. If you'd rather not wait for the trolley to get to you, especially if you're sitting in the back when there's usually no meal choice at the end, think about selecting a special meal on your flight ahead of time. 8) Be a mixologistEmbrace your inner mixologist and get creative with some of the cocktails that you can make on the plane, even if you're in economy. We'll go with the non-alcoholic versions of drinks here (except for one) but on international flights, feel free to mix your choice in!
Lastly, this might be different for each airline but on Air Canada, the have lemons in their economy drinks trolley so you can always ask to add that in. β π° This Months Travel DealsWe've got a bunch of outstanding travel deals that you'll want to take advantage of.
Remember, we update our Going Awesome Places Deals page often so make sure you bookmark it. Also, if you want to know about deals right when they come out, join our secret FB group. βοΈWhat's New on the Site
π₯ New Video on the Channelβ So the backstory of my video editing process is that I originally wanted to make one big video that covered everything but with 7 days, there was A LOT of content. The original cut was basically a feature-film π so it made sense to break it into two videos (which still ended up being close to 20 minutes each). This shows all of the deliciousness we ate and also our hotel, Page148 which is easily the nicest hotel I've stayed at in Hong Kong. Don't blame me if you get hungry though!
βοΈ What's Next at Going Awesome PlacesThis month, the big push was getting the super detailed Hong Kong itinerary article done. After that, I went Los Angeles for the big IPW travel industry event by U.S. Travel. This is easily the largest travel industry event in North America. Check out my recap of IPW and my day at Disneyland! Next month is a bit of a complicated one. If you didn't see it "pop" up on Instagram, I hurt my knee pretty badly doing the most un-sporty move, pivoting 180 degrees on one knee to photograph an eSports tournament. The irony, I know... Currently they suspect its a partial tear of the quad tendon but we'll see with further imaging. So on the horizon is going to be some serious rehab. The injury is still pretty fresh so there's a lot of swelling still and I have a specialist appointment as well. My goal is to push hard to πΆ in 2 weeks but it's still hard to say what the path to recovery is! The timing is also pretty terrible because we were supposed to head out to Newfoundland at the end of this week. That isn't happening now and playing it by ear as we hope to still go there but just don't know when. π€π€π€ π This Month in TravelSummer Is Coming FastSummer season is approaching quicker than you think for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere and if you haven't made plans yet, here are a few articles on the blog that might help!
Travel NewsHere's the latest from the industry with a few articles that I think you'll enjoy.
π Lighten The LoadI don't know about you, but I always get nervous when I have to check in my bags because I have way too much camera gear and my check-in luggage is teetering on the edge of weight restrictions. I saw this recently and couldn't help but give this guy huge props π. Now this is what I call a pro move. May was quite the eventful month, wouldn't you say? That's it for now my travel friends. π’ I was on a long theme park hiatus but after two years in a row of being able to visit Silver Dollar City, Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland, I'm all in. What's your current favourite theme park?? See ya next month! Will Tang Affiliate Disclaimer: To cover the cost of my email software and the time we spend writing our content, we sometimes link to products that we recommend. Keep up to date with the latest: β€οΈ Looking for ways to support us? We have a tip jar set up. |
βGoing Awesome Places
LOVE TRAVELING? Join Ticket to Awesome for travel hacks, discount codes, best gear, and guides to help you save money and plan the most epic trips.