The de-I Guide to Air Travel Planning - Part One - Understanding the Variables Important to You

I have been asked by so many people...

1. You actually like planning travel? (The answer is yes I do)
2. How do you plan your trips?

 The answer to #2 is much more complicated. But I have decided to give it a try. (Please note this is the de-I Guide to Travel Planning not the de-I Sandia Outfitters Guide. The later can only be found on the dark web with the proper authorizations and access money provided). 

This Guide will focus on international travel because that is where the bulk of my heavy duty planning is spent, where things can get much more complicated, and the trade-offs between cost and other variables become the greatest.

Here are the things we will be discussing:

• Understanding the Variables Important to You
• Understanding the Airline System
• Conducting a Sample Search
• Working to Get the Optimum Value

Let's get on with our first topic, Understanding the Variables Important to You.

Every time we make an air flight reservation there are a host of variables that you are going to be dealing with...whether you understand them or not. A bit of intentional thought on what is important to you and what's not can save you a lot of time when conducting your search as you can eliminate certain options quickly if they don't fit your preferences. 

Here is a list of some of the things that I consider whenever I start researching a flight.

• Total flight time
• Cost
• How early or late the flight leaves (Wife HATES making early flights)
  
• How early or late the flight arrives
• Total travel time
  
• Checked luggage allowances (what I am considering will vary depending on the nature of the trip)
• What kind of seat location I can get (I like aisles toward the front so I can get to the toilet easy and get off the plane faster)
• Leg room and seat width
• Connection time
• Food options
• The particular airport I might be flying from, arriving, or changing planes (Example the flight I booked to SE Asia recently, I did from San Francisco instead of Los Angeles because  the former is easier to change terminals when doing a self-connect)
• Particular airlines one might prefer or want to stay away from

I often make trade offs to get the best experience for Wife and I. I might be willing to pay more to have a flight that is shorter and/or departs and arrives at a more reasonable time of day. I will avoid specific airlines if at all possible because of past experience. I am very aware of seat size and leg room. I will even consider where my seat is in terms of my ability to find overhead baggage space.

The point being if you know what you like and don't like, you can screen the information you are getting when doing your search so as to optimize your final experience.

In my next post, I will explain some of the basics of how the air transportation system works. Knowing this allows you to be realistic about your scheduling expectations, and reduce the number of options you research for any given trip.