The life of The Asian Apprentice requires me to spend most of my time in airports and planes these past few months- and it is fun! I treat it as a puzzle- from finding out how to make airport check-in's quicker, to discovering free massages in the airport. These days when budget airlines have enabled more people to fly abroad, traveling has become a terrible cause of headache. Failing to prepare for it can ruin your day or make you miss your next connecting flight. Don't be a victim because this industry penalizes those who come unprepared! As I've always stressed to people that working smart always defeats working hard, the same goes with traveling. Smart preparation will always make you enjoy your trip better- whether it be for business or leisure. Here are some tricks of the trade that might help you.
1. Travel light as much as you can
If it's a two- to three-day trip, I usually bring a hand-carry luggage regardless of the destination. Not only you get to skip the check-in counter, you can also breeze away into the exit door the moment your plane lands. I cannot overemphasize that a hand-carry bag also saves you from unfortunate events such as your airlines accidentally placing your checked-in luggage in a Davao flight when you're traveling to Boracay (hehe). You will also be thankful to have a hand-carry bag in cases of delayed flights. Missing your medicines or phone charger in a checked-in luggage can be a nightmare!
Pack light. Unless its winter, you will be fine with a pair of black slacks or skirt (black blends with any colored top, and people won’t notice if you wear it twice… or thrice!), a pair of all-around shoes, sleeping wear and your grooming kit (ditch your toiletries to get more weight allowance if you're booked in a nice hotel). Going to the beach? Don’t bring too many swim wear- nobody notices what you wear anyway! Drop everything and stop obsessing about "what if's". There's always a Watsons or Guardian for all your intimate needs. Meanwhile there are cheap but great clothes at Uniqlo or H&M in most parts of the world if you happen to be invited to a special evening.
2. Tame your mobile phones
Ah, smartphones. Such a delight when you're on full battery but painfully keeps you paralyzed when battery is dead (which sadly is six hours on average). Trust me; it is worth investing on a good portable charger which are getting cheaper these days. Save your top 10 contacts on a piece of paper: family, work colleagues, hotel number, including the number of your country's embassy. Keep those in your wallet so you can call anyone when your phone battery is dead. There will always be a friendly local who can lend you his phone for one life-saving call.
Using roaming when abroad is so 90's. Buy a local SIM and save money to make international calls (and yes, please be considerate to save money even if it's a business trip). You will love this idea especially for your Internet needs because a local SIM gives you cheap and unlimited access for Skype-ing, Whatsapp-ing and Viber-ing your colleagues and loved ones. Not to mention, this works best for tweeting and Instagram-ing those nicely-plated fancy dinners which every Asian does before eating. Get a dual SIM phone if you travel frequently like me (the very reason why I shifted from iPhone to Samsung Duos). This saves you from swapping and potentially losing your multiple SIMs (they’re getting smaller and smaller these days). Finally, if you really need to use roaming, check first if your mobile operator can roam abroad- a lot of prepaid SIMs need to get activated 24 hours before departure.
3. Keep stock of local currency and your credit card
It's such a pity to run out of cash in a foreign land especially if you can't speak their language and you need to ask where on earth is the nearest ATM. Always, always convert your currencies before you leave and bring a good amount for transportation and food emergencies. Don't bring too much as you'll regret it once you get pick pocketed in trains or dodgy streets. Minimize withdrawing money from ATMs as they have ridiculous surcharges (around $5-7 per withdrawal) and save more by using credit cards. Ensure that all your debit cards are able to transact with ATMs abroad, and that your credit card can do advanced cash transactions in ATMs which comes handy in cases of cash emergencies. Spread your money around. Put some cash in your pockets, some in your wallet, and leave your credit card no. 2 and cash in the safety box of your hotel. When I lost my wallet abroad years ago, I was so thankful I kept some cash and my spare credit card inside my hotel room. It pays to always have a back-up stash!
4. Enjoy the wonders of web check-in
I get disappointed with people who don't understand web check-in. When you're traveling in cities like Manila or Jakarta where traffic is unpredictable, it pays to do web check-in to ensure you can catch your flight in case you get late (this applies for both domestic and international flights). In worst case scenarios that you get late, some airlines and airports can be very forgiving to let you in---as long as you did web check-in and you don’t have any check-in luggage.
Web check-in is not only helpful for late passengers. Most airports have dedicated web check-in lanes which are usually empty (again, because few people only do this!) and this dramatically helps you cut the queue.
Speaking of checking-in online, here’s a tip on getting more leg room. If you have the extra money to choose a seat (which most airline charge these days), choose Row 1 which gives you a lot of space (averagely 6-12 inches more), a convenient access to the cabin crew, and the fastest exit time from the plane. If you can’t afford to pay Row 1 but need more leg room, you can always choose the exit row (that would be usually Row 12, 13, and 14 if you’re using the plane of a budget airline). Take note however that since they are exit rows- which must be free from any floor distractions in cases of emergency- you cannot keep your bags under these seats. You cannot also recline seats in the exit row (caution for those who are looking to sleep!). There is a silver lining though: certain planes allow the last exit row to recline: Row 14. This is arguably the best seat of the plane in terms of space because apart from being able to recline, the row in front of it cannot recline! That’s a lot of space and it’s worth the extra cost!
5. Always have your travel documents ready
Many countries require embarkation and disembarkation cards. I keep a healthy stock for my travels, all filled up in advance before I depart. This saves me time in the airport especially when I'm shy to borrow someone's pen (which by the way is handy to have around when you want to make friends with that cute girl or guy beside you in the plane!). Memorize your passport number, date of passport registry and expiry, and your flight number---they're the three basic things always asked. Keep a back-up copy of your ticket in your mobile phone. Have a photocopy of your passport in case you lose it (your embassy will ask this from you if you lose one). When you arrive in the hotel, ask for their business card which you can routinely give to the cab driver when you travel around the city. Need to call the concierge when you're out? That card will help you too!
So there you go! Those were some travel tips that may just take away your stress! Traveling may be complicated but preparation is always the key in ensuring a stress-free, enjoyable trip. As Benjamin Franklin would say, “Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail". Bon voyage!
As requested by fans all over Asia, Jonathan is finally launching his first book "From Grit to Great" which shares his life journey to becoming Asia’s first Apprentice. Written in a casual and funny style that Jonathan is known for, "From Grit to Great" is a delightful treat for aspiring students, rockstar yuppies, and budding entrepreneurs looking for inspiration and motivation on "making it big". It’s the book where business meets wit.
For the months of August to September, a portion of the proceeds from Jonathan's book will go to four selected NGOs in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines to fund scholarship of high-potential students and training of teachers. To purchase a copy of the book, log-on to www.jonathanyabut.com.