Simple tips to survive terrible trips: Part 1

Some humble advice a tired globetrotter.

05:00 at ALB, where you’ll often find me.

Good morning, dear reader. Something a little different today, as I know we’re coming up on holiday travel season, and folks will be booking travel to see -- or perhaps avoid -- family gatherings.

I’m writing this from an unfortunately cramped window seat on a tired old plane operated by an airline I hate, inbound to an airport I loathe, where I’ll be waiting for to a flight that I already know will be delayed, even though the airline hasn’t said so yet. This, dear readers, is the glamorous life of business travel, a sad necessity in my line of work.

We’re coming up on the end of September right now, two-thirds through the year, and thus far I’ve completed 29 trips, visited 10 countries, and already earned top-tier status on two airlines for 2026. Most importantly, over the years, I’ve stayed sane throughout some decidedly mentally challenging events, like that time I was 15 minutes from takeoff at AMS when a global economic crisis was caused by someone pushing a software update to prod. I will forever associate the Sheraton hotel at Schiphol airport with the agony of the CrowdStrike debacle.

I’ve been a regular traveler for 25 years now. My very first job out of college had me on planes every week, and it’s only gotten more intense since then. Through those decades, I’ve gathered a unique combination of skills and coping mechanisms for travel survival that I’m going to try writing down for the very first time. Let’s see how that goes.

Take the earliest connection you possibly can

Everybody knows that connections are risky. Any time you need to hustle from one plane to another at an intermediary airport, your chances of having a very bad day double. Similarly, your likelihood of being lured into paying too much for a miserable granola bar or a greasy yet somehow flavorless burger increases exponentially. You should always avoid connections when you can.

But sometimes you can’t, especially if you, like me, aren’t too close to a major hub. If you’re stuck connecting, do yourself a favor and get yourself on the earliest flight possible. Most regional flights spend the day ping-ponging around the country like nervous tadpoles. With each hop, the chances of cascading delays increase. And, once a plane loses time, it’s not likely to catch back up again. The earlier in the day you can get your travels started, the lower your chances of being disrupted.

Avoid surprises by digging deeper

Think you’re ahead of the game by checking the status of your flight before you leave for the airport? That’s rookie stuff. Unless your flight is first-thing in the morning, you need to be watching your plane like a hawk all day, because even though you might be making a quick afternoon jaunt from Reno to Dallas, your plane could be stuck on the tarmac in Albuquerque, and even though there’s zero chance of it getting to Reno in time for your flight, it could be hours before your flight’s delay is officially posted.

Get ahead of this by tracking not only your flight but every leg your plane will take before it. Some airline apps let you do this, but I usually use FlightAware, which is a wealth of great information. Start with your flight, then keep hitting that “Where is my Plane?” button until you find the thing’s current whereabouts.

Inbound flight delayed? It’s time for the next tip.

Know your exit routes, and make peace with them

It’s good advice for life in general to never walk yourself into a situation without having a plan to get out -- plus a backup plan for when your primary idea starts looking a bit optimistic. That’s especially true with airline travel.

I never book a flight without knowing what my backup is. Let’s say I’m headed home from somewhere abroad, aiming to take a 14:00 connection out of DTW to carry me on that last leg, with a 60-minute layover (usually plenty at DTW if all goes well). I already know that there’s also a 9:30 pm departure that’ll get me home later that night if I miss that connection.

Now, here’s the important part: I make peace with that later arrival. I hope to be home in time for dinner, but I tell myself that even if something goes wrong, at least I’ll get to sleep for a few hours in my own bed tonight. I’m thankful if I make that connection, but I’m mentally prepared to miss it.

More to come

I have to be honest that when I started writing this, I didn’t know if I’d have enough to make a single post. Once the proverbial floodgates opened, though, the literal list of tips just kept on coming. I have a bunch more, but we’ll save those for a rainy day — assuming, that is, y’all care to see them. Let me know if any of this is useful.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any tips you’ve earned to stay sane in travel, I’d love to hear them down in comments!