7 Tips to Help You Travel Like a Pro

Are you ready to learn some tips and tricks to travel like a pro? It’s easier than you might think!

I know, these days, travel can feel like a nightmare. Between long security lines, surly gate agents and confusing and drawn out boarding processes, it’s surprising anyone actually arrives at their destination on time.

Despite what many of us have experienced, traveling can be enjoyable. It’s all about following a few tips and tricks to ensure you get the right perks to make travel a pleasant and seamless experience.

These tips and tricks are things that I have picked up and learned over the past 20+ years of planning and booking my own travel experiences and vacations. The trips I have planned range from solo journeys and group adventures to extended family vacations and romantic weekends away with my husband.

Most recently, I booked a week-long tour of India’s Golden Triangle (Delhi – Agra – Jaipur) with my husband and a friend. You can read more about that trip here.

With each of these trips that I planned, I gained knowledge about how to get the most out of my trip – whether its lounge access at the airport, additional perks at a hotel, or getting the best seat on my flight. Now I want to share these tips with you.

So are you ready to learn some tips and tricks to travel like a pro? Let’s get started!

1. Get a credit card with a great mileage program and travel perks

Let me say upfront that this post is not sponsored. Every brand I talk about in this post is mentioned because I truly believe in the value of the brand, have used it extensively and enjoyed the travel perks that come with it.

If you want to travel like a pro, my number one tip is to get a credit card that has a good mileage program with travel perks. Why? Because a few of these credit cards offer you so much bang for your buck that it would be a crime not to take advantage of the benefits.

My top choices are the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and the Platinum American Express.

Yes, both of these cards have a very high annual fee, $550 for the Platinum Amex and $450 for the Sapphire Reserve card. But right off the bat, you get a $200 airline fee credit with Amex and a $300 travel credit with the Sapphire Reserve card. So that means your annual fee has just been cut down significantly.

Pro Travel Tip: Regarding the travel credit, it’s worth noting that with Amex, you have to select which airline to use your airline fee credit, and you only get it once you make a valid purchase with that airline. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you get a $300 deduction off your credit card statement right away.

Second, both cards offer to pay the fee for a Global Entry card if you don’t already have it. That’s another $100 savings right there. (And TSA Pre-Check automatically comes with your Global Entry card.) Platinum Amex also offers up to $200 in credit for Uber rides per year and free membership with Clear. So, when you do the math, it’s almost like you’re getting these cards for free.

In addition to the above, both cards offer automatic membership to Priority Pass, which grants you and one guest access to business class lounges in airports all over the world. (Read more about why I think Priority Pass is worth it in tip #4, below.)

But the real reason I recommend using either of these cards is that you can earn tons of miles very quickly, to then use for travel. You can earn 3x points on dining and travel with the Sapphire Reserve and up to 5x points with Amex if you book hotels and travel through their portal.

Between the two, I ultimately chose the Chase Sapphire Reserve over Amex because when it comes to booking travel, Chase offers more options and flexibility, plus the ability to pay using points and money.

With the Chase Sapphire travel program, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve paid the equivalent of a coach ticket for a business class seat, simply by using my miles as well as cash to buy my ticket.

Alternative travel credit cards to consider

Aside from the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum American Express, it’s also worth looking into a credit card that is affiliated with whichever airline has a hub at your local airport, because odds are you’ll end up flying that airline the most.

I live in NYC and have access to 3 airports: Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia. So in addition to my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I have a Delta Gold American Express Card because Delta uses both JFK and LaGuardia as a hub. If you live in the NY area you should know that United has a hub at Newark and American Airlines and Jet Blue have hubs at JFK.

2. Always use seat guru before you book your flights

 If you want to travel like a pro, then you need to start using SeatGuru.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite websites because I am extremely picky about where I sit on an airplane, and SeatGuru gives me all of the info I need about every single seat on a flight.

When you’re looking into a flight, you can usually see what the seat options are before you make your reservation. Once you see what is available, head over to SeatGuru to double-check that the seat you want to select is a comfortable option.

All you need to do on Seatguru is type in the airline and date of travel. The site pulls up a seat map of your flight. It’s brilliant because it tells you if your seat is too close to the lavatories, doesn’t have a window, or if there’s limited legroom or recline.

And Seatguru is also great if you’re flying business class because not every seat in business is equal. If you’re on a long haul overnight flight, you’re not going to want to sit near the galley where it can get noisy when the flight attendants are preparing meals. Seatguru notes all of this and more in its seat maps.

3. Call the airlines when booking award travel with miles

Another tip for traveling like a pro? Call the airline when you’re booking award travel.

When I’m looking to use miles to book a flight, the first thing I do for reference is to look online to see what my options are. Then, before doing anything else, I will call the airline. Why? Because a flight agent will always have access to more options than you do on your computer. Not only do they see flight options for the actual airline you’re calling, but they have access to all possible award tickets with partner airlines too.

When I flew to India in January, I wanted to use miles and hopefully fly business class. I considered American Airlines, thinking I could fly on British Airways and connect through London to Chennai because BA and American are both members of the One World Alliance. But flights from NYC to London are extremely popular, so finding an award ticket in business class online wasn’t happening.

Instead of giving up, I called the airline. Within minutes, the agent told me of another flight I could take instead. It was on Qatar Airways, connecting through Doha to Chennai.

Related: You can read about my one-day layover in Doha, here.

The Qatar Airways ticket was for business class and I’d be using fewer miles than if I booked a British Airways ticket. When I searched online, this option didn’t show up, but on the phone, the agent was able to book me on this flight right away (After I checked Seatguru of course!).

Boy did I feel like a travel pro after booking this ticket because it turns out Qatar Airways has one of the best business class suites in the industry. Score one for me!

Pro Travel Tip:  The airline might charge a small fee to book a flight on the phone. In my opinion, it’s worth it if they find you the award ticket you want, using fewer miles then if you booked online.

4. Get a Priority Pass membership

If you travel a lot, especially overseas, Priority Pass is a great program to join. It provides members with access to airport lounges all over the world. It doesn’t matter whether you’re traveling in business or coach. Plus, you can always bring a guest with you for free.

Pro Travel Tip: Did you know that you automatically get a membership to Priority Pass with both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Platinum American Express credit cards?

 I’ll be honest. Priority Pass is an ok perk when you’re traveling in the United States. The lounges are hit or miss, depending on what city and airport you are in. But if you often travel internationally, you will get your money’s worth with this membership. The lounges you have access to overseas rival the lounges of the top airlines.

For example, when I was recently at Changi Airport in Singapore, I had access to 3 incredible lounges with Priority Pass. I had a 6-hour layover, so it worked out perfectly because I spent a couple of hours enjoying each lounge. All 3 lounges had top-shelf liquor and food, private bathrooms and showers and some even had spa services.

5. Invest in Global Entry or Clear

Global Entry is a program that provides expedited travel screening. If accepted, it allows you to bypass the long lines in customs, using a kiosk to enter the country.

In addition to expedited entry through customs, a Global entry card also gives you automatic TSA Pre-Check status. For many people, this is a bigger perk then getting through customs quickly, since most people in the United States travel domestically.

Pro Travel Tip: Get the Platinum Amex or Chase Sapphire Reserve card and they will pay for your global entry application fee.

If you don’t have Global Entry and don’t see a need for it but do travel a lot domestically, then I would consider Clear. It’s a relatively new program that expedites security screening. Some say it’s even better now than TSA Pre-Check because the pre-check lines are often as long as the regular security lines.

One thing to note, Clear uses your biometric identity to permit the expedited screening. As long as you’re ok with giving that information to a corporation, then it’s a program worth considering.

The cost is $180 per year. That might seem like a lot but if you’re a frequent flier, then you’ll appreciate the time saved. And as they say, time is money! (Just make sure to check that Clear is available at your local airport before you invest in this membership.)

Pro Travel Tip: Clear also partners with Hertz’s Fast Lane and is offered in select stadiums now as well.

Pro Travel tip: Clear is free if you’re an American Express Platinum cardholder.

6. Hotel loyalty has its perks

When it comes to hotels, loyalty definitely has its perks. So if you find a brand that you like, it’s worth investing in their loyalty or membership program.

For example, my husband and I are spending much of the year in India. One of the hotel chains we have come to love (which is an international brand) is the Shangri-La.

When we were in Delhi, we stayed at the Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel. We joined their Golden Circle loyalty program and opted for a Horizon Club Room. Although the Club Room was slightly more than a standard room, the perks far outweighed the extra cost.

We had unlimited access to the Horizon club on the top floor of the hotel. Every day, we had a complimentary breakfast there. We also enjoyed a daily two-hour happy hour with free alcoholic beverages and food. Even better, we could enjoy free coffee, tea, lattes and snacks throughout the day. And the best part? The views from the club were spectacular.

My husband and I are also members of Marriott Bonvoy, which includes all Starwood Hotels. This has been a great program because with so many hotels to choose from we have earned miles quickly. This has increased our status and ability to get upgrades. Now when we stay at a Marriott or Starwood hotel, we almost always get upgraded to a suite.

7. Consider joining a rental car loyalty program

While we are talking about loyalty programs, the same goes for rental cars. Who wants to waste time waiting in line for an hour for a car after a long flight?

I’ve been a member of Enterprise Plus for years and it’s been great. I never wait for my car and usually get an upgrade for free.

There are other great options out there too, including Hertz’s Fast Lane program, which has partnered with Clear to create one of the fastest checkout processes for a rental car company.

Using a kiosk, you can get the keys to your car within seconds and be on your way.

Are You Ready to Travel like a Pro?

I hope you find all of these tips helpful when it comes to planning your next trip!

I know that when I travel, I want the process to be as seamless as possible. These tips have helped me save time, money, and feel assured that I’ll be traveling in comfort.

So wherever you travel next, remember to start traveling like a pro. And if you have additional travel tips and hacks to share please comment below. I’m always looking for new travel hacks to add to my life!