Traveling is a part of nearly every singer’s life. It can be exhausting and expensive—and while some of this is unavoidable, learning a few tricks of the trade can save you time, energy, and money. Forthwith, Erda’s “Guide to Traveling Right.”
Benefit from the World Wide Web
Book your travel online if at all possible. And if you’re a frequent flier with a particular airline, be sure you sign in first as airlines often offer more and better flights to their best customers. You also may be able to select your seats online, rather than waiting for whatever’s left when you get to the airport. You’ll save time at the airport if you use online check-in, as well. Print your boarding pass at home and, unless you’re checking luggage, you won’t even need to see a ticket agent—you can go directly to the gate.
Gearing Up
Quality luggage should be considered a necessary tool of the trade, and if you don’t own any, put it at the top of your wish list. You want sturdy, expandable pieces with heavy-duty zippers and wheels and equally sturdy retractable handles. Luggage on rollers will save you time, energy, and backaches.
For trips of less than a week, even the most diva-licious among us should be able to get away with a carry-on and a backpack, rolling briefcase, or garment bag. For longer trips, add one larger suitcase. If you need more than those things will hold, consider shipping a box or two to yourself. For long stays, I do this with kitchen items—or, if I will be on the road for a while and traveling from a warm climate to a cold one, I might ship a box of sweaters and coats.
Also pack a lightweight, foldable nylon zipper bag in case you need an extra bag on the way home. This can also double as a shopping or gym bag while on the road. It’s always a good idea to pack a few extra Ziploc bags (both the quart and gallon size—and the freezer bags are sturdier). Don’t bother with fancy makeup bags. Ziplocs allow you to see and access everything quickly and easily, and they are lighter and take next to no space. Also, security requirements limit you to fitting all your carry-on liquids in one quart-size Ziploc bag. That’s the small size, folks.
Get some well-made leather or plastic luggage tags. You can also have your business cards laminated and turned into luggage tags at a good print shop. Importantly, remember to have a separate set of tags indicating your outbound destination information—if your luggage should get lost or delayed, you don’t want it being returned to your home address while you’re arriving at your destination on the other side of the globe.
Finally, don’t forget TSA locks for all bags. These are special locks which TSA (and only TSA) can open without breaking. I prefer the combination locks—those tiny keys are too easy to lose.
Sailing Past Security
Every airport’s security arrangements are a little different, and this can be frustrating. Be prepared for it and just go with the flow. You can make getting through security easier by dressing and packing properly.
First, the less you have on, the less you’ll have to take off. Avoid a lot of jewelry and belts with large metal buckles. If you must have these items on you, pack them in your carry-on and put them on after you go through security. If you’re wearing a jacket, cardigan, or outerwear, you will be asked to remove it to go through the X-ray, so be ready and have a tank or tee on underneath. Wear slip-on shoes that are easily removed, as you’ll have to take them off, too. Rid yourself of keys, change, cell phone, and anything else you normally carry in your pockets—or pack those in your carry-on, too, if possible. Otherwise, you will need to put them in a bin along with your shoes, belt, outerwear, and any big jewelry you didn’t stow in the carry-on.
Laptops have to come out of their cases, unless they are in one of the special new cases that open flat. In other words, if you carry your laptop in a briefcase with a lot of other items, out it must come. In some airports, if you have your laptop in a neoprene sleeve or other case in which the laptop and only the laptop resides (no cords or accessories), you can just put that in a bin.
As noted before, you should also have your liquids, creams, and gels—which must be less than three ounces each—in a one-quart Ziploc bag. That means one bag has to hold it all; more than that, and it has to go in the checked luggage (or in the trash, if you don’t have checked bags). Have that Ziploc out and ready to be examined.
You’ll also need to have your photo ID and boarding pass on hand. After you pass through security, you usually won’t need the ID again (though some airports or airlines still require it at the gate as well), but you will need to show the boarding pass to get on the plane. And once you’re through security, you can also pile on the bling and arrange your carry-on to your liking.
It sounds complicated, but if you take a few minutes to organize well before heading to the airport, you can breeze through security with no trouble. And if you’re lucky enough to be an Elite Frequent Flier, you may even get a special, less crowded security line.
Elite Is Sweet
There are many, many advantages to signing up for airline miles programs, and as airlines continue to strip their amenities down to the bare bones, they still offer goodies to their Elite members. You can rack up more miles than you think in a single audition season, which can get you free travel rewards, discounts, and special offers. Best of all, if you get Elite status, you’re eligible for all sorts of perks—including those coveted faster security lines, pre-boarding privileges, premium seating, automatic check-in, free upgrades, free checked luggage, bigger luggage allowances, and access to special members’ lounges at airports, to name a few.
Maximize your mileage by signing up for the airline’s credit card. Everything you buy will get you miles, although you get Elite credit only for miles flown (not for purchases). Some airline miles never expire or they roll over for long periods of time, so it’s worth it to sign up even if you don’t think you’ll be flying that often. You may also find that in the long run, it’s more cost-effective to fly one airline and collect miles which can then be traded for free travel or other rewards than to fly whatever’s cheapest at the moment.
By the way, I always book my own travel and have the opera company reimburse me. That way, I get frequent flier miles, both on my credit card for the purchase and for the miles I fly, which also contributes to my Elite status.
Checkmate
Don’t check bags unless you must, especially for short trips. First, almost all the airlines are now charging for even the first checked bag (except for Elite members). Also, checked bags run a greater risk of being delayed, lost, or stolen. And they will slow down your check-in time, which can cause you to miss flights.
Most airlines will allow you to carry on one piece of luggage and one “personal item” such as a purse, computer case, or briefcase. Items such as coats and lunches don’t count. However, if the flight is crowded or you’re on a small commuter plane where the overhead isn’t large enough for your bag, you may be asked to gate check one of your larger items. Gate checking means that the flight attendant will take your luggage from the plane or boarding area and give you a receipt. The piece will go directly into the baggage compartment of the plane, bypassing the handling system. When you arrive at your destination, you either pick your bag up at the gate as your deplaning or at baggage claim, depending on the flight. It has much less chance of being lost this way (although it does still happen).
If you want to avoid having to gate check your item, make sure you are at the gate when boarding begins and are one of the first to board. Early boarding is an advantage offered to Elite level frequent fliers; but of course if you’re not Elite, you can choose seats at the back of the plane in order to board sooner. The trade-off is that you will be one of the last off.
If you’re asked to gate check your bag, make sure you have everything you will need out of it before you hand it over, since you won’t see it again until you reach your destination. Even if you’re making a connection, the bag will be checked through to your final destination.
If you do decide to check a bag, make sure that you don’t put anything in it that is so valuable that you can’t afford to lose it. Chargers, electronics, your music and audition materials, medicines, eyeglasses, jewelry, and any other sensitive items should go in your carry-on. Make sure that you tuck a card with your name and contact information inside of your bags, as well as tagging the outside. Don’t rely on the flimsy paper tags provided by the airline, though they will do in a pinch. Make sure you tag all luggage, even your carry-ons, just in case. I’m also a big fan of locking all luggage, but certainly anything that is checked should have a TSA lock on it.
If, heaven forbid, your bag is lost or delayed, there is a limit to the airline’s liability. If you have receipts for everything packed in it, you can get the full value. If you don’t have receipts, the limit varies. Check your airline’s rules. Also, be aware that many airlines will not take responsibility for fragile items or electronics that have been checked.
If your bag is delayed, first check to see that it didn’t go on an earlier flight (it may be sitting in the unclaimed luggage lockup) or to a different airport. But as soon as you’re sure your bag is really missing, report to the airline’s baggage office, usually located in the baggage claim area. If you’re Elite, I strongly suggest dealing with the Elite desk rather than any of the usual airline channels, as you’ll get better service.
You’ll be asked to describe the bag and fill out a claim form. You’ll also be given a phone number to call for information. The airline must deliver delayed baggage to your door, and many airlines will give you some kind of allowance if delivery takes more than 24 hours. Even though Elite status won’t guarantee your luggage won’t be delayed, it can help get it recovered for you more quickly or provide you a greater allowance for any long inconvenience.
