Learn me cheap business travel in the US.

So I sold my business and have embarked down a rabbit hole involving sales and distribution of an obscure industrial product. I have traveled from my home in BC to various US locations over the years, and I am not a stranger to planes and hotels. But now I will be in your foreign lands quite regularly, and it strikes me that some of youse are most likely fairly experienced travellers. I am looking for tips and tricks to make travel easier and less stressful. So please send me your thoughts, and I will start with what I have gleaned over the past few years:

Delta, Air Canada and Alaska are pretty good (talking economy only at this point) and they make me feel less like I am on a school bus with wings. Delta has great help with assistance for connections and other useful airport help. They actually meet the flights with real live staff.

Earplanes are a must to prevent sinus pain if you have a cold or stuffed sinuses

If you buy the standard roll aboard it will not fit in a regional jet overhead bin and you will loose it

If you are doing a short trip, do not adjust for local time and jet lag is much easier to deal with.

Drink a lot of water. (I get bad stress headaches)

Things I am wondering:

Best hotel chain

Best car rental company

hubs to avoid

best way to fly for cheeper

Please let fly with your suggestions.

I prefer Marriot (Fairfield) and Holiday Inn brands.

Best Car Rental company... Meh. They're all about the same in my experience.

Hubs to avoid--this is against what is probably the common opinions, but I've found that I've never been delayed in O'Hare, but have often been delayed in smaller hubs. The thing is that at your O'Hares and Atlanta's, they have crew and equipment to replace your flight if something goes wrong. In Atlantic City or Toledo OH, you'll have to wait 24 hours for the next flight.

Will you be paying on your own? If so, get a good travel credit card. I recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve because it gives you points and also gives you access to the fancy pants lounges for different airlines. It also pays for $300 of commuting a year, and pays for TSA Precheck (or Nexus).

TravelPro for luggage. Or Ebags brand--I'm impressed with their stuff as well. Don't forget the personal item--get a backpack that can fit under the seats. See if you can pack in that. If you have to check a bag, check everything in said bag. Makes it easier meandering through the airport.

Excellent start, thank you. I should add loyalty programs to the list. Which are the best? Would they make up for an otherwise less appealing airline?

bearmtnmartin wrote: Excellent start, thank you. I should add loyalty programs to the list. Which are the best? Would they make up for an otherwise less appealing airline?

Honestly not sure which is the best. Frankly though I'd stick with Delta and American on the "high" end, and Southwest on the "low" end. United I've had bad experiences. Same with Frontier/Spirit/etc.

Would it make up for a less appealing airline? Maybe--My cousin gets free flights all the time on Southwest. That is worth it. My brother has free flights on Spirit that will never be used. Those are not.

Having done a lot of work travel between the US and Canada, I spent a lot of time flying in regional jets. It took forever to find a decent rolling bag that would fit in the overhead of a regional jet, and meet the size rules of various carriers. Here's what I ended up with: Lipault bag. So far, it's proved durable, if a bit small. I think I've been forced to gate check it once, and I didn't feel like fighting the gate clerk over it.

Although, if you have a United Airlines credit card, I think you automatically get one free checked bag. They also send you lounge passes every now and then.

Even though I’m not paying, I still try to fly on Southwest as they seem to have the smartest and most committed employees. In term of hotels, it’s location, location, location so I have rewards programs with the big three (Hilton, Marriott, and Sheraton) and pick based on the situation with no real preference for the brand. I don’t see a significant difference in rental car agencies so I’ve just stuck with AVIS to have all of my reward points in one place. By far, my best travel tip is to have something productive you can be doing at the airport so you can arrive early to avoid stress / missed flights without wasting time.

I second using the backpack as a personal item. I pack my tech and such in it with a change of clothes (just in case) and never have to deal with overhead bins. YMMV based on requirements.

Since I'm near Atlanta I fly Delta almost exclusively. One thing I've found to be a great value (if not lower cost) is their "Comfort Plus" seating. You get slightly larger seats than economy (nice, I'm a big guy) but even better you get priority boarding (and therefore overhead access) and free drinks. It's 80% of the benefits of first class but usually only a few dollars more than economy.

Whatever airline you fly, stick with it and get the status that goes along with better seat selection, earlier boarding group, free checked bag, upgrades to first class, etc.

I fly American because they go where I need to go from my little local airport. Delta also could get me there, but three years ago I figured Charlotte was a better place for me to get stuck than Atlanta, so I started with US Air (now American) instead of Delta.

Same deal for motels. I used to have status with Marriott and Hilton in a previous job, but now almost exclusively stay in Carlson (Country Inn & Suites) because a small town I go to every month that is the best choice. So when I go other places I tend to book there just to keep all my points in one place to earn free stays.

Backpack or messenger bag that fits under the seat is a good tip. Once you build up states in whatever frequent flier program you should be able to board early enough to get overhead bin space, but on the regional jets that may not help you if you have a typical sized roll aboard. I use a bag from Eddie Bauer that is soft and have been able to fit it in the small bins if I am only packed for a couple days. If I have it packed for more than that, I just check it.

I'm quite confident southwest is the only airline that still tries to be on time.

I'm a bit of an unconventional business traveler, but I have been doing Airbnb for lodging and much prefer it to hotel. Especially if I were footing the bill.

Finally, national rental car is more expensive than the rest, but being able to skip the desk, walk right to any car you choose, and drive away is a HUGE boon. Totally worth it. I honestly can't believe that all car rental doesn't work that easy by now.

Maybe open a US dollar bank account with a US based credit card. You can buy a bunch of money at a good rate, maybe, if you watch closely, and then you don't need to concern yourself with exchange on every transaction.

Car rental: If you're going to a town with a SIXT location, use it.

I fly exclusively Delta, but I think that's just because that's who fly out of the two airport I depart from.
Like someone else said, pick one and stick with it. The higher you climb on the chain, the better you are treated, same for hotels.
For hotels, I stay in Hilton brand hotels. The worst one I've ever stayed in was nice, the best were very, very nice. As far as car rentals go, they all are the same crappy cars. I just reserve compact. I've NEVER not been told "we ran out of compacts. Would you like a free upgrade to a mid-size?" Not once.
When I travel, I dress nice. You're a little more likely to get bumped up to 1st class if you're wearing a shirt and tie than a Metallica t-shirt. I fly out of a smaller air port (Flint, MI) as opposed to a larger one (Detroit) 95% of the time. Setting drive time aside, parking takes 10 minutes instead of 30. The shuttle from my car to the terminal is 4 minutes as opposed to 20. The walk through security is 15 minutes instead of 45-5,000 minutes. The walk to the gate is much, much shorter. The parking is cheaper.
As far as hubs to avoid. If I have a connector in Atlanta, I usually consider jumping out of the plane at altitude and surfing the exit door down as a less painful alternative.
If you go through a bigger airport (LAX, ATL, OHD, etc.) make sure you plan on a 90 minute layover or more. De-planing and walking to the next gate can eat up a LOT of time.
circling back to hotels. If I can't stay in a Hilton, it's usually because it's a small, out of the way town. There's no other big player in town. In that case, I'll rent a house. It's usually the same price I'd expect to pay at a hotel. For instance, in Hailey, ID you can rent a house with a garage for $120 or so a night.
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I expect to pay that for a Hilton brand hotel anywhere I go.

Good advice here---

If you'll be flying a lot, don't mess around--- buy one of these bags:

Luggage works aviator

You'll notice these are the same bags 90% of the flight crew and pilots use. Exactly large enough to fit in an overhead compartment, stainless steel pull handle, and very rugged construction. These are built to last PILOTS 10 or more years. It's likely this will be the last travel bag you'll ever buy. I was destroying a bag a year---- I've had this bag for over 10 years now, and it's just getting broken in. As a bonus, airline employees sometimes see the bag, and assume you're in the industry. I've been treated nicer because of this. I can live out of mine for a week.

I'd also second the recommendation of going with smaller airports. I nearly always fly out of Jacksonville, and it's much less hassle than Orlando. The downside are connecting flights--- but those don't really bother me.

I avoid the Atlanta airport like the plague. It's my least favorite airport in the entire U.S. (and I've been to many) In the Summer and Spring, thunderstorms roll through Georgia nearly every day---- this = cancelled, or delayed flights---nearly every day. That airport is so busy, that the workers tend to be nasty as well. I always choose to fly US Air instead of Delta-- -that way the connection is in Charlotte--- a much, much nicer airport.

For Hotels, I like the mid-grade choices, like Hampton Inn. Not too expensive, but clean and decent. For rental cars--- I always check Kayak first, than then the Southwest site for car rentals. That's usually where the best deals are found.

Hotels: Marriott hands down higher levels of rewards status will frequently net you upgrades. Best one I've ever had was an upgrade to the presidential suite in the Dubai JW Marriot, which was amazing.

Airlines: Everyone has a different opinion on this but United is my preferred because their booking system was transparent enough not to aggravate me when selecting seats. Again I was also frequently given upgrades to either first or economy plus since I flew with them so often. The rewards program is pretty alright too and they have nice lounges at their main hubs.

Honestly though, all the majors are pretty similar unless you're dealing with someone like Emirates so I'd just pick one and try to use them as much as possible.

I loath Atlanta and Philadelphia. Atlanta because it's so damn crowded all the time. Philadelphia because you have to use buses to get between terminals (way worse then Dulles I don't care what anyone says) and the ceilings are so low and dingy it feels like a firetrap. Plus it's crowded and sucks to drive into and out of.

Dallas Fort Worth is my favorite followed closely by San Francisco. DFW because its easy to get around and the food is really really good in Terminal D and SFO because when you go through customs it's generally a short wait unlike Dulles, La Guardia, Newark, or LA. Of course, Dulles does have the automated machines now which made life a lot nicer the last time I went through.

Generally I used Avis for cars but again pick one, sign up for the rewards program, and stick with it.

What I found to reduce my stress more than anything when flying: Get a car to take you to the major hub you're flying out of and pick up back up. Seriously, connecting flights from smaller airports are all well and fine but it can add several hours to travel time and increases the likelihood of delays in exchange for saving a bit of hassle checking in.

I had a driver pick me up and drop me off at LAX which, while further away than Ontario, saved a bunch of the crappy time on commuter jets from Denver to Ontario or from Ontario to DFW (3 to 4 hours) and removed a failure point from my travel itinerary. Just getting on a widebody and flying across the country was so much easier and I didn't have to deal with my wife driving me into LA or to Ontario at weird hours of the day.

YMMV since your situation is likely different because of the international flights.

My wife flies fairly frequently as the #2 at a small design business where the clients (museums mostly) are geographically spread out. As others have said, whichever airlines have nearby hubs will help a lot, but she likes Southwest because you can book travel right away when a meeting is scheduled (a few months to a few weeks ahead), and then change it later pretty easily without big penalties. This happens frequently when trying to get a team of multiple disciplines and stake holders together at the same time and place.

The best advice here is to pick whatever works, register for the loyalty program and stick with it.

For hotels, Carlson (Radisson, Country inn, Park Inn), has the most aggressive loyalty program (You'll get a free night after just a few stays), but they're not as widespread in some areas.

Delta or American for airlines.

The cheaper rental cars (Enterprise, National, Dollar) are cheaper, but have worse loyalty programs. The majors (Hertz, Budget, Avis) are more expensive but have more aggressive rewards.

Cars: I've found the National Rental Car to be my favorite. They have the Emeral Club (free to signup) and this lets you literally walk right into their lot with a reservation and drive out in the car of your choice. More often than not they are the cheapest and I frequently find something entertaining to drive.

Airlines: Personal choice and the prevelance of that brand at your local airport are the best deciding factors. I'm an American fan but really like Southwest when I'm in their areas of service. Delta has one of the better rewards programs currently but I also hear good things about United.

Airports to avoid: Atlanta, Newark, Jfk. The rest have good and bad aspects.

Thank you for all the replies. How about booking websites? Do all roads lead to Rome? I usually use expedia as they are not as spammy as flighthub but I sometimes wonder if I am missing a deal.

What are the best(cheapest) days of the week to travel?

Best solution for jetlag?

What is the deal with lounges anyway? I see them but I am usually at full gallop trying to make a flight so maybe I have not had a long enough layover yet.

How about standby? I see myself being much less scheduled in my new life and if I can save a few bucks by sitting at an airport for a half day it may be worth it for the flexibility. But that could backfire if there are no seats for two days.

bearmtnmartin wrote: Thank you for all the replies. How about booking websites? Do all roads lead to Rome? I usually use expedia as they are not as spammy as flighthub but I sometimes wonder if I am missing a deal.

I hate to sound non-committal, but try numerous, including the airlines website. You'll often find flights on site A that cannot be found on site B. Don't know why.

bearmtnmartin wrote: What are the best(cheapest) days of the week to travel? Best solution for jetlag?

Mondays and Fridays are a little bit more. The biggest savings, and a better possibility for upgrades is to book early. You'll save quite a bit, and if there's two of you that want an exit row (you want these), the one that booked first will get it, all else equal. At least in Delta land. For jetlag, I just try to sleep on the plane and deal with it. I don't have any tricks that work.

bearmtnmartin wrote: What is the deal with lounges anyway? I see them but I am usually at full gallop trying to make a flight so maybe I have not had a long enough layover yet.

In Delta land, it's just a more comfy place to sit that has free drinks, snacks, and soup.

bearmtnmartin wrote: How about standby? I see myself being much less scheduled in my new life and if I can save a few bucks by sitting at an airport for a half day it may be worth it for the flexibility. But that could backfire if there are no seats for two days.

Sorry, can't help ya there.

I book directly from the American Airlines webpage. I get reimbursed for the ticket oost and when I've checked other travel sites have the exact same fares.

DrBoost wrote: . When I travel, I dress nice. You're a little more likely to get bumped up to 1st class if you're wearing a shirt and tie than a Metallica t-shirt.

Interesting point. Traveling in shirt and tie is probably overboard unless that's what you'll be wearing at your destination and you're comfortable dressed that way.

There are middle ground options here, though, and a few small details can make the difference. A zip-front sweater works the same as a hoodie. You're probably going to have to take your shoes off for security check, so ditch the white athletic socks for something that matches your pants (blue jeans = navy socks, etc.) Dress like you're going on a first date with that special someone, dial it back a little, and you're on the right path.

I travel quite a bit for work but don't often get choice of airline because of the travel system used for work, I work for the gubmint and they have their own travel system and travel card. Sign up for reward programs, all of them so you can collect whatever you use. Personally I do prefer American and Delta. Delta has better points upgrade system and American has a better points usage system, IMO. I prefer to check my bag. Usually have some tools (boxcutter, screwdriver) in my bag that TSA doesn't like. I carry a backpack with what I need. Laptop (work), tablet (personal), magazines, hard candy, gum, earphones, medicine, toothbrush & toothpaste (for the rare stuck without bag times). Small enough to put under the seat for ready access. Let other fight for the overhead space. It does frustrate me the people that carry suitcases because they don't want to pay bag check fees. Of course, I don't have to worry about that as it is all reimbursed for me.

Hotels, I prefer Hilton brand. They have a lot of clean, nice sub-brands. Hampton Inn is one of our favorites.

Rental cars. They are all close enough to the same. Where you are is usually the deciding factor. Try not to stray to far from the airport for pickup/dropoff. Some places no choice. Have a rental place with all companies together. That isn't bad. If most are in the airport and one is off-site, don't go to the off-site one. Learned that the hard way. Hard to get to, processing is iffy.

Do the homework on your immigration status. Even as an American citizen with a US passport I sometimes get the cold shoulder when they figure out I am representing a Canadian company when I enter the USA. "I don't want to, but I have to let you in" has been uttered after an hour at the border while they go over the car and leave me waiting.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canadian-accused-at-u-s-border-of-stealing-american-jobs-1.824280

The answer is a B1 visa, but I seem to recall that they might not be available anymore? https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-visitors-business/b-1-temporary-business-visitor

I'm not a business traveler, just for pleasure.

But my suggestion is to invest into TSA-pre. It's not terribly expensive and eases the stress a lot. And if you fly enough, you may eventually qualify with the chosen airline.

Holiday inn express - as new as possible. Never holiday inn. If you see pilots heading in to the hotel - run. It's used too much. Don't watch the Hotel fixing show with that Anthony dude /m- it will depress you.