Whew! Even though my blog is for fun, that first post was kind of like getting naked in front of everyone. Yikes. But it’s over, and now I’m on to more trip planning. With the Italy trip still months away, in an effort to keep myself writing, I thought I’d share some of that planning and how I usually go about doing things. Finding and booking flights might not be the most exciting part of travel, but it’s necessary, so that’s where I’ll start.
I always book flights first especially international flights. It’s one of the most expensive parts of travel and finding a decent itinerary and price on airfare helps me narrow dates of travel. When it comes to flights, I know what I want and try to get as close as possible without breaking the bank. I fly out of a regional airport, so cheap fares with good options are practically impossible anyway. 
My criteria are a bit different if I’m flying business or first, but I mostly fly economy, so that’s the focus of this post.
Airlines. United is my go-to airline these days, but mergers and flight cuts from my area make loyalty to one airline difficult. More important now is cost, connections, flight times, and aircraft, and which airline is going to give me the best combination of the above. I spend a lot of time searching for a balance of those things, and when I find it, I book it. For me, the flights set the tone for the trip. I’m pickier than most, but it’s my vacation, and it starts when I board the plane.
Cost. Airfare is expensive, but deals are out there. Unfortunately, I can’t share many tips and tricks to get those deals because I rarely choose the cheap(est) flights. Airlines are notorious for making me pay dearly in sanity and comfort in exchange for cheap airfares. There could be outrageously long or short connection times, multiple stops, no assigned seats, baggage fees, carry on fees, and/or terrible flight times. I use Google Flights most often then go directly to the airline website to compare prices. Several of my friends drive to larger airports and take advantage of lower airfare and more direct flights. I don’t do that because when I fly home, I want to arrive at home, not get off the plane and drive four hours to get home. That said, if taking the cheapest flights and making sacrifices were the only way I could travel, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Connections. I choose connections that make sense. I don’t want to connect so far out-of-the-way I should have just chosen a different destination. I don’t want to fly from Arkansas to Atlanta to get to Vegas. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s weird when I leave Arkansas then fly back over Arkansas four hours later to get where I’m going. A connection 
in Houston or Dallas is best if I’m going west, even if it means spending a bit more. Dallas and Houston are actually great connection airports for me since both cities are about an hour long flight.
Connection times. If I’m flying within the United States, I’m comfortable choosing shorter connection times of 45 to 60 minutes, but I prefer at least 90 minutes to allow for incoming delays. If I must clear passport control or customs or immigration on a connection, I give myself at least three hours. Those waits can be unbearably long (usually coming back into the U.S.), and I don’t want to chance missing my next flight. That also gives me time to walk around, visit the restroom, and grab something to eat.
Flight times. I’m usually a ‘take the first flight out’ kind of person. There’s less chance for delays if you’re flying early in the morning. The exception to this is flying to Europe. I don’t like to arrive in Europe at 7:00 a.m. after flying from Arkansas to Dallas to Newark to Barcelona or wherever. I spend a little more to leave the U.S. a little later and wind up in Europe at 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. right in time for lunch, plus there is less wait time to check in at my hotel. Other people hit the tarmac ready to explore a new city at 7:02 a.m. I do NOT. I need time to recoup from my 12+ hours of flying.
Aircraft and seating. For transatlantic or overnight flights, I typically choose aircraft with 2-3-2, or 2-4-2 seating. I can’t even bear the thought of 3-3-3 configuration. I like the option of sitting with just my travel partner in the two seats on either side of the plane. I also prefer aisle seats. Windows are nice to look out of and lean on but not disturbing your sleeping partner (or stranger) is better. I always need to visit the lavatory at the most inopportune times – like right when my seatmate has fallen asleep or started eating dinner with a full tray table. 
Since I’m flying solo this time, I’ve chosen aisle seats in the middle rows. I’m taking a chance that the middle seat will be empty in my row and/or that I won’t have to continually get up to let said middle seat go to the lavatory. Fingers crossed! Also, although it’s rare these days not to have meal service and entertainment on international flights, I still make sure those are available even though I pack snacks (that are not obnoxiously smelly… please. just. don’t.) and my iPad.
For my upcoming trip to Italy, it was more difficult than I thought to find a combination of flights that worked, but I’m happy with what I’ve booked. It’s common when flying internationally to find codeshare flights where two or more airlines share a flight (e.g. American Airlines/British Airways, Delta/Air France, United/Air Canada), and that makes it a bit tricky since I have to figure out the “metal” (which plane) I’m flying on to reserve seats, check in, etc. I’m flying a combo of United/Lufthansa/Air Canada for this trip because it gave me the best options and price. I connect in Munich on the way to Florence, and on the return, I connect in Montreal. A connection in Montreal is ideal because of U.S. Customs and Border Control preclearance which means my flight into the U.S. from Canada will essentially be treated as a domestic flight. O’ Canada!
Since flights are checked off the list, onward to accommodations. I still haven’t booked anything in Florence!
tiffany travels 