Brent and Michael's Secret Travel Hacks, Part 31!
Avoid bad sushi, sleep on a plane, get five-star reviews, consider long-term value, buy cheap designer glasses, and stay warm even with bad insulation. Plus, how to conquer the all-you-can-eat buffet!
Yet another edition of our unusual travel hacks!
For other travel hack columns, go to Part Fifteen and Part Sixteen and Part Seventeen and Part Eighteen and Part Nineteen and Part Twenty and Part Twenty-One and Part Twenty-Two and Part Twenty-Three and Part Twenty-Four and Part Twenty-Five and Part Twenty-Six and Part Twenty-Seven and Part Twenty-Eight and Part Twenty-Nine and Part Thirty.
These are our latest hacks!
Avoid bad sushi
If the sushi restaurant smells like fish, leave.
Sushi is obviously raw fish, so it needs to be as fresh as possible — and cleaning conditions need to be as clean as possible.
Match your name exactly
When traveling by air, the name on your ticket needs to exactly match the name on your passport (or your other ID, if it’s a domestic flight).
If you go by “Mike,” but your passport says “Michael,” use “Michael” when buying your ticket. If your friends know you as “Nicky,” but you’re really “Nicole,” make sure the latter is your ticket.
Oh, and if you use “autofill” on your computer, always check to make sure that what’s been entered is exactly what you need it to be.
In just the past month, I’ve had two friends tripped up by slightly incorrect names on their tickets, and they both needed to purchase new tickets at sky-high last-minute rates, with no guarantees that they’d get refunds.
This is yet another reason to always book airline tickets directly with the airline (or an official airline partner). If you do, the airline will be more likely to help you at no cost. If you use a third-party vendor, they’re much more likely to say there’s nothing they can do.
Consider Venice in December
It can be a bit wet, but it’s Christmas-y, and the crowds have finally — finally! — disappeared.
Master the all-you-can-eat buffet
If you look down your nose at all-you-can-eat buffets, there is nothing I can say to change your mind. But not all buffets are created equal, and be aware that research shows that the first few bites of something are always the best — and one way to have an amazing meal is to have almost every bite be of something new.
Here are all the other ways you can enhance the all-you-can-eat buffet experience:
