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17 Air Travel Tips

2013-08-02 · list · Hank · 3:50 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Everyday life · mode: Advice & reviews · tags: on location

From a hotel in Anaheim at VidCon, Hank, who dislikes flying but does it often, gives a list of tips for making travel days less terrible, from packing light and patience to security, boarding and missed connections.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — In Anaheim for VidCon but not talking about it; Hank dislikes flying but does it a lot

  • ★★ Hank is in Anaheim, California for VidCon, late at night, but will not talk about VidCon as a favour to those not there. — 00:00:01 · VidCon
  • ★★ Hank doesn't like flying (bathroom rules, nosebleeds, airsickness, no internet, the smell) but flies a lot and feels he is getting good at it. (hedged) — 00:00:11

00:00:34 — The tips: pack light, permission to be cranky, liquids and peanut butter, security, hoodies, boarding, the aisle, first class, snacks and water, electronics, connections

  • ★★ Don't pack everything you might need; make hard decisions. Hank fits a three-week trip into one bag (he owns one pair of shoes). — 00:00:36
  • ★★ You are not your best self on travel days; give yourself permission to be tired and cranky, and give everyone else the same permission. — 00:00:54
  • ★★ Liquids and gels must fit in the small bag Hank shows to pass security; peanut butter counts as a gel, as Hank learned the hard way. — 00:01:08
  • ★ Empty your pockets completely at security. — 00:01:18
  • ★★ Don't be mean to security staff: they don't make the rules and get fired if they don't enforce them; and don't joke with them about weapons. — 00:01:30
  • ★★ Hank says wearing a hoodie gets you pulled aside for further screening, not because of profiling but because there is room in it to hide things. — 00:01:44
  • ★★ Without a big carry-on, chill at the gate instead of jostling in the boarding line; you have an assigned seat, so board at final call. — 00:01:52
  • ★★ When boarding, get out of the aisle. (playful) — 00:02:13
  • ★★ First-class passengers look unhappy because they mostly got their seats not by paying but by travelling about 200 days a year, which Hank calls no way to live. — 00:02:22
    • check: two hundred — doubtful
  • ★★ Free in-flight food is minimal (perhaps Biscoff cookies and a drink), so maybe bring a snack and an empty water bottle to fill after security. (hedged) — 00:02:40
  • ★★ Past airport security is, Hank says, the only place where charging five dollars for a bottle of water is acceptable. (playful, hedged) — 00:02:55
  • ★★ Electronics are banned during takeoff and landing, which Hank mocks, so bring a real book; books are nice anyway. (playful) — 00:03:02
  • ★★ With a connecting flight, first check the departures board, even if you are two hours late, since that flight may be delayed too. — 00:03:16
  • ★★ If you miss a connection, search Kayak or Hipmunk or call customer support while queuing for rebooking: wait in two lines at once. — 00:03:26

00:03:42 — Sign-off; John is on the other side of the wall

  • ★ Hank expects to see John before Tuesday, since John is in the room on the other side of the wall. (hedged) — 00:03:46 · John Green

In the description and comments

  • ★★ The description says Hank has been getting on planes 'once every four months' for four years, which makes his carbon footprint far above average and embarrasses him. — video description

Humor (significant)

  • Asked at security what's in his pocket, the traveller explains the tiny piece of paper — 00:01:22

    “but in fact, it is a rocket launcher!”

  • Hank advises against joking with security staff — 00:01:39

    “also don't joke with them about your pocket rocket launcher unless you want to eat the carpet.”

  • Hank tells boarding passengers to get out of the aisle — 00:02:13

    “This is one artery and if you're clogging it, everyone's dying.”

  • On the ban on electronics during takeoff and landing — 00:03:02

    “the fifty millivolts from your Kindle is going to blow up a 747 or something”

Mentioned

Amazon Kindle · Anaheim, California · Biscoff · Boeing 747 · Hipmunk · Kayak · Transportation Security Administration · VidCon

Only in the description or credits: carbon footprint

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