5 Ways to Improve Your Travel 'Tude

Travel 'Tude. It's the number one influence in the level of your travel enjoyment. Your attitude, that is. Here are five suggestions for getting the most enjoyment from your travels by adjusting the Travel 'Tude:

1. Don't expect TSA to make any exceptions for you. Plan ahead and have that 3-1-1 bag properly equipped. Don't leave anything in your carry-on that is questionable. If you're unsure, check against the list at the TSA site.


2. Expect to meet harried airline personnel when there are delays because of weather or holiday travel. Be sympathetic in your approach if you have a problem to be solved. Momma always said you can attract more bees with honey than vinegar.


3. Don't expect your hotel room to be ready before the appointed time. Then you can be pleasantly surprised if it is.


4. Don't expect good service if you are not courteous or you are demanding. This goes back to that honey thing of Momma's. Oh, and there's that Golden Rule thing you learned in kindergarten.


5. Expect that you will have to be flexible with some parts of your planned trip. It is rare that everything will work out perfectly according to plan. Take an umbrella, for instance. The weather seldom considers your plans.

These are only a few things but I think it's enough to get the idea. It's all about expectations and how we treat the people who are there to provide services for us. On our last trip, we stayed overnight at a hotel on our way home. We arrived a few hours before the advertised time that our room would be available. It was obvious when we entered the lobby that they were swamped with guests leaving and arriving. When we went to the desk, the hotel clerk apologized for the wait even though we were early.

"No problem," I said. "Looks like you've had a busy morning."

"We were full last night," she said madly clicking keys to pull up our reservation. "Did you want a room with a view? It's $100 extra."

Now we had reserved our room on reward points and were not looking to pay extra.

"No," we said. "Just whatever's available, whenever it's ready. We'll just go and enjoy the fresh air by the pool for a while."

She stopped her clicking and stared at us. "Wow. I wish everyone could have that attitude. It would sure make my job more pleasant. I'll call you when your room is ready."

An hour later, Bob cell rang. We checked in. A nice view. No charge. It's all about Travel 'Tude.