How to Choose the Best Airline Seat: Window vs. Aisle

Pros and Cons: Aisle Versus Window Seat on An Airplane

When it comes to choosing the window or aisle seat, I don’t think there is a clear winner as it all depends on various factors. Today, I will talk about some advantages and disadvantages of both and will provide how and when I chose either the window or aisle seat.

Window Seat

Advantages

Here are some of the advantages of a window seat:

- Less disruptive
- Great views
- Control of window cover
- Better sleeping surface
- You have people sitting on only one side

Disadvantages

- Stuck in the same place
- Every time you need to go to the washroom or take a stroll, you need to ask other seatmates
- Unhealthy for longer flights as you can’t get up and walk and stretch as you wish

Aisle Seat

Advantages

Here are some of the advantages of an aisle seat:

- Freedom to get up, stretch, use the washroom and walk anytime you want
- Faster to exit when the plane lands
- Easier to reach your overhead compartment luggage during the flight

Disadvantages

- You will be disrupted every time the other passengers move
- Disrupted by people walking in the aisle
- No views

My personal preference depends on what type of flight I’m on. If I am taking a flight less than 3 to 5 hours, I prefer a window seat. But if my flight is longer, I would go for an aisle seat. I like to get up and walk every hour on long flights and want the freedom to use the washroom whenever I want.

To pick your best flight seat, figure out what factors are important to you and then go from there.

How to Choose Between Backpack vs Suitcase Carry-on

Carry-on Backpack Vs Suitcase | Which One is Better for Travelling

This is a well-debated issue among travelers and the answer mostly relies on personal preference and your travel situations like destinations, complexity of itinerary, and various other factors. I will go over some simple pros and cons in this article to establish my own views.

Carry-on Backpack Suitcase

Advantages

- You can roll it and not carry weight on your back or shoulder.

- Better protection for fragile or sensitive items.

- Option to check-in as luggage if you need to.

- Better for storing awkwardly-shaped items.

Disadvantages

- Difficult to carry on for rough terrain, up and down stairs.

- Bending on your side to hold the handle and roll it can give you pain later on.

- Difficult to shove in the flight overhead bin if it’s almost full.

- Difficult to move around and maneuver at the airport and tight spaces.

- You have to literally open your suitcase to take out electronics, liquids, etc. at the airport security.

- No external pockets or side pockets to keep items you need during your trip.

- If you are late and need to run to catch a flight, the suitcase will be a big problem.

Carry-on Backpack or Convertible Backpack

Advantages

- Comfortable to wear and move around.

- Suitable for rough terrain, up and down stairs, basically anywhere.

- A big plus point is your hands are always free – which is a big advantage.

 - There are external pockets and side pockets to keep items you need during your trip.

- You don’t have to open your backpack to take out electronics, liquids, etc. at the airport security as there are external compartments for these.

- You can shove it in anywhere in the overhead bin, as backpacks are flexible and not hard.

Disadvantages

- If too heavy, backpacks can be difficult to carry and give you backpain.

- Oddly shaped items can poke out and cause trouble.

- Not possible to check-in if you have fragile and sensitive items.

Conclusions

My personal choice is a convertible backpack, but sometimes I use a suitcase if I have a simple trip, such as going to only one resort. However, if you are a content creator, you need to be hands free to video or take pictures and for that reason I use a backpack most of the time.

Whether you use a backpack or a suitcase all depends on your unique travel scenarios and personal preferences. Once you travel a few times with either of these, you will figure out whether a backpack or suitcase fits your travel needs.

How to Pick the Best Airport Security Lines | Tips to Get Through Airport Security Faster

How to Avoid Long Lines at Airport Security

One of the most unpleasant experiences we all want to avoid when traveling is going through the airport security. While you can’t avoid that, there are some simple strategies you can take to make your airport security experience better.

80% to 90% of the population are right handed. So, it’s natural for travelers to move towards the right lanes at the airport security point. Before jumping into any lines, scan your left and see if those lines are light. Go to the left lines if opportunities exist.

However, the above strategy may not work at some airports if the security personnel are directing you to specific lines.

Another strategy you can follow is to not stay behind lines where you see families and kids are ahead of you. There is nothing against families and kids … they just take longer than others because they have more groups of people together.

Always look for those lines where you see more business travelers, even if these lines are longer. They are veteran travelers and will pass through airport security much faster than occasional travelers. You can easily identify business travelers by their dress and minimal luggage.

There is nothing guaranteed, but you can increase your chances to pass airport security point faster and smoother by following the three simple strategies above.

I have this article in video format. You can watch it here: How to Choose the Best Airport Security Lines

How to Keep Your Passport Safe When Traveling

Where to Keep Your passport When Traveling | Follow This Strategy to Keep Your Passport Safe

When you travel, this is the one single most important travel strategy you are not following – that’s what I will talk about today.

Your most important travel document is your passport, and you should be guarding this with the utmost security. However, most of us throw our passport in the carry-on luggage in the overhead bin and forget about it for the rest of the flight.

I have seen people lose their passports at airports and on planes. Imagine landing in a foreign country with no passport … you don’t want to be that person.

My recommendation is to use a sling bag or any small, similar bag and keep it attached to your body at all times, even when you go to the washroom or sleep on the plane. This type of bag is small and doesn’t count as a personal item in the airlines’ terms, so flight attendants will never ask  you to remove it and put it in the overhead compartment during landing and takeoff.

When you are wandering around the airport, pay attention to your passport bag and keep it close to your body. I use anti-theft sling bags (I have 4 or 5 of those) which cannot be slashed or cut; they have steel netting and wiring. I am extremely cautious about my passport. You don’t have to have a superior anti-theft bag, any sling or shoulder bag will do the job.

To visualize this type of bag, watch my video below. I have shown a few of these and you can use anything similar, as long as it works for you.

Where to Keep Passport When Traveling

What You Need to Know About Tim Hortons Refreshed Rewards Program

Tim Hortons New Rewards Program

Tim Hortons just updated their rewards program, which will be effective starting Feb 21, 2023. Today, we will look at the changes and if the new Tim rewards programs is better or worse than before.

Tim Hortons Old Rewards Program

Here is a quick look at the current rewards program that will be obsolete starting Feb 21.

- Every purchase earns 10 points

- 50 cents minimum

- 30 minutes interval in between purchases to get points again

- To get free a Coffee and Donut you would require 70 and 50 points

Tim Hortons New Rewards Program

- Every $1 purchase earns 10 points

- 10 cents minimum

- Points will be converted from the old to the new program by multiplying 6.2

- To get free Coffee and Donut you would require 400 and 300 points

- No points buying or reloading Tim Cards

- Points expire after 1 year

Tim Hortons Devalues Its New Rewards Program

I will do a demonstration to prove that Tim Hortons new Rewards Program deteriorates from the old. Assuming you are spending $10 under the new program and $10 under the old program and ignoring the fact that you need to wait 30 minutes under the old program to get points again:

New Program – you would have to spend $40 to get a free coffee (400 points) and $30 to get a free donut (300 points).

Old Program - you would have to spend $3.50 to get a free coffee (70 points) and $2.50 to get a free donut (50 points).

For more details on how I derived these numbers, visit my video here:

New Tims Rewards Program - What You Need to Know Now

Even though the new program is not as lucrative as the old one, I will continue collecting points (instead of wasting them) and recommend doing so to make the most out of it.