Choosing your airport and airline

Tip of the day: Do some planning and research on your airline ticket - not just for price, but for the route and airports that work well for International travel.

European trips are enhanced by smooth sailing on the way over and the way home. Try to maximize your vacation by doing what you can to create smooth airline travel by choosing airlines and airports that work well. Then, be ready to go along for the ride because the rest is out of your control. Sit back and enjoy your flight!

We flew on KLM/Northwest nonstop Dallas to Amsterdam using frequent flier miles. Northwest recently acquired KLM, or the other way around. This was a great benefit for our trip because we knew we wanted to see the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. I like flying to Europe on a European carrier - the trip starts the moment you leave the ground. Plus, free wine!

Flying directly (nonstop) to Europe is a great way to start your trip. You do the whole sleep prescription thing (see previous post on minimizing jet lag), get off the plane, and begin taking in Europe. No layovers, stops, dragging things out in another airport. There is less chance of lost luggage because there is no connection. It's great.

There are lots of large airports that handle traffic well in Europe - my experience with Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Charles de Gaulle (CGD) Paris have all been good. I have heard sketchier things about Heathrow, but can't verify (your comments welcome!).

There are lots of large airports that DON'T handle international traffic well in America, so here's where your pre-trip research is important. I had a bad experience in Philadelphia, which is why I made sure we took off from Dallas and landed in Amsterdam for this trip. I didn't want to deal with an East Coast US airport that is not well equipped or organized for handling the volume of luggage and the crowds. There are masses travelling through JFK in New York for example - steer clear.

Amsterdam is a great place to land, take an overnight to get your feet on the ground and see the Anne Frank House (see previous post). From there, catch a flight the next day to your final destination. Check with your airline to see if you can do an overnight on your ticket without an extra charge. (I'll tell you about the coolest hotel in the world near Amsterdam airport in a future post). We flew into Amsterdam, stayed overnight, and took an early am flight to Rome.

Spend some time thinking about your itinerary and what works. If you do an overnight at a European airport you might see a city that you wouldn't actually have included in your itinerary. That's always fun!