Holiday Tip #12: Find the Best Seat on the Plane

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The Right Way to Travel
New Year’s Countdown – December 31, 2007
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About this time next month, I’ll be flying to Austin, Texas in a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800. I like to pick my seats before I fly, which is easy to do before you book your ticket if you go to Seatguru.com to check out the plane.

It looks like I’ll want to avoid row 16, because the seats don’t recline as much as the others and you can’t really see the video screens. I’m also not picking seats in row 32. That’s not only the very last row — which is the worst place to be for people with motion sickness — but it also has limited foot room, and it’s right next to the bathrooms. Whoever ends up in seat 13A won’t get a window, so forget that row.

I’m thinking I’ll go for seat C or D in row 18. It’s an exit row so I’ll have to call the airline directly to book it (or ask at the counter when I get there) but there’s plenty of extra foot room and the seats don’t have limited recline. Or I could pick A, B, or C in row 29. On this particular plane, sometimes these have extra foot room because of removed seats behind them.

Here are some other things you can do with Seatguru.com:
** Scope out the best seats in the plane
** Find phone numbers for customer service, ticketing, rewards, and more
** Get links to frequent flyer programs, in-flight magazines, and lounges
** Read up on the rules and allowances for check-in, baggage, kids, pets, etc.
** See what kinds of amenities each plane has

This should come in handy for anyone else who’s flying to Austin for the Ultimate Photography Workshop, our only such event in 2008.

If you’re dreaming about living a life by your own rules, getting paid for your photos, watching your images sell in online stock sites, taking shots that will awe your friends, and breaking out of the mundane to have more fun and make more money — then today is the day to take action.

Join us in Austin and next month you could start the year out right by taking that first, positive (and giant) step toward getting paid to travel.

And remember: no experience necessary to join us. If all you’ve ever shot are some family portraits or vacation snaps — it honestly doesn’t matter. We’ll show you how to take amazing pictures… and hand you what you need to know to make money at this game, guaranteed.

Here’s to getting your writing, photo, and travel wishes in 2008.

Happy New Year!

Lori Allen
Director, Great Escape Publishing

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]