How to Travel Like a SuperHero

Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, knows what is going on within the city of Gotham through the use of the Bat Signal. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.

Setting up price alerts for hotel room rates, car rental fees and airline tickets, lets you know what is going on for your upcoming trip.

Hopper is a free hotel and plane ticket price tracker app. Get the app at http://www.hopper.com. Last minute discounts for hotels can be found at www.hoteltonight.com. Last minute discounts for flights can be found at www.Priceline.com.

Which price alert app do you use?

The Flash, aka Barry Gordon, is a speedster from the DC Universe and is able to move and think at superhuman speed. That can be very helpful when remembering to check in for your flight since one airline, who shall not be named, only lets you check in no earlier than 24 hours before your flight. The later you check in the less options you have for seat assignments. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.

Hotel check ins don’t offer the 24 hours early option. Most hotels give a 1 – 2 hour window to check in. If you try to check in too early your room may not be ready for occupancy. If you are going to be arriving late to the hotel let them know. Some hotels will release your room if you have not checked in and have not called to let them know of your late arrival.

Ms Marvel, Kamala Khan, is a young, high school kid just trying to fit in. Throwing into the mix her recently acquired superpowers doesn’t help her popularity. She doesn’t have many friends and she hardly speaks with her family, teenagers! Photo courtesy of Marvel Comics.

Trying to fit might get you into trouble while traveling. Exploring is what traveling is all about. I love discovering hidden gems that aren’t as crowded and not the usual spots people visit when visiting X, Y or Z. Let someone know where you are going. You don’t have to talk with them, I completely understand family drama but, let someone know where you will be.

Apple and Google allow you to share real time locations with others. The choice of who you share your location with is up to you.

Shazam is a superhero from the DC Universe and the alter ego of Billy Batson. With one word, you know the word; starts with S and ends with M, Billy goes from a 5’4” kind of immature teenager, to a 6’2”,still kind of immature, adult. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.

Being a kid at heart is a great travel characteristic to have. Step out of your comfort zone. Do the fun and interesting things you have always wanted to do and see. Let your inner child be your guide. You can get back to adult responsibilities after your vacation or getaway is over.

She-Hulk is an attorney at law from the Marvel Universe. Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk’s alter ego, balances the life of a lawyer in Los Angeles with the life of the superhero, not very well at first but she gets there. When transforming from Jennifer to She-Hulk, She-Hulk maintains the high level of intelligence that Jennifer has worked and studied to achieve. Photo courtesy of Marvel Comics.

Research and resources are key to travel. Do some studying. The laws in your current country or state may not be the same in the country or state you plan on visiting. Research the laws and customs before you travel. Spending time in jail far away from home is never on anyone’s to do list.

Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, has the ability to control the elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Space, Water and everything in between. Her control over the atmosphere allows her to change the weather. That is a very good trait to be able to do for traveling. Photo courtesy of Marvel Comics.

Most of us, I won’t say all at this point in time because I don’t know if it is all, can’t control the weather. There are some people out there that make that claim so, not all. Which in turn makes it harder to pack for your trip. Checking the weather before you go and before you start packing is a way to make the most of your travels.

I use a Weather App daily for where I live. It’s Seattle and it rains a lot up here so it’s nice to know if I need a rain coat or not. The app I use shows the 10 day forecast for wherever my travels will take me. I try to plan my packing around the weather. I also have several cities on my weather watch list just because I like to day dream a bit about visiting and what the weather would be like once I was there.

Superman, aka Clark Kent the mild mannered reporter, is a superhero that has superhuman strength, speed, vision, breath and many other abilities. The ability I like the best is his ability to be flexible. Sometimes he needs to be Clark Kent and other times he needs to be Superman.

Flexibility is a main key to travel. That key opens your mind and your schedule. I think most people that travel have an agenda of things to do and to see when they reach their destination. Is every hour or every day planned out? What if the attraction, museum, restaurant you wanted to go to is closed. If that happens, it is time to be the mild mannered reporter. This is not a time for superhuman speed. Stop and take a look around. You might be missing something right under your nose.

Wonder Women, Diana Prince, is an Amazonian Princess from DC Comics. Wherever Wonder Woman goes she always has the Lasso of Truth, her indestructible bracelets and her tiara. Remember she is a Princess. She travels light.

Overpacking for a trip is a common mistake for many travelers. You end up lugging around your luggage and not enjoying your trip. Remember its the journey as much as the destination. Traveling light can help you move through the airport, get into and out of the taxi and makes check in easier to handle. Less bags equal less worries, says someone that notoriously overpacks. I am working on it though.