Hawaiian Airlines - Why I Only Book One-Ways

I fly Hawaiian Airlines frequently.  I choose Hawaiian primarily because of the people, more than anything else - they are truly some of the nicest people, welcoming with aloha (and many are my former co-workers).  

One of the biggest challenges with the 2023 system "upgrade" was that for a long while, we did not have the ability to change flights online.  I'd have to call each time I want to change my flight, which is often.   

And during one of the calls when trying to change my flight - I learned something new (others may have known this, but I didn't).

If you are trying to just change one way on a round-trip flight, the entire trip will be re-priced, not just the segment you are trying to change.  So even if the new one-way flight you want to change to is the same price as the original flight, if the other segment has increased in price for the same exact flight, you'll have to pay for the increase.

Confused?  I sure was.  

For instance (prices are not what I actually paid, but just noted for simplicity's sake) - Flight A1 HNL-ITO was $70 and Flight B1 ITO-HNL was $70 when booked.  I wanted to change Flight B1 ITO-HNL to a different time - Flight B2, and when I checked the price online, it was the same price ($70) as the original flight I booked.  

However, when I called to change the flight, I was told that there was a change fee of $80!  I advised the agent that I checked the flight and saw that the price was the same as the original flight, and she said "The HNL-ITO Flight A1 had changed in price (to $150), and we have to re-price the entire trip."

Looking back, I always wondered why I was charged price increases even though when I priced the flight segments they were the same, and I thought it was because of dynamic pricing for that segment.  

In any case, the agent suggested that I take the flight to ITO, and then as soon as I land, change the ITO-HNL flight because the HNL-ITO portion will not need to be re-priced anymore.  

So that's what I did, while crossing my fingers that the ITO-HNL portion did not go up in price (thankfully it did not). 

Ever since, I've been booking one-ways.  I don't know about AS' system (I haven't flown them yet!) so not sure how they reprice tickets.  

Hopefully this knowledge will save you some $.  I shared the information with a friend and she had no idea about this repricing process either!  

Now . . . if only HA would offer credit online for when there is a price decrease like other airlines do! 

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Tips for TSA PreCheck Enrollment

I recently took my 12 year old daughter for TSA PreCheck enrollment.  TSA PreCheck is a government program that provides a separate security screening lane for TSA-approved passengers and if you travel you know how convenient it can be.  Children 12 and under can use the PreCheck line when traveling with an eligible parent or guardian, but once they hit 13 they will need their own known traveler number.  

The enrollment process wasn’t as easy as I hoped so I thought I would share some tips.  To begin, you need to submit an online application and then schedule an in-person appointment that includes a background check and fingerprinting at an enrollment center.  The center on Oahu is located at 810 Richards Street in downtown Honolulu.  

My first tip would be when you are making the appointment, aim for the earliest time slot.  Our initial appointment was at 11:15am and when we arrived, they were running a couple of hours behind and we couldn’t wait.  The small office can process two people at a time.  I rescheduled for a 9:00 am appointment and for that one we waited about 30 minutes.   

Second tip: have your child’s social security number handy.  We were told we just needed to bring my daughter’s passport, but while we were processing I also had to enter her social security number which I didn’t bring nor did I have memorized.  Luckily, I was able to access it on my phone.

My last tip is regarding parking.  The closest parking is the U.S. Post Office metered lot at $1.50 per hour.  If you are lucky enough to score a spot make sure to bring coins.  The meters also take credit cards, but the person next to us couldn’t get it to work.  Parking is limited to one hour so make sure you have enough coins in case your appointment runs late.  The first time we couldn’t find street parking so we ended up parking at Alii Place on Alakea.     

The application fee is $85 and good for 5 years.

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Review: Travelon Anti-Theft Messenger Bag

It's a little hard to make out, but I am wearing the Travelon messenger.  You can see my water bottle peeking out.

While planning for my family’s trip to Europe, I was constantly warned about pickpockets and also not to accept anything from strangers - be it a flower or a charm as they will ask you for money in return.  I was most worried about getting our passports stolen so I researched the travel sites and purchased a money belt and a Travelon anti-theft messenger bag. 

We never used the money belt, but I felt solidly secure with my Travelon bag knowing that the strap was cable reinforced and slash proof.  The bag also featured locking zippers and two zippered expansion pockets that I used for my water bottle.  It was the perfect bag for me for this trip.  I thought it was reasonably priced at just $38.50 from Amazon and it comes in a variety of prints and colors.     

Lucky for us, we never encountered any pickpockets, but we did have a couple of people make small talk and try to give us a bracelet.  We politely said no thanks.  I’m eager to return to Europe so I am happy to have this bag in my collection. 

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The Barrier Method Travel Face Mask

Disclosure:  Product was received complimentary for review purposes.  All opinions are entirely my own. 

I just got back from a weekend trip to Portland and I feel great!  Thanks in part to the innovative travel mask by The Barrier Method!  I am a self-proclaimed germaphobe and I get anxious when I start to hear people sneezing and coughing near me on the airplane.  I take precautions like wiping down the seats, tray tables, and arm rests, but there's not much you can do about others around you.  I once wore a medical mask, but I have to admit I was a little embarrassed being the only one.

But being a busy mom who needs her energy, I can't afford to get sick.  Lucky for me and travelers everywhere, a new small business The Barrier Method has created a fashionable and comfortable travel mask!  Danielle Travis, from Maui, is the founder of a line of patent-pending masks that snap into scarves or bandanas made of soft, antimicrobial fabric in a range of colors and patterns.  The company recently raised enough funds through a Kickstarter campaign to fund the essential oils testing, research, and product manufacturing to incorporate antimicrobial essential oils into the liners of the masks.

I received a complimentary infinity scarf for review purposes and I got it just in time to use on my trip.  I put it on as soon as I was seated on the plane and I liked how the mask straps were adjustable.  The fabric is very soft and I had no problems breathing and I found it very comfortable to sleep in.  At one point, I got a little hot so I simply unsnapped the mask from the scarf and just wore the mask by itself.  I can assure you I will be using The Barrier Method on all my travels to reduce the chance of getting sick! 

For more information on The Barrier Method, you can find them here and on their social media channels.   

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Visit Japan - Pocket Wifi Review

Everything you need for internet anytime and anywhere!

Although my phone company gives me coverage in Japan, the convenience of having internet connection with me all the time through a pocket wifi is hard to beat.  There are several options out there including one that will deliver to your home so you will have connection as soon as you land in Japan.

I ended up ordering from CD Japan Rental because they can deliver to your hotel and you can pick it up when you check in.  Set up was super simple.  I just turned the device on, selected the network name of the wifi, and entered the password on my phone.  They have four plans you can choose from all with varying days and unlimited data usage.  However, depending on the plan, once a certain amount of data is used, the network speed will slow down but will renew when the new time period starts. 

I found having the pocket wifi very convenient during my trip and never had any problems.  The battery on the wifi would last me the entire day and night, but I still carried a power bank just in case.  Before leaving Japan, I simply put everything into the provided prepaid envelope and dropped it into a post office drop box.  I was lucky that there was one in my hotel, but you can drop it off at any postbox in Japan. 

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Traveling Internationally with a Smartphone

Last year I traveled internationally for the first time with a smart phone.  Although I took several trips to other countries in previous years, I didn't have to do any work via my smartphone, so I really made sure to do some research because I didn't want to get hit with a huge bill.

You may have read the horror stories about travelers getting hit with enormous wireless bills (thousands and thousands of dollars worth) for using their smartphones while in another country. Whether it's because they didn't realize certain apps kept using data, or perhaps they bought a data package and were charged overages because of excessive use - whatever the reason, it made me worry a lot about using a smartphone while I was on my trip to Canada.

I did lots and lots of research on using unlocked phones and buying a local SIM card, buying a prepaid international SIM card, and even buying international data packages through our current carrier (AT&T).

Thankfully, after posing the question on Twitter, @dkMOMUS replied with a lot of helpful information. He told me about One Sim Card, XCom Global, and T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan.

After doing even more research, I decided to get a phone and plan with T-Mobile, because I really didn't want to have to worry about running up huge charges. Since I would be working via my smartphone (even though there was free Wi-Fi at the hotel, we were on the road a lot, and I had work often while on the road), it meant using up a lot of data, and T-Mobile's Simple Choice Plan offers unlimited data and texting, and calls at 20 cents/minute in over 100 countries. And since I planned on traveling internationally more, I figured it was worth it to get a new phone.

And just as a back-up, I decided to buy a data global add-on package with AT&T on my husband's plan.

Although coverage was somewhat spotty on T-Mobile at times, for the most part, I had no issues whatsoever using my phone internationally. I posted a lot on social media for all of my media visits, I checked and answered a lot of email messages, used Google Maps a lot...

The free texting came in handy since not only did I keep getting texts from home, but I also had to text friends in Canada about our travel plans.

And I didn't think I'd need to make any phone calls while in Canada, but I ended up having to make an urgent call, which would've cost me over $20 had I made it on my regular phone.

When I got my bill, there were no additional charges with the exclusion of the international call I made.

Whew!

I didn't have to use the AT&T data add-on at all, and I was credited back a portion of the monthly charge for the data global add-on package since I canceled it as soon as I returned to the US.

Yes - there are numerous steps you can take to ensure you don't use or overuse cellular data (e.g. turning off cellular; use Wi-Fi only; use Google Voice for calls, etc.), but T-Mobile's Simple Choice Plan made it so simple to travel internationally with a smartphone.

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