The Ultimate Travel Guide

1 Title Flights Hotels Languages The Ultimate Travel Guide for Admissions Teams Apps

See your future students come to life with the Kira Academic video admissions platform Kira Academic gives your admissions team the ability to meet applicants earlier in the admissions process and quickly decide who to invest more time in. Get a more complete picture of every applicant by seamlessly integrating timed video and written response questions into your existing application process. Recorded video and timed written responses give you an authentic glimpse at the person behind the application, and trump traditional written essays, which may not reflect the applicant s true ability. Trusted by top institutions Learn More

Contents 01 Preparing for Recruitment Season 4 Hotel Deals Flight Deals Packing Health and Safety Language Top Mobile Apps for Admissions Teams 02 At the Airport 19 Get Through Security and Check-In Quickly Food Before Flying: The Do s and Don ts How to get into Airport Lounges for Free 03 On the Plane 22 How to get a Comfortable Seat on the Plane Entertainment 04 On the Ground 25 Jet lag Exercise Quick On the Go Meal Ideas How to Reduce Stress On the Go How To Get Free Wi-Fi Restaurants and Things to Do Top 3 Things to See in Frequently Visited Cities for Admissions Teams

3 Introduction The dream is this: You explore the world - five cities in six days, 17,567 miles and five different beautiful hotel rooms. India, Hong Kong, Africa, Australia, you ve seen them all. You re living in culture, absorbing it, and becoming more worldly by the day. However, the reality is more like this: Numb legs on endless flights and car rides, fast food inhaled in your rental car, and running from one school fair to the next with blurry, bloodshot eyes. Not to mention the jet lag, forgetting what floor your hotel room is on, and the nightmare of lost luggage. You re lucky if you get time to look out the window for a glimpse of culture, forget immersing yourself in it. As a member of a university admissions team, you travel the world. With packed recruitment and tour schedules, many flights to catch, and last minute hotels to book, you re probably already a seasoned traveler. But even the most savvy need checklists, reminders, and apps that improve life on the road and in the sky. Since we know how stressful and challenging admissions travel can be, we spent months researching how to make your travel less stressful, less costly, and ultimately more enjoyable. We spoke to dozens of admissions teams and consulted travel experts, like Nomadic Matt (nomadicmatt.com) who runs a successful travel advice blog (featured on CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and more). This guide will arm you with tips and tricks to keep you looking and feeling your best while you travel so that you can focus on finding the best and brightest students to fill your classrooms.

5 Title 01 Preparing for Recruitment Season The key to a successful and productive trip is in the planning. From hotel and flight deals to your luggage and how you pack it, as an admissions officer, organization is your best friend. We ve created checklists to make packing a breeze and found all the apps you could possibly need to make every aspect of your trip run smoothly.

5 Preparing for your Trip Hotel Deals 01 Hotwire (hotwire.com) Hotwire hides the name of the hotel until after payment but they do show you the neighborhood, average customer rating, and a complete list of the hotel amenities. Prices are usually much lower compared to other sites, but there are no refunds allowed. 02 Priceline (priceline.com) Priceline offers discounts on hotels all over the world, and allows you to Name Your Own Price. Select the star rating and location of the hotel you wish to stay in, then place a bid for what you re willing to pay. The bids are then accepted or rejected by the hotel. You can often save up to 50% off the normal rate. Admissions Officer Tip! Melissa Fogerty, Deputy Director, Admissions at Yale The Hotel Tonight App is an easy way to book last minute hotel stays. It s a three step process and takes about 10 seconds to book a last minute hotel room for that night. The prices are usually low because hotels are trying to sell rooms that would otherwise go vacant. 03 Google Hotel Finder (google.com/hotelfinder) Google Hotel Finder allows you to search for hotel prices all over the world, on travel sites across the web. It provides all of the available rates for just about any hotel. It s an incredibly powerful tool that can save you a ton of time and money. 04 Airbnb (airbnb.com) Airbnb continues to shake up the hotel industry by allowing anyone to rent out their home or apartment to travelers looking for a place to stay. While prices are not necessarily lower than staying at a deeply discounted hotel, you can often find unique places, or you can rent out an entire house and stay together as a team. 05 CheapOstay (cheapostay.com) If you re looking for the absolute lowest price in hotel accommodations and aren t too picky about where you stay, consider using CheapOstay. Choose your city, select your travel dates, and they will provide you with two and three star hotels for incredible prices. Flight Deals Price Trend 01 Kayak (kayak.com) Kayak aggregates flight prices from all over the web and creates a chart of the recent price changes along with advice on whether to buy or wait. Advice: Wait Confidence: 85% Prices may fall within 7 days. KAYAK Price Trends 02 Hipmunk (hipmunk.com) Hipmunk is new but offers an intuitive interface and most importantly, makes flight recommendations based on their Agony rating. Where most other travel sites allow you to sort by price, Hipmunk takes the total duration of the trip and number of layovers into account. They find you the best price on the shortest flight.

Deals 6 03 CheapOair (cheapoair.com) CheapOair offers rock bottom flight prices on a variety of airlines. If you don t mind a few layovers or changing airlines during your trip, this is a great option. 04 Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz These three sites are very similar. You can search for flights from a variety of airlines with a single click. If you re just looking to save money, these are great options. 05 Travel Agents Yes, they still exist. Travel agents are seasoned professionals in securing great deals on flights and hotels. Most importantly, they do the majority of the legwork for you. Nomadic Matt Tip! Search incognito Use the Incognito feature on your browser when you re searching for flights to hide your browsing history. Then travel websites can t raise prices based on your previous searches. Packing How to Fit More Clothes If you pack efficiently, you may be able to avoid checking any bags, saving anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour at the airport. Skipping the check-in lines and baggage claim also reduces the chances of the airline losing your bag to zero. Here are some tips1: 01 Roll your clothes. You d be surprised at how much more you can fit this way. 02 Stuff smaller items like device chargers or socks into your shoes. 03 Compressor bags can help shrink your clothes - especially great for dirty laundry. 04 Travel sized toiletries will also save you space and weight. 05 Pack with tissue paper between layers to avoid wrinkles. 06 Buy wrinkle free dress shirts. Admissions Officer Tip! Andy Chen, Associate Director of MBA Career Management, Foster School of Business at the University of Washington Packing cubes have been a big discovery for me. They help a lot with organization. When I m visiting multiple cities it s so much easier to unpack and repack. Eagle Creek s Original Pack-It Cubes (eaglecreek.com) help you pack and unpack your suitcase efficiently. 1 http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/travel/best-way-pack-suitcase

7 Preparing for your Trip Quick Tip! Get through security quickly with your carry-on Buy small, travel sized bottles and fill them with your favorite shower products. Liquids, gels, aerosols, creams and pastes must be maximum 3.4 ounces (100ml) or less per container. All your liquid containers have to all be able to fit in a one quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag and only one bag is allowed per passenger. Skip taking your usual perfume or cologne. Most scents are available in rollerball versions, which are perfect for travel. You can also stop by a store and ask for small sample bottles of your favourite colognes or perfumes. Essentials to pack for the flight Most airlines allow you to carry on a personal item in addition to your main carry on. This can be a purse, backpack or briefcase. The general rule is that it must be smaller than your carry-on and able to fit under the seat in front of you. This is the perfect place to carry anything you re going to need during your flight. Your laptop, headphones, phone, travel documents, a pen and notebook, etc. Packing snacks is great for both long and short flights. On long flights if you sleep through meals you ll be happy for that apple, and on short flights they often won t serve food. Being prepared is always smart. If you wear contacts, don t forget to pack your glasses and contact solution (in a less than 100ml bottle of course) in case your eyes get dry during long flights. Face wipes and a toothbrush are great for a pre-landing refresh. And don t forget to pack your makeup in this bag so that you can re-apply before landing. Then on landing you ll be able to rush off to your first meeting feeling fresh-faced and ready. Don t forget the gum for those air pressure changes during takeoff and landing!

Essentials 8 We asked an admissions officer what s in your carry on?

9 Preparing for your Trip The Ultimate Gadget Checklist How many times have you arrived at a conference only to find you don t have the right adapter to connect to a projector, or your phone charger is still in your car at home? Here s a handy checklist of all the gadgets you will likely need when you travel. 01 09 06 03 10 05 04 11 08 02 07 01 Phone 02 Tablet 03 Laptop 04 Chargers 05 Cables and converters to connect to projectors 06 USB stick 07 Portable speakers 08 Portable chargers and batteries 09 Noise canceling headphones 10 Travel adapters and voltage converters 11 A pen in your carry-on

Health and Safety 10 Health and Safety Booking your trip with any type of premium credit card will likely give you access to a variety of travel insurance perks, so make sure to check what s included with your card. In fact, most premium travel credit cards offer far more benefits than you may realize such as priority boarding, free luggage allowance, and lounge access. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention lists every vaccination you might need for a particular country you re visiting. See the list here: wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/ destinations/list. Craig Morantz, CEO of Kira Talent, creates his own first aid kit depending on where he s traveling to. When you get sick it s difficult to deal with language barriers and differences in local medicines. Many countries have different brands available and the pharmacy may not look anything like yours at home. See his typical kit below. Quick Tip! Charging your phone and saving battery life 01 Put your phone in Airplane Mode when you re not using it to dramatically improve battery life. Your phone will also charge significantly faster in Airplane Mode. 02 Turn off or disable Location Services. 03 Close any apps running in the background. 04 Turn down your screen brightness or set it to Auto, where it will dim according to ambient light conditions. 05 Download an app like Battery Doctor. It works in the background to shut down apps and processes that are consuming a lot of power. Nomadic Matt Tip! Build and pack your own first aid kit Gravol, Polysporin, Imodium, talcum powder, alcohol wipes, multiple sizes of bandaids, an antihistamine, and melatonin to help with regulating jet lag.

11 Preparing for your Trip Nomadic Matt Tip! Take pictures of your luggage, clothes, passport, and credit cards If your bag gets lost, this will help identify it easily and speed up the process of having your travel insurance reimburse you. Top 4 Carry-On Bags Based on our research we determined the features you should look for in a carry-on: 01 Lightweight. 02 Well designed. A professional looking exterior and internal organizers. An external pocket or an easily removable section for laptops and other electronics to help you speed through security. 03 TSA approved locks allow security to inspect and relock your baggage without damaging your lock or bag. 04 360 degree spinner wheels allow for great maneuverability and make speeding through the airport a breeze. 05 A separate laundry section. We thought this was a great idea - a section that can be used to separate dirty clothes from clean ones. 06 Spacious or expandable. Travelpro Maxlite 2 22 $140 USD Simple and classic design. Expandable by 7 liters. External pocket that fits a 15 laptop. Very spacious and light (5lb) Briggs & Riley Baseline $469 USD Compression system increases packing capacity by 34%. Front pocket for easy access. Built in suitor - keeps suits and garments wrinkle-free. Genius Pack 21 Hardside $158 USD Secluded laundry compartment Interior organizational compartments Integrated TSA friendly combination lock 360 degree spinner wheels Crush-proof and lightweight Samsonite Winfield 2 20 $469 USD Hard shell exterior Multi-directional spinner wheels for 360 degree upright rolling Internal divider zips shut completely to separate the two halves of the suitcase Integrated TSA approved combination lock

Language 12 Language Nomadic Matt Tip! The four steps to mastering a language2: 01 Be specific with your goals Don t aim to master the language. Depending on how long your trip is, have specific goals for how much time you will spend learning and what you really need to know. For example: Learn phrases to get me through 72 hours or, Have an introductory conversation with a local. 02 Learn the words YOU will use Identify potential scenarios you might be in and learn words that will help with those. Common words like bathroom or local words for favorite foods are a good start. Consider common conversations you may need to have with students and practice those, such as introductory ones about who you are and your role at the school. Think about potential issues at a school fair and what common words you ll need to know to get help if things go wrong. Quick Tip! DuoLingo is a free language learning app that Apple rated the best iphone app of 2013. It gamifies learning by giving you points for correct answers and provides you with small bite-sized lessons so you can learn on the go. 03 Learn whole phrases Learn a list of common phrases. This guide (www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/ langs.htm) has a list of basic phrases for many languages. 04 Use it before you fly Practice with your coworkers, with friends who speak the language or get lessons from a website like italki (italki.com) that connects you with an online teacher. You can learn more in this blog post: www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/four-steplanguage-learning/ 2 www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/four-step-language-learning

13 Preparing for your Trip Top Mobile Apps for Admissions Teams We rounded up the best apps used worldwide by admissions teams to make travel more organized and fun! Flights Kayak A great app to search for flight, car rental, and hotel prices. You can search a variety of sites and book through the app. Quick Tip! Facebook Messenger now allows you to make free voice calls using your data connection to anybody with a Facebook account. SkyScanner An app that compares flight prices from around the web and allows you to book flights right from your phone. Accomodation Airbnb You can rent a home, or a room from a local host for lower prices than a hotel. You may even want to list your own place through Airbnb while you re away. Hotel Tonight An easy way to book last minute hotel stays. It s a three step process that takes 10 seconds to book a last minute hotel room for the night. The prices are usually low because hotels are trying to sell off rooms that would otherwise be vacant. Hotwire If you don t mind surprises, consider using the Hotwire app to book your hotel stay. With Hotwire, you don t know the name of the hotel you ve booked until after you pay. Instead, they tell you the neighborhood it s in, the average customer rating, and a complete list of the amenities. This allows them to secure much lower rates than the competition. Battery Saving Battery Doctor Helps extend the battery life of your phone by finding and shutting down background apps and settings that drain your device power. JuiceDefender Gives your battery a boost by managing your background settings and processes to give you more power.

Top Apps 14 Communication Currency Viber Make free calls and send messages to other users that have the app. It works over both mobile data and Wi-Fi. Skype Good for making video or voice calls all over the world to friends and family who have the app. You can also have group video calls with multiple friends, family members, or coworkers. In addition, you can purchase Skype credits to call actual phone numbers for pennies on the dollar. Skype works both over Wi-Fi or mobile data. WhatsApp Useful for texting, group chats, and file sharing between contacts who have the app installed. It s a great way to keep in touch with family, friends, or coworkers. You can share images from your travels directly from your phone or even share your current location instantly. Over 500 million people use WhatsApp every day. Admissions Officer Tip! Melissa Fogerty, Deputy Director, Admissions at Yale has these money tips: Exchange rates are always better at a local ATM. Don t exchange a lot of currency before you leave. Use a bank card that has no foreign transaction fee. Notify banks that you re traveling so that your card isn t put on hold Most banks allow you to do this through your online banking console now. Do have some foreign currency on hand for when you arrive. This is useful for small purchases at the airport or for taxis that will only take cash. Avoid on-the-spot currency conversion. Don t pay with your home currency just because they ll accept it. Always pay in local currency to avoid double costs. XE Currency Gives you access to live foreign exchange rates so you can figure out how much your hotel room or dinner costs in your home currency while you re traveling. Oanda Convert amounts for over 190 currencies. Keep frequently used currencies easily accessible, and use a big-button keypad to quickly enter conversion amounts. Food & Exploring Yelp Search for local businesses (restaurants, spas, home services, etc.) in cities all over the world. You can read reviews, view photos, and even find the top rated places in each category. Vivino Take a photo of any wine label and get instant ratings, prices, and user reviews. This is great for when you re at a restaurant and find a wine you love that you want to remember and purchase later.

15 Preparing for your Trip TripAdvisor User reviews of all travel related destinations worldwide. This includes hotels, restaurants, and excursions you may want to take in a city. Their Things To Do section outlines the top must see attractions in every city. TripAdvisor City Guides Provides offline access to information about restaurants, places to see, suggested itineraries, and more, for a specific city. It also offers self guided tours from within the app. These offline tours are great for when you re sightseeing but don t have internet access to look up information about each landmark. Utilities WeFi Allows your device to automatically locate and instantly connect to the strongest Wi-Fi network available. You can also join their network of users to contribute to finding hotspots worldwide. WeFi is essential when traveling to minimize mobile data usage. GateGuru Find the best restaurants near your departure gate, updated security wait times, and other airport and terminal specific information to make your time at the airport organized and stress free. SeatGuru Find the best seats on your flight before you make a seat selection by reading reviews from other passengers. Find out all the little nuances you wouldn t know otherwise: leg room, seat pitch, noise level, or proximity to the bathroom. Google Translate Speak, type, write, or take a picture to translate one language to another. Download language packs for your specific city to translate offline. The results can be text or spoken out loud as well. Networking Evernote Hello Pulls in information about the people you meet from your calendar, Evernote account, online networks, and more. This is great for keeping track of stellar candidates you meet on your trips. LinkedIn Connected Notifies you to reach out to people in your network when big changes happen so you can keep your relationship active. It also integrates with your

Top Apps 16 calendar to automatically provide you with information about any person you re meeting: shared connections, location, work, interests, how you met and more. Organization PackPoint Generates a packing list depending on where you re going, the type of trip you re taking, the weather at your destination, and what activities you re planning. TripIt A travel organization app. You can forward all your confirmations and tickets to a TripIt email account to automatically add them to your itinerary. You can also add maps, directions, notes, appointments, and other details to help you stay organized. Evernote A digital notebook. You can make notes, checklists, clip articles from websites, and add or even draw images. You can then create your own tags to mark any piece of content, making it easily searchable and more helpful in organizing your thoughts. Evernote has great search capabilities, it can even search through text that you ve handwritten. Use it to make notes about people you meet and even add images (business cards for example) or tags ( MBA Tour Houston or Star Prospect ) to help you remember details about them. Quick Tip! Google Maps is the most popular navigation app available, but did you kow that you can use the Offline Maps feature to download and save maps for use even when you don t have internet access? Here s how: 01 Open the Google Maps app 02 Search for a place, like San Francisco. 03 Pull up the place info sheet a the bottom of the screen and press in the top right corner. 04 Select Save offline map to save the selected area of the map. 05 Only what s on the screen will be saved. Adjust the map as needed, then touch Save. 06 Name the map and touch Save. 07 After a few moments, you see a message confirming that the map has been saved. Dropbox The #1 cloud storage service is now available in your pocket. Anything you add to Dropbox will automatically show up on all your computers, phones, and even the Dropbox website, so you can access your files from anywhere. You can also easily share files with people and access your favorite files offline. CamScanner Allows you to scan documents using your smartphone s camera. You can then share your scanned documents as PDFs over email. Pocket Good for saving important links. The browser extension or app allows you to quickly save a URL and add a tag to it for easy searchability later. This is good for when you come across something you want to finish reading later or refer back to. You could create tags like Travel Tips, Inspiration, Life Hacks, or Just For Laughs.

17 Preparing for your Trip Google Keep Great to jot down quick notes, to-do lists, or save pictures. Take pictures of every piece of paper or information you need to recall quickly: receipts, tickets, parking spot locations, room numbers, reference numbers, and more, and tag them to find them easily. CamCard Allows you to digitize business cards. It reads the information from scanned cards and allows you to save contact information to your phone or share them over email. This will save you from carrying 100 s of physical business cards home. Fancy Hands A digital assistant. You could ask Fancy Hands to plan out your day as one task. You could simply say: I need to be at the University fair by 10am, can you find me a great local spot for breakfast? Also provide me with directions and time needed to get from the hotel to the restaurant to the conference. or Schedule three coffee meetings at a local coffee shop near my hotel. Add these to my calendar and confirm attendance with everyone. Music & Entertainment Songza A great free app for putting on a playlist without the hassle of selecting songs. It s as simple as picking your mood, and you ll be shown a variety of music playlists curated by experts. Rdio A music streaming service that gives you on-demand access to over 30 million songs from all your devices. For less than $10 a month you can create playlists and find almost any song you want, from Van Halen s greatest hits to the latest Taylor Swift album. Spotify A popular music streaming service boasting an extensive catalogue of tracks. Create your own playlist, pick by your mood, or select from top playlists recommended by Spotify. Free and premium versions are available. Kindle Download and read books on any device from the Kindle store. This is a great way to prevent carrying multiple books in your carry-on. You can purchase books wherever you have internet access and can download them to all your devices (tablet, phone, laptop, Kindle device) instantly.

Top Apps 18 Flipboard A beautifully designed personal magazine that can pull together news from a variety of different sources. You can even integrate your social media accounts so that you re always up to date on the news in your networks. Transport & Navigation Uber Request a nearby cab, private car, or ride-share with nearby users. Uber keeps you updated on the driver s arrival time and automatically charges your credit card so you never have to touch your wallet. Available in over 50 countries. Your Airline s App Many airlines have developed their own mobile apps to communicate with their passengers and provide updates about flight times, delays, and other information.

20 Title 02 At the Airport As an admissions officer you probably know your local airport like the back of your hand. Where to get the best coffee, what times and days are the busiest at security, and where you can sit comfortably while charging your devices - these are all things that you learn when you spend a great deal of time in one particular airport. But how many times have you found yourself racing through an unknown airport trying to catch your flight or find yourself waiting in long lines to check your bags? From how to get through security quickly to foods you shouldn t eat before you fly to how to get into the first class lounge; we ve put together some tips and tricks to make your airport experience, in any airport, run as smoothly as possible. Photo by Aaron Webb

20 At the Airport Get Through Security and Check-In Quickly Quick Tip! Google your flight number to get updated flight information directly in the search results. For example: A search for AC 845 (Air Canada Flight # 845) brings up the handy Google result below. 01 Check your flight status before you leave for the airport. This will ensure you don t end up spending hours at the airport for a canceled or delayed flight. Websites like flightaware.com offer this information for free. 02 Check-in online before you go to the airport. Most airlines will email you a copy of your boarding pass so that you can speed through check-in by just dropping off any checked luggage. You can also check-in on your airline s mobile app and get your boarding pass electronically stored in an app like Passbook (a built in ios app), TripIt (tripit.com), or Google Now (built into Android phones - google.com/ landing/now). 03 Keep the documents you need to refer to at the airport, such as boarding passes and passports, together in a small bag that you can access quickly. Even a simple Ziploc bag will work for this. 04 If you re frequently traveling in the United States you can apply to be a part of the Global Entry Program. It s a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows speedy clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers to the U.S. You can find more information here: cbp.gov/global-entry/about. 05 Pack electronics such as laptops, tablets, and e-readers, as well as any liquids, on top of all other items in your carry-on. Being able to find and remove these items from your carry-on for separate screening will speed up the process. 06 Get a TSA approved bag for your laptop and other electronics. We recommend the Timbuk2 backpack, as it has a separate section for your electronics which opens up flat to go through security. 07 Wearing slip on shoes makes getting through security much quicker. Wearing minimal jewelry, belts, and any other items that make sensors go off will also save you time. Food Before Flying: The Do s and Don ts3 Do's Don'ts 01 Coffee and alcohol will dehydrate you even more than flying usually does, so stick to water or tea. 02 Yogurt with natural probiotics will help regulate your digestive system. You can also consume digestive enzymes or herbal teas to sooth the stomach. 03 Consume lean protein and stay away from heavy fried foods for easier digestion. Stick to soups and salads when you can. 04 Smoothies will help you stay hydrated and full. 05 Avoid cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, and carbonated beverages. After takeoff, the air pressure in the cabin decreases, causing the cabin air to expand by around 30 percent. This can cause swallowed air and gases in the stomach and small intestine to expand, leading to an uncomfortable bloated feeling known as jet bloat. Low sodium meals will also prevent the feeling of jet bloat. 3 http://www.smartertravel.com/photo-galleries/editorial/eight-foods-you-should-never-eat-before-flying.html?id=246

Getting Airport Lounges for Free 21 Quick Tip! If you have a few minutes, relax and treat yourself to a massage, a shoe shine, or a manicure at the airport. After all, it s not easy traveling. Quick Tip! Boingo Wi-Fi is $9.99 a month and gives you access to over a million Wi-Fi hotspots at airports and in cities all over the world. This is a good option for frequent travelers, but make sure they have hotspots in the cities you travel to most often. Photo credit: Luke Lai How to get into Airport Lounges for Free4 You don t need to have a first class ticket to get access to a lounge at the airport. Here s how you can get work done or just enjoy some down time in a first class airport lounge. 01 Ask someone to add you as their guest. Most airport lounges allow first-class flyers to bring one person with them as their guest. This doesn t cost the member anything, so it s not a huge favor to ask a friendly stranger. 02 Buy a fully refundable first class ticket. After using your first-class ticket to enter the lounge, cancel it before the flight s departure, receiving a refund on the purchase price. This one is for brave travelers only! 03 Many credit cards offer discounted or even free lounge access. These cards may cost an extra $100 per year, but for some, having access to the business class lounge is worth every penny. 04 If you re willing to pay, you can purchase a one time lounge access pass at most airports. Just make sure to read reviews of the lounge online before you spend the money. 05 If you can t get access to the business class lounge you can probably still get free Wi-Fi access by finding a seat as close to the lounge as possible. 4 http://lifehacker.com/how-to-get-into-luxury-airport-lounges-for-free-1569936509

23 Title 03 On the Plane Long sleepless flights, cramped legs, no space to recline - flying can be exhausting, especially when you re not properly prepared. But with the right preparation you can sit in the best seat on the plane, beat leg cramps and entertain yourself for hours on end. Photo by Anna Hanks

23 On the Plane How to get a Comfortable Seat on the Plane Fun Fact! Did you know that an e-book reader full of books weighs more than an empty one? It s true approximately a billionth of a billionth of a gram more!6 Read Reviews SeatGuru (seatguru.com) allows passengers to add comments about their specific seat on the plane. Every plane has nuances, find out which seat has the leg-room stealing emergency oxygen tank under it, or which business class seat has 30% more pitch. It s all there. You can just search for your flight and look at color-coded interactive airplane seating charts before you make your final seating choice. Get an Upgrade5 It starts with simply asking at every step of the way. Quick Tip! Visit the restroom an hour before descending when it s likely to be less crowded. This is especially important if you re traveling to a foreign country and need to spend time going through immigration, as there may not be restrooms before you get to the security zone. 01 Join a frequent flyer program and fly one airline the most. This is the best way to get an upgrade. 02 Dress to impress. You re only going to get a business class seat if you dress the part. 03 Be first or last to check-in to boost your chances. Being first means that you may get one of the small number of upgrades airlines have available, being last means that if the plane gets full you may be given an upgrade for the inconvenience. 04 Choose the right flight. Your best chance of being upgraded occurs if the economy section is packed, but sometimes empty flights and a nice employee at the check-in counter can mean a better chance for an upgrade. Entertainment An e-reader (Kindle, Kobo, or Nook are popular ones) is a good investment because it allows you to carry as many books as you d like without taking up much space in your luggage. E-ink displays are also more visually similar to a real book and will help to reduce eye fatigue. If you don t have the time to pick up a book, a service like Audible (audible.com) is great for catching up on reading while on the go in the form of audio books. You can also download travel podcasts related to the place you re visiting if you want to learn more before you land. 5 http://www.skyscanner.net/news/how-get-flight-upgrade-15-ways-get-bumped-business 6 http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/oct/26/kindle-weighs-more-when-fully-loaded

25 Title Get Comfy Photo by nikki

26 Title 04 On the Ground Once you reach your destination the whirlwind is often only beginning. Meetings, school fairs and an endless number of students and new people to meet, you need to stay alert and well organized throughout your visit. Don t let jet lag ruin your trip, stay alert by fitting in short workouts and ensure you re always well fed and hydrated. Learn our tricks for always finding free Wi-Fi. And finally, find out how you can maximize your time taking in the sights and culture.

26 On the Ground Jet lag 01 Adjust your bedtime by an hour (closer to the time at your destination) ahead of your trip so that the time change isn t a total shock for your body. 02 Taking melatonin can be helpful in regulating your sleep. According to WebMd, Melatonin is a hormone the body makes that regulates the cycle of sleeping and waking. Taking melatonin may help reset your sleep and wake cycle. 03 Skip the naps and go to sleep at an early local bedtime for the first few days after you arrive. Exercise It s easy to miss workouts when you re traveling, but you don t have to. Here s a quick, high intensity workout that you can do in your hotel room in just seven minutes. It s called the Scientific 7-Minute Workout. The exercises below should be performed in rapid succession. Spend 30 seconds on each with an intensity of about 8 on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10.

Stay Stress-free 27 Quick On the Go Meal Ideas Protein or granola bars These are often available at the airport, but you can save money by buying them at a store and bringing them in your carry-on bag. Nuts or trail mix Nuts are calorie dense, contain lots of healthy fats, and even some protein which will help you stay full longer. Apples The old adage is true. Apples contain simple sugars, which are great for energy, fiber, which helps with digestion, and are packed with antioxidants which are good for your heart, skin, and even your teeth. Roasted chickpeas Chickpeas are a calorie dense snack that are loaded with protein. Just watch out for sodium in a lot of store bought brands. Cheese and crackers These can usually be purchased on a lot of flights. Although it s not the healthiest option on this list, it contains a nice blend of carbohydrates, protein, and fats to keep you full. Quick Tip! Search Pinterest (pinterest.com) for interesting travel snack ideas. How to Reduce Stress On the Go 01 Scan important documents such as your passport (or even credit cards) using an app like CamScanner (camscanner.com). Store these with your flight tickets and hotel confirmations as favorites in Dropbox for easy access offline. Having all your travel documents in one organized folder is great for quick reference. 02 Set a specific time every day to call your family and schedule it into your calendar. This will save you time having to coordinate with them each day. 03 Email the concierge at your hotel ahead of your trip with requests such as the type of pillows you prefer or the temperature of your room. 04 Use a service like Fancy Hands (fancyhands.com) to outsource tasks. The assistant service can be used to do things like make restaurant reservations, manage travel itineraries, scheduling, and any other tasks that you have on your to-do list for your trip. 05 Lay out your clothes and prepare your bag for the next day before you go to bed. This will not only save you valuable time in the morning, but it will also save you the headaches of having to make too many decisions in the morning. 06 If you don t have time to iron, hang your clothes in the bathroom while you shower to get the wrinkles out.

28 On the Ground How To Get Free Wi-Fi Quick Tip! If you have time, buy a local SIM card when you reach your destination instead of buying a travel package with your carrier at home. It s always cheaper to pay the local price. Admissions Officer Tip! Andy Chen, Associate Director of MBA Career Management, Foster School of Business at the University of Washington Take public transit or walk rather than taking cabs whenever possible. It s a great way to see more of the city you re in and get a feel for the culture. While free Wi-Fi is quickly becoming the norm, the truth is that it can still be difficult to get while you re traveling. Here are some tips on how to get free Wi-Fi: 01 Know which hotels and businesses have free Wi-Fi. Starbucks and McDonalds are a safe bet, as are most coffee shops, hotel lobbies, university campuses, libraries, and bookstores. 02 WeFi (wefi.com) will map all the free and paid Wi-Fi hotspots in your area and connect you to the strongest one automatically. 03 Join a loyalty program at a hotel. These are usually free and the perk is often free Wi-Fi. Restaurants and Things to Do Take some time off to enjoy the city you re in. TripAdvisor (tripadvisor.com) is a great resource for what to do and where to eat in cities all over the world. Time Out also has city guides for 50 cities worldwide, which include restaurants, things to do, sights to check out and more (timeout.com/city-guides). Admission s Officer Tip! Lynda Paterson, Assistant Director, Recruitment and Admissions at Rotman (University of Toronto) Lonely Planet is a good place to get travel information. Research appropriate and inappropriate behavior for the country you re in. Ask the students or alumni you meet at school fairs about local restaurants to try or things you should see in the city. Also ask some of your current students at home before you leave. Hop on, hop off bus tours are a good way to see a lot of the city in a small amount of time. Top 3 Things to See in Frequently Visited Cities for Admissions Teams TripAdvisor is a fantastic resource for Things to Do in every city you visit. Go to tripadvisor.com and search for your destination. You can look at the attractions section to get lists of top things to see and do in categories like Landmarks, Museums, Cultural, Outdoors, Performances, and more. We picked out the top three things to do in the cities most frequently visited by admissions teams.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 30 Title Top places to see Shanghai Beijing Hong Kong Mumbai Dubai New York Los Angele

30 On the Ground Shanghai The Bund (Wai Tan) A section of Shanghai s port along the Huang Pu River, lined with beautiful architecture and a waterfront promenade to explore. Shanghai Museum (Shanghai Bowuguan) The Shanghai museum features eleven art galleries with exhibits of bronzes, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jade, and Ming and Qing dynasty furniture. Garden of Contentment (Yugarden) A large ancient garden with traditional chinese architecture. ght to see, especially at night! Photo credit: Tony Shi Beijing The Great Wall at Mutianyu The longest wall in the world. Mutianyu is one of the most popular sections open to tourists. Take a hike across the rugged country and steep mountains and enjoy the scenery. Jingshan Park (Jingshan Gongyuan) This ancient park (built in 1179) offers a great view of the forbidden city since it s located on the highest point in Beijing City. Hall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian) This is the largest building inside the Forbidden City (Palace Museum). It was the Emperor s main reception hall where the Imperial Throne is located. The exterior and architecture are a must see. Photo credit: Tym

Top places to see 31 Hong Kong Chi Lin Nunnery Learn more about Buddhism at this functioning Nunnery. Take in the Bonsai garden and enjoy the traditional architecture. Lion s Pavilion at The Peak This viewpoint offers one of the best views of the city. Take a tram up to the top of the mountain to the pavilion and on a clear day you can see the whole city beneath you. Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) Also known as the Big Buddha, is a 34 foot tall statue that weighs over 250 tons. It s the biggest, bronze, seated Buddha in the world. Photo credit: Nicolas Vollmer Mumbai Gateway of India Built in 1911 to welcome the King and Queen of England, this stone archway in Colaba is now a historic landmark. Marine Drive This is a famous road that borders the Arabian Sea. It offers gorgeous day and night time views of the sea. Dhobi Ghat A huge open air laundry. Hundreds of Dhobi s (clothes washers) wash dirty clothes in stone basins and there are rows and rows of drying clothes. Photo credit: Kiran SRK

32 On the Ground Dubai Burj Khalifa Burj Khalifa holds the record for the tallest building in the world. At over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories it offers an unbelievable view. Big Red A large sand dune where the sand is a gorgeous red. You can take a tour on a 4x4, try sand boarding and get amazing photos of the sunset. Dubai Fountains Choreographed to music, the Dubai Fountain shoots water as high as 500 feet and is a sight to see, especially at night! Photo credit: Cliff Hellis New York The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET) The MET is the largest art museum in the United States and one of the ten largest in the world with collections spanning over 5,000 years. 9/11 Memorial A park and structure with a waterfall where The World Trade Center once stood. There is also a museum you can visit. Staten Island Ferry A free ferry ride that offers you a view of the Manhattan skyline and a view of the Statue of Liberty. Photo credit: David Mills

Top places to see 33 Los Angeles Hollywood Sign The famous Hollywood sign can be found on top Mount Lee. It measures 450 feet in length with each of the white letters standing 45 feet high. The Getty Center This museum has collections by Van Gogh, Monet, and Cezanne, along with amazing architecture and gardens. Griffith Observatory Griffith Observatory is a public observatory, planetarium, and exhibition space. There is free public telescope viewing available every evening that skies are clear. Photo credit: Kolby

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