Member interview: Expert Flying Tips With Johnny Jet

Meet Johnny Jet, a travel expert and journalist, member of Travel Massive Los Angeles and co-host of #TravelSkills Twitter chat.

John E. DiScala, aka Johnny Jet, has traveled over 100,000 miles a year since starting his newsletter in 1995 and has visited close to 100 countries. He and his website JohnnyJet.com have been mentioned thousands of times in major publications, including USA Today, CBS, and the Travel Channel. 

Read on to learn a few handy flying tricks from the expert.

How many miles do you fly a year?

I’ve flown well over 100,000 miles a year for the last 20+ years, but I’m trying to cut back on my travels for a couple of reasons: to reduce my carbon footprint and to spend more time at home with my young children.

How do you save money on flights?

Be flexible with dates and times, set fare alerts, and be creative with ticketing (for example look at nearby airports or fly out of a different city). But the best tip is to maximize points / miles. Find the best miles credit card for your spending habits and earn points/miles to upgrade on your travel and save money.

For instance, I’ve used some travel credit card perks to get priority boarding, free checked bags, and even get credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. I charge everything to my cards then pay them off before the month ends. This way, I earn points or miles (depending on the card) and apply them for future travel.

When and where is your next trip?

My next trip is to New York City in a few days to attend IMM and speak at the New York Times Travel Show. My next “big” trip is next month when I depart on a round-the-world trip.

What’s your favorite travel packing tip?

I’ve learned this over the years – you don’t need half of the stuff you think you do. I used to bring extra clothing, medications, and tech gadgets, but they ended up just weighing everything down. Plus, I was seldomly using everything I had brought with me.

Most hotels and accommodations have toiletries, irons, medicine and other items of convenience that you can purchase. I also recommend staying away from designer luggage and flashy jewelry.

Best tips for being productive while flying?

I recommend purchasing WiFi so that you can take advantage of the time up in the air. To be the most productive, save things in advance so that you can work through spotty WiFi. For instance, I like to write articles while flying so that when I land, I can post them and not have to worry about finding a space to work.

I also recommend being flexible and upgrading your seat, if possible, to have more space. I recommend using a flexible travel credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs the Capital One Venture, so that you earn rewards for all of your travel purchases, including WiFi and seat upgrades.

– Thank you for sharing your tips with us, Johnny. We wish you happy travels!

Follow Johnny Jet on Travel Massive and connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram.