We’ve asked Rudy Maxa, host and executive producer of Rudy Maxa’s World on public television, for insight on traveling and flying. Maxa’s 85 episodes feature the world’s great destinations. He also hosts America’s most widely syndicated, weekend radio travel show, also called Rudy Maxa’s World, and is a contributing editor with National Geographic Traveler and Delta Air Lines’ Sky magazines.
Cheapflights: What are your personal routine procedures every time you fly?
Rudy Maxa: At the moment I book a flight, I try to get an aisle seat in an exit row. Some airlines limit these seats to members of their frequent flyers’ program who have achieved “elite” status, so not everyone can do this on every airline. I print out my boarding pass 24 hours before the flight, if possible, and arrange a taxi to the airport so I don’t have to pay for parking. I give myself about an hour to pack, ideally, the night before a trip. Often, however, it’s an hour before I leave my home or hotel.
CF: What is your biggest travel pet peeve?
RM: These days by biggest gripe is flight attendants who spend time reading People magazine in the back or front of the plane when they have a plane filled with passengers, some of whom might like some water or might like a flight attendant to pass down the aisle to collect trash. Look, I know flight attendants are there primarily to provide assistance in event of an emergency. And I know many of them have seen their pensions shrink or disappear and their work hours change. But with the sharp reduction in meal service on domestic flights, and with an increase in passenger load, they have the time and the mandate to go that extra mile, service wise.
Fly an Asian carrier, and whenever a passenger leaves a lavatory, a flight attendant slips into the lavatory to make sure it’s in order. How many times have US passengers entered a lavatory to find paper on the floor, tissue holders empty, and counters wet? If that’s the case on your flight, it’s probably not for lack of time on the part of flight attendants.
CF: What kind of trip type do you prefer?
RM: I like skiing trips. I like beach vacations. I like big city trips, and I like wine country jaunts. There aren’t many trips I don’t like, though I don’t go out of my way to take a spa vacation.
CF: Though hard to choose, tell us what your favorite destination is.
RM: I think it depends on what you discover later in life that knocks you out. Though I spent much of my childhood in Europe as the son of a US Army officer, I didn’t get to Asia ‘til I was 34. I was blown away and fell in love with the continent. So I’d choose Asia, though if I’d grown up there and landed in Paris, London, Rome or Amsterdam at age 34, I might feel otherwise. Lately, I’ve been enjoying trips to South America quite a bit. And there are few more magical things than a safari.
CF: Cheapflights is all about value. What location do you think offers the best value for travelers?
RM: Places where you can stay for free offer the best value – destinations where you have friends of family. That’s because more than airfare, lodging is often the major consideration these days, budget wise. Getting outside of big cities also offers value. I’d consider Estonia and Thailand, to name just two places off the top of my head.
CF: What is your ideal airport, and what’s your advice on how to best enjoy it?
RM: Asian airports almost across the board (except Taipei) take the gold ribbons for great airports to wander. But I like Heathrow for the food offerings, as well. In the US, Washington’s Reagan National is a nice, compact airport that’s close to downtown with a good restaurant or two. Generally, I like small airports such as Sacramento because you can get in and out easily and quickly. I recently changed planes in San Jose and was blown away by the terminal in which Delta flights arrive and depart. I can’t speak for the rest of the place, but the art and design that lets in massive quantities of light during the day really took my breath away.
CF: If you had to sit in the middle seat on a plane, who would be your chosen (or most-feared) seat mates?
RM: Most feared seatmates are those who talk too much. I like to use flying time as catching-up-on-reading time.
CF: What would you classify as a hypothetical travel nightmare?
RM: Showing up at the wrong airport or on the wrong day. Both of which I’ve managed to do.
CF: How does what you do for a living give you a unique angle on travelling?
RM: Well, since I’m constantly flying, I see how many folks don’t understand why they can’t change their discount tickets for a different destination on the spur of the moment. I see how some trips go wrong because a traveler neglected to write down a confirmation number for a hotel or rental car. I certainly am an expert at judging the quality of hotels and service personnel. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t.
CF: Share with us a few insider tips on how to improve the in-flight experience.
RM: As I mentioned in my “gripe,” I’d like airlines to imbue its personnel with the same service ethic that top-notch hotels try to do with their staffs. A little conflict-resolution training wouldn’t hurt, either.
Cheapflights is proud to have guest voices express their opinions. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheapflights Media (USA) Inc.
