If you are planning on taking a long trip abroad, maybe even considering calling it a “sabbatical,” it might be a smart move to plan on traveling with an international first class ticket to North America. International first class flights to North America are becoming very popular with travelers who are looking to check out of everyday life for a while and invest some time living abroad. Great deals can be found on first class tickets to North America. If you have some flexibility on the time of year you are traveling, you can find cheap and inexpensive first class flights. Since you are traveling to a continent, you have many choices of where you can fly to and when you can depart. This flexibility means there are international first class tickets that are affordable and can work with just about any budget.
Last minute travelers can search a travel website and look for deals on unbooked seats. The more flexibility you have, the better your chances are of finding great deals on first class travel.
Why Choose North America?
The North American continent is popular with travelers for many reasons. North America is the third largest of the seven continents and is comprised of 24 countries. Canada is the largest country on the North American Continent. New York City just passed Mexico City as the most populated city on the continent with more than nine million people residing there. There are a wide variety of things to see and things to do in North America and the weather can be very pleasant. Once you arrive, you can travel across most of the continent using train and buses. There are challenging hikes, top-notch museums, lots of monuments, and many historically relevant sites to see across the North American continent. Planning a trip covering such a large land mass can be challenging but it can also satisfy a number of items on your bucket list. If you are traveling with a group, there really is something for people of all types of interests to see.
Which Airport Should I Use as a Destination Airport?
There is not a “pick this airport” singular choice for a great deal on first class flights. A good strategy is to search for tickets flying to an airport that works with your itinerary. If you don’t find affordable first-class airfare to this destination, then switch your itinerary up a bit and try another airport. You could research the busiest airport in the area and search inexpensive first class flights arriving there. For example, look up flights departing from the airport near your home and arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) as this airport is extremely busy, so you have a lot of choices for flights and many options for first class fares. Or use O’Hare International Airport (ORD) also called O’Hare Airport in Chicago. You can also take a short flight from your local airport to one of these larger airports and then fly from this second airport to your final destination, which would also increase your chances of finding great deals on international first class tickets to North America.
Once you find a great deal on international first class flights to North America, you should read the restrictions on your ticket before you purchase. Know the terms and conditions and ask questions. Also, once you find a flight you can go to the airline website and look up the type of plane you will be traveling on. This page will outline the exact cabin configuration and should be very transparent with amenities and benefits offered in first class. First class is much pricier than coach and economy fares, so you should know exactly which extras you are entitled to on your flight. Make a list of the benefits and amenities and then make a decision if the first class fare is worth it. Many travelers agree that first class offers so many great perks that it justifies the higher priced fare. It is your money, you should decide if it is worth it for you and for this trip.
Ten Not-So-Known Facts about North America
- Biggest Population Growth- British Virgin Island has a growth rate of 2.28%. The island is a property of the United States and has a great climate.
- Most Popular Religion- Christianity or some form of it is practiced by a whopping 77.4% of the population.
- Favorite Food- Whether you are in Mexico, Texas or anywhere in the United States, Fajitas are extremely popular. The epitome of Tex-Mex cuisine.
- Most Educated- New Jersey. Education score of 64.60. Education score measures the number of people who have completed a 2 or 4-year post graduate program.
- Most Olympic Medals- The United States leads the world as the country that has won the most medals in Olympic history with a total of 2,520 medals.
- Most Nobel Prize Winners- New York state has the most Nobel Prize winners.
- Tallest Building- One World Trade Center at 541.3 meters is the tallest building in North America.
- Tallest Mountain- The Denali at 6,190 meters.
- Most Miss Universe Winners- Venezuela leads the world at having 6 winners of the Miss Universe pageant.
- Largest Debt- United States with $18,286,510,000,000. This is also the largest debt of any country in the world.
Next Steps, Planning, and Purchasing
Next steps at this point are to finalize your itinerary. How long are you going for? It is wise to make a list of “can’t miss” places and things to do and then plan your trip around these. If you are planning to be on the road for a month or more, you can be easily sidetracked and overwhelmed and miss one of your bucket list items. If there is a theme for your trip, like you are seeing major metropolitan museums or only modern art museums, or perhaps you are sampling local cuisines, or visiting live music venues, whatever it is, this is the time to really put in the research and make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. Asking friends and family members who have traveled to these areas is another great way to decipher information and plan your day to day itinerary. Take their recommendations and decide on your own what works for your trip. You can’t see everything everyone recommends (unless your trip is very long), but you can see the best things and go to the “can’t miss” places.
If you are traveling with a group, consider breaking the trip down to countries or states and dividing up who is developing the itinerary for these areas. Leaving your trip in the hands of only one planner could give you a very one-sided version of an area. It is important to consider everyone’s agenda and everyone’s “must see” lists. That way everyone is happy and understands what will be seen each day. A trip across a continent is a journey, not a sprint. It takes a lot of effort to coordinate hotels and excursions. Take your time. Make sure you have all of the information you need to feel comfortable that this is a doable and enjoyable trip.
Write things down, plan carefully, and always make sure you know the terms and conditions of any ticket before your purchase. Use a reputable travel agent or travel website. If you belong to a hotel frequent stayer program, you can certainly use some of your points for free nights along the way. After that, wow, happy planning!