4 Cool Ways to Perk Up Your Travel

Paying to park and napping in a terminal chair are so last year.

Patricia Mertz Esswein's avatar
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Whether for business or adventure, travel can wear you out. Check out these little-known travel amenities that will ease your burden, defray your cost, or add productivity or pleasure to your day.

Ditch your coat. Flying JetBlue out of John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York City? CoatChex will hold your heavy winter outerwear until you return ($2 per day or $10 for one week).

Get paid to park. With FlightCar, available at 10 major U.S. airports, you can park free and get paid if your car is rented to a preapproved driver. For an average five-day trip, members save $100 in parking fees and earn $30 in rental fees.

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Need a nap? Snag a private space with a sofabed and desk at a Minute Suite in Atlanta, Philadelphia or Dallas/Fort Worth. Cost: $38 an hour, one-hour minimum. Wake-up call included.

Snowed in (or out)? Chill. The LoungeBuddy app (free for Apple iOS and Android phones) will show you airport lounges around the world to which you have access (although you’ll often have to pay a one-time fee) and book you in. If you’re stuck in San Francisco or Chicago, meditate in an airport yoga room. The Phoenix airport has an indoor fitness trail with views of the skyline, mountains and buttes. Or rustle up a game of ping-pong in Milwaukee.

Patricia Mertz Esswein
Patricia Mertz Esswein
Contributing Writer, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Esswein joined Kiplinger in May 1984 as director of special publications and managing editor of Kiplinger Books. In 2004, she began covering real estate for Kiplinger's Personal Finance, writing about the housing market, buying and selling a home, getting a mortgage, and home improvement. Prior to joining Kiplinger, Esswein wrote and edited for Empire Sports, a monthly magazine covering sports and recreation in upstate New York. She holds a BA degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, in St. Peter, Minn., and an MA in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University.