Share Your Tips for Making Tight Connections

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

See recent posts by Carl Unger

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Situation: You have thirty minutes to make a connection. You’re on a crowded plane, you have carry-on bags, and it’s an airport you’ve never been to. What do you do?

As travelers, we all need to have a little MacGyver in us, that uncanny ability to handle nearly impossible situations with clever solutions. And while that doesn’t usually mean fashioning a grappling hook out of paper clips and bendable straws, it does mean adapting on the fly to stay on schedule when the entire world seems to be conspiring to make us miss our flight.

So, what do you do when you see a short connection on your itinerary? What about when your schedule gets thrown off, and you have an unexpectedly tight timeframe to catch your next flight? Share your tips and stories below. Thanks!

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