There's an art to being a frequent flyer. Those who fly thousands of miles a year develop certain routines to enjoy the trips. Three frequent travelers tell BBC Capital their secrets for a better flying experience.

Philippe Cousteau

Time in the air: Logs more than 200,000 miles a year.

Routine: "Pack as lightly as possible," he says, Cousteau always brings his own healthy food and something to drink. "I don't eat airplane food as a strict rule."

Tips Loyalty matters more than you might think. Having status with an airline helps a lot when there is a problem and it also means that you have a better chance of getting up grades, he says. "It may seem basic, but I am shocked at how many travelers don't bother."

Karl Rosander

Time in the air: 140 days a year, almost on international flights.

Routine: He never eats on the plane, and he drinks lots of water. "Making sure to get some rest on the flight means I can hit the ground running when I land to make the most out of my time with my team," he says.

Tips: He recommends developing a routine for when you land. "There's a coffee shop in NYC on the Lower East Side called El Rey," he says. "I always grab a coffee there when I'm in town on my way into the office. The routine helps me focus, shake any jetlag and get my synapses firing."

Lee Maen

Time in the air: Roughly 12 weeks of the year, both domestic and international.

Routine: Maen's trick is to always wear all black, usually a black T-shirt and hoodie. He packs lightly and tries to minimize time at the airport by arriving as close to departure time as possible.

Tips: Maen recommends knowing what type of airplane you are travelling on—different planes have quirks to them, like larger overhead storage or better seats in different places. With that information, he can find the best place to sit.

Travelers to a new city are often encouraged to take a bus tour. The thinking is that they can later return to the places that attracted them, but that’s nonsense! What you see from the inside of a fast-moving bus is sanitized (清洁的) and unreal , entirely removed from the real sights, sounds, and smells outside.

The best way to experience any destination is by foot, without an itinerary, wandering where your spirit leads you. Even in the largest cities, the savvy(资深的) traveler plunges into the very center of town and walks down the nearest street, experiencing the actual life of the people while looking into the grocery stores and courtyard. You eventually get to many of the same sites that are on the bus route--the museums, the monuments, the city hall--but you will have witnessed so much more because you will have felt the contemporary life of the city you’re visiting.

“But what if I get lost?” people ask. No one ever gets permanently lost in a major city. Eventually, a trolley or bus passes with the words “Central Station” on its front and you can easily return to the center of town. Besides, the most wonderful things can happen if you do get lost, such as stopping at a sidewalk cafe to sit and relax and then asking directions from the locals at the next table. Hopefully , your trip may be attractive by this encounter. Here are a few ways to make the most of your travels:

Know before you go. Before you depart, spend time in a library or bookstore, learning about the history and culture of your destination so you will better understand the place you’re visiting .

Move around like a local. Use the local subways, trams and buses. You’ll not only save money, you’ll learn how people live there , and you’ll gain a realistic perspective of the city.

Check the bulletin board. Bulletin boards list free lectures, concerts, workshops and social gatherings, giving you a chance to join or meet the area’s most dynamic residents.

Take a walking tour. If you must book a guided tour, select the nonstandard , inexpensive kinds conducted on foot.

So, the next time you feel lured by a sightseeing bus tour, save your money and instead, wander around on your own. I promise you a time you’ll remember fondly.

Transport has a lot to answer for when it comes to harming the planet. While cars and trains are moving towards greener, electric power, emissions from air travel are expected to increase massively by 2050. If we want big green sky solutions, we need blue sky thinking Fortunately, there's plenty of that happening right now, particularly the short-haul flights powered by batteries.

Harbour Air is the largest seaplane airline in North America, flying 30, 000 commercial flights in 40 seaplanes each year. Significantly, all Harbour Air routes last less than 30 minutes, making it perfectly fit for electric engines. “As an airline, we're currently in the process of turning all our planes into electric airplanes. says CEO Greg Mc Dougall. To make this happen, the airline has partnered up with MagniX to create the worlds first commercial flight with an electric engine.

Making the skies electric isn't just good for the environment, it also makes sound financial sense: a small aircraft uses $400 on conventional fuel for a 100-mile flight, while an electric one costs $8-12 for the same distance, and that's before you factor in the higher maintenance costs of a traditional engine. There's also the added bonus that electric planes are just much more pleasant to fly in. No loud engine noise, no smell of fuel, just environmentally friendly peace and quiet.

While there has been real progress in the e-plane industry, the technical challenges that remain are keeping everyone's feet firmly on the ground. A battery, even a lithium one, only provides 250 watt-hours per kilogram; compare this to liquid fuel, which has a specific energy of 11, 890 watt-hours per kilogram. Carrying adequate batteries, however, would make the plane too heavy to get off the ground. In aircraft, where every bit of weight counts, this can't just be ignored.

The transition （过渡） from gas to electric in the automobile industry has been made easier by hybrids-vehicles powered by both fuel and electricity. Many believe the same pattern could be followed in the air. Fuel consumption could be reduced as the electric component is switched on at key parts of the journey, especially on take-off and landing.

It's certainly an exciting time for electric flying. With companies like Harbour Air taking the lead, battery-powered planes, especially on short-haul journeys, are set to become a reality in the next few years.