An American traveler who holds a Guinness World Record for the most flights on different airlines has revealed his top tip for avoiding flight cancellations.
Indy Nelson, 29, wanted to become the youngest and fastest person to visit every country in the world and took out an $80,000 loan after college to fund his globetrotting lifestyle.
Since then, the Californian has flown with a whopping 170 different airlines, breaking the previous world record of 156.
But despite making 500 flights during his attempt to break the world record, only two were cancelled, he said Guinness World Records.
His secret: book morning flights.
Indy Nelson, 29, took out an $80,000 loan to travel the world for 18 months when he was 22
Nelson’s secret to worry-free flying is to book morning flights, as they are less likely to be cancelled than later flights.
Nelson claims that choosing a flight earlier in the day is less likely to cause a delay or cancellation than flights departing later.
And his theory appears to be supported by a 2023 study from the Department of Transportation.
The figures show that more than 80 percent of flights departing between 6am and 9am are on time, compared to less than 60 percent of flights between 6pm and 9pm.
Nelson made the most flights during his 18-month journey around the world, which he began in 2017 at the age of 22.
He wrote on his website: ‘Instead of a typical backpacking trip, I wanted to challenge myself to become the youngest and fastest to visit all the sovereign states.’
The previous record of 156 unique airlines was held by a Japanese man named Ryuji Furusho from 1996 to 2014.
Nelson said his favorite airlines are Emirates and Qatar Airways, claiming that Middle Eastern airlines are generally “great.”
Nelson flew with 170 different airlines and has taken about 500 flights. He said the only two of his flights have ever been canceled
Nelson claims the biggest problem he’s ever had while flying is turbulence
Nelson’s goal was to be the youngest and fastest person to visit every country, but Lexie Alford holds that Guinness World Record
Lexie Alford of California later broke Nelson’s record as the youngest person to visit every country.
Also known as Limitless Lexie, she was 21 years old when she set the Guinness World Record for “the youngest person to travel to all sovereign countries,” according to Guinness World Records.
Alford had started jet-setting when she was just a child with her family, but Nelson didn’t get the travel bug until later, when he was in college.
His first trip away from his family was to Greece during the winter break of his senior year, where he volunteered with his brother in a refugee camp.
This trip inspired him to continue seeing the world. Nelson traveled to North Korea for an extraordinary spring break.
Nelson wrote on his website: ‘During the trip I had many interesting – and sometimes dangerous – experiences. In addition to beautiful tourist destinations I also visited destinations that have been ravaged by conflict and war, such as the front lines in Iraq.’
Nelson was offered free hotel rooms when his flights were cancelled twice
Nelson’s favourite airlines are Emirates and Qatar Airways, but he says any Middle Eastern airline is also good.
Although his flights were almost always smooth – turbulence was his only complaint – he was four different countries because they suspected he was a spy.
Nelson told Guinness World Records: ‘I feared for my life several times,
‘There were definitely several times when I thought I would never leave that country again.’
He was accused of spying in Iran, Russia, Libya and Papua New Guinea and spent approximately 24 hours in custody between all four incidents.
Nelson said Cambodia was his favorite country because the locals were very hospitable.
He added that the Comoros was his least favourite destination because of the “not so friendly” treatment of the locals.
Lexie Alford, 26, became the youngest person to visit every sovereign country in the world
Nelson has cut back on travel and is now focusing on building his telecommunications start-up
Nevertheless, he told Guinness World Records: ‘Get out of your comfort zone.
“It changes your foundation, it changes who you are, it changes your perspective on the world.”
Nelson is now focused on developing his own telecommunications start-up to deliver mobile data to underserved areas.
