You Must Be Trippin'

What's Your Travel Name?

October 27 2009 by Chris McGinnis

I've been waiting and wondering about this and now it looks like its time to bite the bullet and change my name.

My travel name, that is.

My travel name would be the name I use when I buy an airline ticket, make a hotel reservation, rent a car, travel to another country or sign up for a charge card or loyalty program.

Why go to the trouble? Because starting next year, a new federal initiative called Secure Flight will require that the name on the ID you use to check in at the airport EXACTLY matches the name on your airline ticket.

And since the name on my ticket should always match the name on my frequent flier account (to avoid missing out on miles), I'll have to change that.

As long as I'm changing the name on my frequent flier accounts, I should probably change it on my Best Western Rewards account to be sure that program communicates properly with my Southwest Airlines account.

And since I'll be charging most of my travel expenses to my American Express or MasterCard, I'll be sure my name matches on those, too.

Since it's never really mattered what I called myself in the past, I've used a variety of permutations of my name. I've been Chris McGinnis, Christopher McGinnis, Christopher John McGinnis, Chris J. McGinnis, C.J. McGinnis, Christopher J. McGinnis and just C. McGinnis.

To avoid future airport hassles, stay off blacklists and ensure I get all my points and miles, I'll slowly start to change all my travel names to a single one: the name on my passport, which presides at the peak of the pyramid of my identity.

You should, too.

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