Chug water before your flight, and do you best to board with a full bottle that you keep chugging during the flight. It keeps swelling down.
I used to be a window seat gal, but now I specifically get an aisle seat for any flight over three hours. That way I don’t have to bother waking anyone up if I have to pee.
If you hit some scary turbulence, just remember that planes withstand them. It feels scary, but the danger is due to bags or people that weren’t strapped in flying about. So, grip your armrest, imagine you’re on a rollercoaster and enjoy the ride.
Don’t be gate lice. There is no sense standing in line when group 1 is called when you are group 5. You are slowing everyone down
Similarly, don’t stand up the second you get to the gate. You won’t get off any faster and just slow things down.
Keep your seat belt on at all times. When flying, you can suddenly hit turbulence. Even on the ground, accidents can happen.
Makes sure to leave electronics and liquids in an easily accessible and take them out before going through security. Slip on shoes are also very helpful.
Fly as early as you can. Delays tend to stack up during the day.
Use aerolopa.com to get a better idea of actual seat layouts and positioning near bulkheads, lavatories, doors, and galleys
Travel cards can offer great perks that make the annual fee worth it. Free checked bag, free pre-check, lounge passes, earlier boarding groups, etc.
Even if you are checking a bag, keep a change of clothes and other essentials in your carry on. Also, back a smaller bag inside that can be a personal item in case you have to gate check your bag.
If you lack status with the airline, you can often buy elite access that can offer shorter lines for security and check in. It also comes with even domestic first class.
Of you are a “passenger if size” you can easily book an extra seat in Southwest by using your name with “Xs” in the middle name field. You have to check-in in person, and they will give you a card to hold your extra’s seat and let you preboard. After your flight, you can call and they will refund the extra seats fare.
A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
Traveling with a towel in my carryon bag has saved my ass more than a couple of times. It’s a towel, it’s a pillow, it’s a small blanket, it’s a privacy shield, it’s a surface to sling your fake watches to passerbys and earn enough for your return flight home.
Want to freshen up prior to landing or during a connection at an airport? That towel will get you dry after washing up, brushing your teeth, etc. No silly paper towel, or Dyson hand dryer nonsense.
When traveling to/from eastern Europe, always have your checked-in luggage wrapped. In those countries, especially in Hungary, there are many thieves among luggage handlers and there are many horror stories regarding in what conditions the passengers received their belongings at the end (if at all). While you cannot 100% eliminate risks, wrapped luggages are much less likely to be tampered with. It’s also worth wrapping it when you care about the outer texture of your luggage (sometimes the cargo area of the aircraft is really dirty).
In the terminal building, find your gate first, so that you know exactly where to go when the time comes. Until then, go, find a comfortable seat somewhere else, far from the gates. At DXB I know a couple of cool locations where there aren’t many people waiting, so there are plenty of free space plus much cleaner toilets nearby due to less frequent usage. However, I’ll keep that information to myself, because I still wanna be able to enjoy those less crowded areas when I’m traveling.
Pay attention to the safety briefing and really think it through. You have to remember it in panic situations. Pay attention to every single little detail, because everything is said for a very good reason. (Just as an example: when they say “pull the oxygen mask towards you when it appears in front of you”, you really have to yank on it (okay, maybe don’t rip it off; I have no idea how strong to pull it), because the oxygen flow starts only when a safety “pin” is released, which can be done by pulling on the oxygen line.)
If your clothes are in your checked-in luggage, always have at least one set of extra clothes in your hand-carry.
Pay attention to the airline’s guidelines when packing your luggage.
During an emergency evacuation do not reach for your belongings. Just do as instructed and leave the aircraft as you’re told, ASAP. For this reason, keep your passport in your pocket and try to wear clothing that will be suitable outside as well to some extent. For example, wear your shoes and wear a sweater at least. (And pants as well, but I guess it doesn’t need to be mentioned.) You will get your belongings back at the end (if they’re salvageable, I guess).
Others already mentioned it, but it’s so important, I need to reiterate: don’t be an asshole. It is common sense, yet there are so many people not following this rule.
I’ve traveled with my intellectually disabled sister before. If you’re traveling with anyone with a major disability of any kind but similar severity, I highly recommend you pack disposable gloves and wet wipes, and possibly a small emergency snack (especially if they have diabetes, my sister will just beat the shit out of you if she gets too hungry, some people might die or some shit).
Not bc climate change, but bc no human has ever gotten off a commercial flight. and been in the best possible condition to face whatever they were flying to.
People are miserable, and concentrated in a small space they're doubly so. Add to that convincing security theatre puppets that my CPAP is actually medical equipment, and that no, the meds that make sleep possible are not prohibited (liquid max be damned).... Hell with that.
I can get from my driveway to Chicago Union Station in two hours or less from my driveway. The LSL can have me in Albany ~12h later. Given that I was forced to make that trip quarterly in a past life, trying to fly WN would have forced me to go via BWI or ATL and taken the same damn amount of time all considered, with lots more stress.
Train gave me a decent sleeper car for less than plane fare for the two of us, even on WN. I arrived ready to get to work, versus a lil jet lagged and angry at people in general. Yeah, train was a no brainer.
Obviously not an option on all routes, but worked well for me.
If you don’t need an overheard bin to store anything it’s less stressful. You can chill in the bar and then get on the plane very last and it doesn’t matter, and you can potentially get off the plane faster when you don’t have the big carry-on to wrestle with.
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