I totally forgot to include my best traveling tip of all! Okay, this one might sound a little extravagant, but trust me, you will love it and find it worthwhile.
*Stay at the airport hotel the night before you fly out. This is really only helpful if you follow my first tip, which is to be on the first plane out (usually between 6 and 7 a.m. on the East Coast). I first did this last winter when I flew home for Christmas. We had just got a ton of snow and I wasn't sure what the roads would be like when I was driving to the airport at 4 in the morning. So, I decided not to chance it and booked a room at the airport hotel. The roads were clear during the day, so I drove to the airport, parked in the airport lot, took the shuttle to the airport and then took the shuttle to the hotel. All in all, I probably paid $100 for the room and the extra day of parking. It may seem like a waste of money when road conditions aren't a concern, but trust me, it's like starting your vacation a day early and you get the benefit of a few extra minutes of sleep and peace of mind. Consider this. By the time you're rolling out of bed to catch your flight you've already: 1) gotten to the airport, 2) parked your car, and 3) packed and have everything ready to go. Spend your hotel evening laying out your clothes for the next day and packing everything neatly in your carry-on bags. Enjoy the free cable as well. Room service is an option if you really feel like treating yourself. Not to mention, in the morning, you can make yourself a cup of free coffee in your room and enjoy it on the short shuttle ride to the airport. Print out your boarding pass the day before, and all you have to do is go through security and get to your gate. I loved my experience staying at the airport hotel last winter so much that I recently replicated it again before a trip home. It was quite an enjoyable experience. I brought food with me for dinner so I could avoid room service and I clocked in almost six hours of sleep, which is way more than I would get if I had to drive in the morning to catch my flight. Plus, staying at the hotel is relaxing! You have everything ready to go so there's no last minute packing or worrying or any of that. On my recent trip, I was up, dressed, fed, at the airport, through security, and at my gate in FORTY FIVE MINUTES flat. Seriously. Amazing.
**Another good tip. Bring snacks for the plane. You can bring a healthier option than what the
airline provides. Plus, if you're like me and are often hungry, bringing your own food is better than paying airport prices for bad food. I was once on a six hour flight from Atlanta to Seattle and they didn't serve ANY food. Not a cookie, pretzel or peanut in sight. I vowed on that day to never fly without some food on me. It can really be a life saver, especially if the airlines are stingy or you get stuck on the runway, God forbid, for an unreasonable amount of time.
***Oh my gosh, I'm full of these. This tip I got from my sister. Bring an empty water bottle in your carry on. Fill it up at the airport. Take it on the plane. You should stay hydrated generally, but I found that having my own water helped me feel better after my flight. Usually the recycled air and altitude changes really affect me, but this time I felt much more at ease. I'm not sure if only the water should be credited, but it certainly didn't hurt.
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