I don't travel alot, mostly because I don't have a job that requires it. But, I do fly probably more often than most people my age. I have family and friends scattered all over the place and, rather than have them visit me where I'm forced to entertain them, I'd much rather fly to where they are so they can entertain me. I think, over the last five years of fairly steady air travel, I've learned a few helpful hints.
1. Fly early. Even if it means that you stay up the night before and get your sleep on the plane, try to be on the first plane out. Reason for this? There can't be delays if your flight is the first one out. The plane is there. You are there. The captain is there. When your departure time rolls around, it's time to get the show on the road. Oh course this doesn't account for weather conditions or any freak incident with the plane itself. But, flying earlier is always a safer bet than waiting for a later flight. Also, airport delays are like dominoes. If they start small in the morning, but the time your afternoon or evening flight comes around, you might be put into a situation where you never get off the ground. So save yourself the trouble, go to bed early the night before, and fly out as early as you can.
2. Only pack a carry-on and a personal item. No need to check luggage unless you are going somewhere for more than a week or if you need to bring something out of the ordinary (avoid this at all costs, if you can). Checking luggage is a pain and the lines are unpredictable. Plus, if you have any delays, you have to worry about your checked luggage going where you go. I take my trusty Jansport backpack almost everywhere I go. I can pack for up to five days in it. I also bring a big purse (guys can bring a satchel) where I carry my books, laptop, wallet, phone, etc. (anything I want handy because I keep the purse under the seat in front of me). I'm not a fan of the roller bags because I feel they are cumbersome and get in people's way. With my backpack, I know that everything I have is on me and I can navigate quickly around an airport if I need to.
3. Imagine that someone is timing your trip through security. Even if there is a line, do everything in your power to make your security check a breeze. When there are about five people in front of me, I take out my laptop and my bag of liquids (be sure to put all your liquids in a plastic bag when you're packing and leave it in an easy to get to spot in your bag), take off my shoes and jacket, and get everything ready to throw in the bin and walk through security. Make sure you also have a good exit strategy. Sometimes the best thing to do is grab your stuff and regroup once you leave the security check point area. This is a time when slip-on shoes are a must. You can throw those on and off and be on your way. Bonus tip: Always be nice and courteous to the people at the security checkpoint. They have a rough job and they can really screw up your day. Be nice to everyone at the airport. Delays are often NOT their fault and they have to deal with assholes on a daily basis. Just be nice. It will pay off, I swear.
4. Packing tip. Wear your heavier clothes on the plane. I tend to wear jeans and a jacket on the plane because the AC is usually blasting and I get cold. This is also helpful for packing because those heavier items don't take up room in my bag. Also, if you're so inclined, where slacks and a nice shirt on the plane. You will get better service at the airport and on the plane. You look like a business traveler who knows his/her stuff. Trust me on this one.
5. Try not to hold up the boarding and deboarding process. Find an overhead compartment for your bag as you're walking down the plane so you can throw it in and grab your seat. Also, once you arrive at your destination, get your bag down as you're waiting to deboard, if at all possible. I really don't understand why people wait till the line is moving before the reach for their bag, which is clearly accessible to them. When you're in the back of the plane with a connection you're trying to make, watching people ahead of you struggle with their bags is a bit more than slightly annoying.
6. Always check the screens in the terminal to ensure that you're plane is on time and what gate you are going to. Once you get to your gate, confirm that the gate has not been changed. Be sure to get to your gate before boarding begins. Be sure to check the gate information before perusing the airport shops. There's nothing worse than an unknown gate change that comes to your attention just before you're suppose to leave. Especially if the new gate is on the other side of the airport.
7. When planing your flight, pay attention to where your layover is and how long you give yourself. I try to plan a layover in a city that is about midway between me and my destination. I do this simply because I like to have two equally long flights rather than a short one and a long one. Also, this tends to cut my flying time down because I'm less likely to end up at an airport that is way out of the way from my destination. I also don't schedule flights with a layover of less than an hour and a half. You have to carve out half an hour of boarding time, half an hour of possible delays from your first flight, and half an hour to navigate the airport once you land. Trust me. This is a good amount of time. I've only missed one connecting flight in my life and that can be blamed on Baltimore's need to start de-icing my plane ten minutes after we were suppose to depart (and, yes, I was on the first flight of the day and they should have starting de-icing way in advance).
8. Be calm. There is nothing you can do about delays, weather, rude people, lines, slow people, security, airport policy, and any of the other myriad of things that can go wrong. Plan for any contingency that you can (have your airline's 1-800 number on your phone so you can call them if you need to make new plans) and then just go with the flow for the rest. Remember when people use to travel by wagon or foot and it took them weeks to get anywhere? A few hours delay is nothing compared to that.
Happy trails, friends. I know I'm ready to plan my next trip.
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