First, I’d like to give myself a round of applause for my last few airport encounters where I have arrived at the airport with a significant amount of time to buy food, use the bathroom, fill up my water bottle and download podcasts for the plane. Navigating the airport is something I don’t think a lot about now but it was one of the things I was most concerned about doing when I traveled outside of the country for the first time even when I was with a study abroad group. My worst fear was getting on the wrong plane and ending up on the wrong side of the world lol. Now I know that’s pretty much impossible since they HAVE to check your ticket to get on the plane in the first place and there are signs everywhere to help you navigate the airport. But still, I’d like to share some helpful tips if this is one of your first times traveling alone or you want to know how to get through the most stressful part of traveling.
A lot of your experience will be highly influenced by the preparation you’ve done prior to the flight so these are the things I do to ensure the least amount of stress for the day-of. Here are some tips for the night before:
Before Arriving to the Airport
Check-in to flight the night before
If you only have a carry-on, checking in before you arrive at the airport can help you skip the process of having to go to a kiosk all together. You can then download your ticket directly to your email and save the ticket on your phone. I like to screenshot the ticket just in case I have trouble pulling it up. During this time, I might also be able to see where my gate is. I take note of this to have an idea of where to go prior to my arrival.
Pack all liquids in one clear bag and put it in an easily accessible place
Having all liquids in one place makes going through the TSA line much easier. I’m usually stuffing my backpack to the fullest, so in general, the process can be annoying to take my laptop out and all of my personal items so having this all in one area is very helpful. For the past 3 months, I’ve had TSA precheck with Global Entry and this process has gone a lot more swiftly without having to take everything out of my bag.
Put important documents in a safe and easily accessible place
I carry a small wrap around purse with my ID and Passport os that I’m not scrambling around trying to find it when security asks for it.
Pack my “on the flight bag”
Once you’re actually on the plane and in line headed to your seat, you don’t want to have to be scrambling around through your bags for everything you’ll need once you sit down. I like to carry an empty purse inside of my backpack and once I’ve made it through TSA, I then pack that bag with the essentials for the flight (hand sanitizer, wet wipes, vaseline, head pillow, blanket, deodorant, headphones, charger, book, journal, water bottle, eye mask, and a pen.
Boost your immune system
Usually, the week of the flight, especially if it’s international, I’m drinking EmergenCee and taking all of my vitamins to fight off any colds or viruses creeping up and to be in tip-top shape for the airport where I’ll encounter tons of germs. I just now started wiping down my seat on the flight and my next measure is wearing a mask over my mouth since my immune system is even more sensitive during super long flights.
Set alarm with more than enough time to get ready
I always have to keep in mind the I need to add an extra 30 minutes to my typical routine because there is always something extra I need to do. You don’t want to leave the house without doing something important like taking out the trash!
Once You’re at the Airport
Find your airline kiosk and ask clarifying questions
Getting to your airline kiosk will allow you to ask any clarifying questions you need which will help put your mind at ease. When in a foreign country, oftentimes people at the airline desks will speak English and be able to direct you to where you need to go. A lesson I’ve learned is to allow for EVEN MORE time to get to your gate than you would if you were at your home airport. In Thailand, there were TONS of airport checks and shenanigans that could’ve stopped me from getting to my flight on time had I allowed for the time I do back home (arriving an hour before take-off). It’s okay to ask questions every step of the way just to double-check that you are going the right direction.
Check the schedule for gate changes
Gate changes happen all of the time. Sometimes the gate might not even be printed on your ticket yet, so before your boarding time approaches be sure to look on the schedule to find out any gate updates. GET TO YOUR GATE. This is a note to myself too. There are times when I was at the airport on time and lollygagged the whole time and then found out I had to take a train to my actual gate and had to DASH to my gate. Or even missed a flight because I was eating a sandwich (lol I don’t want to talk about it). Your main priority is getting to your gate.
Fill up your water bottle before the flight
With all of the moving around and rushing to your gate don’t forget to stay hydrated! Bring a reusable water bottle for the flight and once you make it past TSA, find a water fountain to fill up your bottle. You can also buy a water bottle or get free water from a Starbucks if you can find one. It usually takes about 20 minutes after the flight takes off until the flight attendants start serving beverages and even then it’ll usually be a small cup. I like to fill multiple cups into my water bottle if I didn’t get a chance to fill up ahead of time.
Pull out your “on the flight bag” and entertain yourself
That prepacked bag will come in handy now. Enjoy your flight and your trip!