Essential Air Travel Tips to Make Your Journey Smoother

Essential Air Travel Tips to Make Your Journey Smoother

Air travel can be an exciting yet challenging experience, especially when navigating through airports, long flights, and different time zones. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or flying for the first time, being well-prepared can make your journey smoother and more enjoyable. Essential air travel tips, from packing smart and staying organized to managing jet lag and staying comfortable in-flight, can help you avoid common pitfalls and make the most of your trip. By planning ahead and following these air travel tips, you’ll arrive at your destination feeling more relaxed, refreshed, and ready for your adventure.

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Before Your Flight

There are plenty of actions you can take before you even board your flight. Let’s take a look at a checklist of suggestions for how to improve your flight before you leave.

Arrive Early

Reach the airport at least 2 hours before your scheduled time. You should have time to come back home and get back to the airport if you have forgotten something important. We always suggest a full packing checklist that you complete at least twice (one the night before and one the day of). However, if you arrive early you can easily create a buffer for the unexpected. You can also head to an airport lounge and start to relax much earlier than your flight. Lounges offer plenty of amenities including free food, drinks, work spaces and some even offer showers and sleeping areas.

Priority Pass: Guide to the Best Lounge Access

Check-in Online

In today’s world almost everyone knows that check-in for airline is open 24 hours before departure time.

This is when you can usually change or select a seat without the price tag if there are seats still available.

This is also when you can get your boarding passes and submit any documents you need in order to make the check-in process much quicker.

If you are checking luggage, you can often get luggage tags to print at home after you have checked in.

If you are traveling with carry-on, you can head straight to security with your QR code boarding pass.

Have Good Luggage

Luggage can be a very personal choice for many travelers. It is not a one size fits all sort of purchase.

Some people prefer to travel with carry on alone and therefore all they need is a back pack.

Others tend to carry a lot more baggage (if you pardon my pun).

If you aren’t a backpacker, someone who packs lightly, is quite young or going for a really short trip, then we highly recommend buying a bag or suitcase with 4 wheels. This makes it so much easier to move throughout the airport, public transport, etc. Your back and shoulders will thank us later.

Stay Hydrated and Avoid Jet Lag

Begin hydrating a day or two before your flight. Dehydration can worsen the effects of jet lag, so drink plenty of water and avoid excessive caffeine or alcohol, which can dehydrate you.

We all enjoy the free drinks on the plane or in the airport lounges, but if you suffer from severe jet lag, I highly recommend skipping those and choosing water for each meal instead.

We think this is such an important topic that we actually have a full article with the top tips and tricks to help you avoid jet lag.

HOW TO BEAT JET LAG

Seating, Upgrades and More

Choose your seat at the time of booking to get the best seat. However, if for some reason you wait until check-in remember to try to do it as soon as possible. Seat choices are once again a preference for each individual.

If you like something to lean against to sleep, or having control of the window shade is important to you then make sure to book a window seat.

On the other hand, if you need to go to the bathroom often, do not do well in confined spaces or simply want to get up to move around, select the aisle seat. If you are flying economy and want to shoot your shot, go for it!

Ask for upgrades, you might get one. While it is highly unlikely (unless you have status with the airline) you won’t get it without asking.

Speaking of airlines, loyalty programs can also be very valuable. Choose your airline wisely, some are really congested and uncomfortable.

Finally, let’s talk about the food and drinks. While most airline have a few selections they don’t have enough of each meal for every person. Pre-order your meals otherwise you might not get what you want, you will get what is left.

During Your Flight

Seating Selection Consideration

Turbulence is known to be the lowest near the wings of aircraft. Don’t settle for middle seats, if you haven’t pre-booked the seat, ask for a window or aisle seat politely. They are the first to go so they will most likely be fully booked.

Don’t take seats in front of the emergency exit, they don’t recline. For long haul flights this will make sleeping much more difficult.

The same goes for the very last seat in each section. Try to book front rows or close by.

Clothing

Flying can often take you through multiple seasons in one adventure.

My biggest tip, bring layers! Airports can be warm or chilly and even differ between terminals. Depending on the destination, you may have to go outside to take a bus, tram or even walk to your airplane.

You might be hot when you are taxi-ing to and from the gate, but often when you hit the 10,000 feet in the air, those zircons will come on full blast. Trust me, it gets cold!

However, layering and wearing your clothes has another benefit. It helps to save space and reduces the weight of luggage. Win -win!

Finally, it is very important to wear comfortable shoes. While some people really care about appearance while traveling, one of my favorite things about airports is that you will find everything around the sun when it comes to fashion in one location.

Honestly, no one cares what someone else looks like so be comfortable! Plus, you may be walking long distances between terminals or worse, needing to sprint to your next gate if there is a delay or connection issue. Leave the heels at home (or in your suitcase).

Sleeping Tips

Sleeping on planes is not my superpower. I struggle on all forms of transportation and therefore I have tried many things to help me sleep better. Here are just a few.

Take your medication, such as melatonin or sleep aids when you board the flight or with your first meal. This will allow you time to get settled and the medicine to kick in.

Choose green tea over coffee (Coffee won’t let you sleep). If you enjoy red wine a single glass to help take the edge off haas helped me in the past.

Don’t keep sitting for hours. Take a trip to restroom even if you don’t want. Walk up and down the aisle, do some stretches in the larger areas. Just be courteous of other passengers and do not cause a traffic jam.

Finally, bring along eye-mask, earplugs and travel pillow. The more comfortable you are and the less distractions the better.

Need More Travel Tips?

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Top eSIM Providers for Digital Nomads: Streamlining Connectivity While Traveling

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Want Lounge Access when Flying?

If you want access to over 1,500 lounges in 600 locations then you need to check out Priority Pass!

Happy travels xx

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