May you be as chic a traveler as Jessa in Girls.
It’s that time of year again, time for seeing friends from home, time with your family, and time for more pie than your starved college stomach can handle. It’s a magical time full of memories, lovely smells, and the not-so-magical inevitable family arguments. Good thing you’re only home for a week. But, before all of this fun stuff can happen, you need to actually get home! For some of you, it’s a quick drive, but for many Emerson Collegiettes heading home on Thanksigiving Break means making a trip to Boston Logan Airport. Here are some tips for airline travel from your certified airport expert, Lissa Pappas.
Have a plan – The best way to be sure that you don’t miss your flight is to reduce stress by planning the days before your flight. Be sureto print off your boarding pass so you can go straight to the security lane at the airport. Don’t forget your ID and if possible bring multiple forms of ID. You want to make sure that you double check what time your flight is, then make sure you budget some time to pack, clean your room up, take out your trash etc. . The most important day to plan for is the day of the flight. You want to get to the airport two hours before your flight, so make sure you set your alarm for at least three hours before your flight, depending on how long it takes you to get ready in the morning.
Getting there – If you have an early morning flight you may be better off taking a cab, since in some cases the T may not be open in time, but also because this is the least stressful way to get to the airport. If this is your plan, be sure to have 25 dollars for the cab. If your flight is later in the day, you should definitely take the T to the airport. The silver line bus has a route to the airport, but I recommend taking the Blue Line to the Airport stop towards Wonderland. This is more dependable than the bus, and since you probably take the T more often, you’ll feel more comfortable traveling this route. Once you’re at the Airport stop you can exit, and wait for the airport shuttle. Be sure to look at the Terminal Letter on the outside of the Bus to make sure you get to the correct terminal.
Baggage – Thanksgiving is a short break, so you shouldn’t need to check any big luggage, but if you NEEDED those five extra pairs of shoes the first thing you should do upon arriving to the airport is to get in line to check your bag, and get your boarding pass if you did not print it off at home. If you only have carry-on luggage, just remember that you can only have 8oz bottles of liquids in one Ziploc bag. You are allowed one carry-on and one personal item, that being said DO NOT make the mistake of overloading your “personal item” you will be miserable if you have a huge bag to carry over your shoulder so keep it simple and bring a backpack.
Dress for success – Don’t try to outdo yourself and look super fancy for the airport. This is how people used to travel, but when you’re paying a ton of money on your flight try to be a comfortable as possible, while still looking great. Leggings are comfortable, and will be fine on an airline like Southwest, but many airlines do have a dress code. You can dress comfy but sometimes people wearing leggings are asked to change into real pants. So with that in mind, jeans are my go to, but if you have a comfy sweater dress that is also an option. . Wear shoes that are easy to take on and off in the security line! No crazy lace up boots, and please don’t wear heels to the airport, you’ll be happy you didn’t.
Security – The security line sucks. Just remain calm, try to ignore the screaming kids, old people, and flight attendants cutting in front of you. Since you’ve gotten here early, you have no worries. Just put your laptop in a separate container and your shoes, jacket, and cell phone all in another. When you grab your stuff from the other side, save yourself the stress of putting all your stuff on really fast and just grab it and walk away from the security area- it’s not a dressing room. Find a bench and collect yourself.
While you wait – While you wait, you might as well grab a light meal- you never know what could happen once you’re on the plane (weather delays etc.). Then go to the Hudson News, grab yourself some magazines, tic-tacs, a bottle of water, and maybe one more snack if you have a long flight. Grab a coffee from Starbucks and sit at your gate. Now, you can relax!
On the plane – You’ve made it! You’re ready to coast home! Just get comfy and try to not drink too much- no one likes a frequent bathroom goer. . Try to ignore the weird guy sitting next to you, and catch up on reading, or sleep, or wonder who on the plane is most like the characters on Lost. Don’t forget to check the seat pockets before you exit the plane and HAVE A GREAT BREAK!