Behind every well-traveled Eldest Daughter is a former Girl Scout Mom who taught her daughter how to pack and navigate an airport before she could talk. I am sure you have read a hundred things telling you the basics of travel. You have to “get there early,” “pack ahead of time,” and “be prepared,” but no one ever talks about how to do all of these things. My credentials: I am an eldest daughter who decided to study at a university across the country from her family and has to fly back and forth for breaks and alone every time. I have been flying with my family since I was quite literally an infant, and I know a thing or two about navigating an airport. I am going to write this as a schedule so you can apply it to your next trip, your own personal guide if you will. Let us use my most recent trip home for spring break as an example. I flew home Saturday morning (very, very early), so my preparation began Wednesday by making a simple to-do list for the week.
Thursday: This is where the planning ahead starts to come into play.
- Did all my laundry. Wash everything, not just what you want to pack. You are setting yourself up to come back to a clean closet.
- Put all your laundry away. I know it feels counterproductive for a moment, considering you are just going to pack most of it the next day, but for me it is easier to go section by section in my wardrobe with everything in it than to try and pull pieces to pack from my drying rack, my folded laundry, and my closet/drawers. It also ensures you do not forget something because you missed it in one of the many piles.
Friday: The peak of pre-travel readiness.
- Check in for your flight. I have my airline’s app, and I always check in ahead of time. If you are checking a bag, it’s often cheaper (and even if you are not, this is just one step that saves you more time at the airport).
- Clean!!! This will either be your favorite step in my travel routine or your least. Personally, I love a good deep clean, especially living in the dorms. Even if you do not, I highly suggest it. Clean your entire space so that when you come back from break, you can unpack and go straight back into your college life. No dragging yourself through the post-pack mess.
- Pack your bags. A lot of times this can get left for the last minute, and I get it because a lot of times you’re using things up until the last minute. Here is how I do it:
- For me, I like to pack for short trips, like going home, with a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. I start off packing my carry-on. I pack all my clothes that I plan to bring and lay out my airport outfit for the next morning, just to have it ready (one less thing to decide at 3am for your early flight).
- Once clothes are packed, I pack up any and all toiletries that I plan to bring home. Yes, I said all, even your toothbrush you need in the morning (just bear with me). Any jewelry, hair tools, and anything else that needs to go in the suitcase goes in now.
- Pack your backpack/other kind of under-the-seat bag. I pack my electronics, chargers, headphones, plane activities, and my usual bag of necessities: hand sanitizer, gum, toiletries, chapstick… you get the idea.
- Put everything in your suitcase, make sure it zips, and check that you have everything you need. Check your packing list–if you are a list girlie–look around the room. Do your sweep NOW, while you are still awake, aware, and in the zone. “Do I have everything I need?”
- Once you are sure you have everything, go back and take out anything you need for the morning. Depending on how much you like to do for the mornings at the airport, this could look like just taking specific products out or the whole skincare bag. Up to you! For me, I just take out my toothbrush and toothpaste, hairbrush and morning skincare. Here is the trick: then wherever you laid your clothes for the airport out, put your morning routine stuff with them. Now when you are getting ready in the morning, you have everything you need in one pile. Once you are done with an item, put it right back into its spot in the suitcase, and continue until the pile is empty. This ensures you will not forget your hairbrush because you left it on your desk.
- Now for the love of HerCampus, go to sleep; you have an early flight!
Saturday: Travel Day!!
- Get ready, and get to the airport! Seriously, the whole navigating-an-airport thing sounds daunting, but I promise you, if you feel prepared, it will be so much easier. Know what your gate is, where you need to get dropped off, and where your airline check-in is.
- You have heard it a million times, “Get there early!” But we’ve also all heard the “airport theory” going around on social media. What’s the correct answer? Both, and it depends. I have TSA PreCheck, and on top of that, when you are getting to the Buffalo Airport at 4am, it is usually pretty empty. So yes, getting my boarding pass, dropping bags off, and getting through security only takes about 10-15 minutes. However, even with it being early, there was still a massive line at the regular security, and if I did not have TSA PreCheck I would have been waiting a lot longer. I have also had it happen where the TSA line was longer than regular security. For that reason, I still show up over an hour ahead of boarding time because I would rather be there early, with plenty of time to spare, than have something go wrong and miss my flight. (On this specific trip the line for Tim Hortons took longer than security, but you never know.)
The rest is up to you! Again, this is all my perspective on a situation that everyone does differently, but these steps have always made me feel better when flying solo. I hope you have smooth travels this break and every flight after.
Until Next Time,
Your Eldest Daughter