Plane rides and going to the airport aren’t always exciting, especially when you’re out of state and have to fly back to school. Thankfully, there are some tricks that can help.
Arrive early:
Always arrive at least an hour early to the airport. An hour and a half to two hours is always a safe bet, especially if you get behind inexperienced travelers in security. To lower your time in security, keep your watch and all jewelry inside your bag until you’re on the other side. Not wearing a belt can also lower time spent in security. In personal experience, belts can feel like they take forever to put back on, especially if the airport is crowded and there’s nowhere to step off to the side.
Drink Water:
Going up in altitude during the flight and the lack of humidity can cause, according to Everyday Health, dehydration, dry skin and fatigue. This is why people can feel exhausted after air travel. To prevent this make sure to drink lots of water. If you don’t wish to spend money on expensive airport water bottles or take constant shots of the free water you get inflight, you can bring an empty water bottle through security then refill it at a water fountain near your gate.
Entertainment:
Between the old standbys of reading a book, or breaking out your laptop, podcasts can be a great way to stay entertained. There are a variety of podcasts to keep you entertained for hours, and they can easily be downloaded before the flight so you can listen to them while your phone is on airplane mode. The best part is you can close your eyes while you listen and, with your headphones in, no one bothers you. There is wifi on most planes, but it isn’t very trustworthy. Always have a backup that doesn’t involve wifi. Napping is also viable entertainment; it’s like being transported to your destination if you just sleep through the trip, but if you’re a bad napper on planes like me, physical entertainment is a must.
Talking to people:
Sometimes you just don’t want to talk to the flight attendants as they’re passing out drinks and snacks because you brought your own water bottle or snacks, or you just don’t feel like interacting with anyone after running through the airport. The easiest trick to avoid talking to people is pretending to sleep. For all those who are socially awkward like me, and just don’t want to deal with the interaction this trick solves it all. It also prevents the stranger next to you from talking to you. But sometimes it can be fun to talk to your neighbors, see where they’re coming from and what they do. I’ve met some fun people on a plane.
Flying can be fun, but there is no doubt it is also stressful. Whether you’re flying home, going to school or off on an exciting adventure, I hope these helpful tips make your time in the airport and on the plane smoother.