I am almost 20 years old and as of the beginning of 2017, I had never been on a plane. When my good friend transferred to the University of Tampa, I thought visiting her was a good opportunity to get a domestic flight out of the way before I possibly study abroad during the spring of 2018. When I told my family about my idea, they were very supportive, and my grandparents even bought me the tickets for Christmas.
The trip was scheduled for the first weekend in February, and as it grew closer I got more and more nervous. I didn’t want to look at my flight details or even think about it because I was so anxious. I had a connection on the way there and the way back, so that added to my dread. A few days before the flight, I looked at the trip information and noticed that one of my connections was only thirty minutes. I spoke to another good friend who has travelled quite a bit, and he said that the connection was risky, any slight delay and I would miss my second flight from Charlotte. I talked to my mom and we tried everything we could to change my flight, but it was too late. I was almost ready to cancel the trip altogether, and my mom even encouraged me to do so, but I knew I couldn’t. My friend had taken off work for my visit, and I was going to have to get it over my fear at some point. I felt very irritated with my parents that they hadn’t done this with me when I was younger and that I was having to do it for the first time all alone. But I talked to my friends and my roommates and a lot of people gave me great advice. By the day of, I actually felt excited and ready to get on my way.
I took an UberPool to the airport four hours before my flight (just to be safe) and shared it with a very nice woman. When we got there, she helped me get to the security line. I definitely wasn’t afraid to ask anyone for help. Going through security for the first time was kind of overwhelming, but it was quick. Once I was in, I got some Starbucks, called my mom, did homework, and waited. Once I was at my gate, there were some nice ladies that I talked to, because when I’m nervous, I start to word vomit. They kept announcing that the flight was going to be completely full and that people could complimentary check their bags. I really didn’t want to do that since I knew I was going to be on a time crunch. When I got on the plane, most of the overhead carriers were full. I loudly proclaimed that it was my first flight and I really did not want to check my bag. A guy in the row behind me offered to carry my bag to a compartment. He seemed shocked that I had never flown before. My seat was in row 17 but I had to put my bag all the way back above row 32. When I got back to my seat, I tried not to worry about how hard it would be push against the crowd of people trying to deplane when I was in a rush to get my connection. A very nice elderly gentleman and his daughter were sitting next to me. They talked to me a lot, and they were in just as much of a rush to get their next plane as I was. When it was time for takeoff, I couldn’t help but tear up a little. I tried to look out the window so my seatmate couldn’t see. The flight to Charlotte was a little bit uncomfortable because I didn’t know what to expect the whole time, but it landed with enough time for me to catch my connection with no issue. The next flight to Tampa was much easier, besides the landing, which made me feel like my eardrums were going to explode.
My time in Tampa was great, and even though I thought I would be nervous about my flight home the whole time, I wasn’t. It was like once I got it over with, I felt like a pro. On the way back to Philadelphia, I was so relaxed, I could even read and do homework. I began to really enjoy the takeoff, and the landing became more bearable. My roommate was nice enough to pick me up at the airport. It was such an amazing feeling knowing that I had done it, and I had done it all by myself. Hopefully 2017 will be a year of more great firsts!