Traveling alone can be intimidating for a lot of people. For myself, I began traveling alone when I was twelve. Airports offer a service called “unaccompanied minor” in which a child can be dropped off at the airport by an adult and then escorted by a flight attendant through the airport and during the flight. It was super awesome for my parents, because they were divorced and I could go see my dad. When I was fifteen, I began traveling as an “adult”. This was a completely different experience and a little overwhelming. However, I came up with a plan for traveling that I still use to this day. Keep reading to find out more about my tips and tricks for traveling alone:
- Download your boarding pass on your phone.
Having your boarding pass handy is super important when flying. It makes checking in quick and easy, already cutting travel time in half for most people. Another good point is scanning your boarding pass. It’s a lot easier when in line to simply pull out your phone and scan your boarding pass; I’ve known people who have ripped their boarding passes or simply lost them when they’re on paper.
- Print or screenshot a picture of the airport’s map.
I know most people simply read airport signs, however, for new travelers, they can be very confusing. Instead, most airport maps are similar to gps’: you can choose a starting location and a destination location, then the app will give you directions.
- Limit the amount of bags you’re bringing (if possible).
This is a personal fear, but I was always nervous about asking strangers to help with my luggage. Something that helped me was limiting the amount of bags I brought and trying to make them as light as possible. For shorter or weaker individuals (like myself), it can be harder to put luggage into the overhead bins. Once in a while I would have the courage to ask someone, however if I didn’t want to, instead I would make sure to have little baggage to begin with.
- Choose a window seat near the front or the back of the plane.
Window seats are either the best or the worst, depending on your “bathroom habits”. Personally, I don’t eat or drink on a plane because I hate airplane bathrooms. This is great because I can chill in a window seat for the whole ride. The other part is the location of your seat; the middle of the plane is the most crowded. The front may be a little harder to achieve, but it’s faster to get on and off. The back of the plane will take longer to get off, but you’ll have more room in the overheads.
These are all the tips I’ve come up with in the last six years that I’ve found super helpful. For anxious fliers, I hope these help! I used to be super worried about flying, but after I got used to it, it became a lot less scary.