I’m not sure if I mentioned this when I was talking about my trip to Mexico, but I actually went on the trip with two people who’ve never flown before then. I was kind of skeptical at first, not sure how they would take the plane ride(s), customs and how fast paced airports can be. I gave them a few pointers ahead of time, told them the best times and locations to pick up their passports (they didn’t listen and waited until like a week and a half before the trip…but that’s another story for another time), what kind of luggage to bring and what to pack in it, when to show up to the airport, etc, but I learned a few things from them too.
I asked on of the flying newbies if she had any pointers that she wanted to share with y’all and decided to combine a few of her tips with some of mine.
Chew gum. Yes, I can’t recommend this enough. I completely forgot to buy gum before our trip and since our flight was so early in the morning and none of the airport stores were open I had to suffer the first flight. I tried to keep the ear popping at a minimum by putting on my headphones as soon as I got settled in on the plane and slept.
Be prepared for the long line at customs. There’s truly no way around things unless you want to pay the $100 Global Entry fee. Just be patient and don’t get offended by the ugly picture that prints off if you’re lucky enough to go to one of the kiosks when re-entering the US.
Be prepared for turbulence. Another good one. We had minor turbulence on one of our flights and my cousin genuinely freaked out. There’s no way to prepare for it, you just have to hope that you have a great pilot and team and hold on for the ride.
Don’t always expect your row to be empty. I prefer to have at least one seat between and the person next to me, but that wasn’t the case with this trip. I had someone sitting right next to me on three out of the four flights we took during out Mexico trip. I didn’t when I initially booked the flights, but numerous cancelled and rescheduled flights before ours changed that. I had to take the change like a trooper and that’s really all you can do when there’s a full flight. That or pay a difference and change your flight.
Always carry a pen. So this kind of ties in with the lines at customs. When travelling we get our customs forms mid-flight and it’s best to have them filled out before you land that way you’re filling them out while you’re trying to make your connecting flight or waiting in the customs line. Now there might be a few nice people around you that will let you borrow their pen, but I don’t even chance that.
Don’t go to sleep while they’re passing out food (you’ll miss a free breakfast). Remember when I said that I didn’t have gum for my first flight so I put on my headphones and went directly to sleep? Well I missed the croissant breakfast sandwich that was provided. That wasn’t the first time I’d missed breakfast on a flight either. I have a habit of missing them on my early flights and I need to get better at making sure that a full meal will or won’t be provided before I hibernate like that.
Don’t wear girdles on the flight…they’re hard to get out of. In other words, travel comfortably. I didn’t (and don’t at all) wear girdles, but this particular person does and against my recommendation decided to wear one on the plane. Worst idea ever! We’re in small seats with seatbelts strapped around our waists for hours at a time and often times have to use the restroom immediately after de-planing. The last thing anyone should have to worry about doing after racing to an airport bathroom is unlatching/buttoning a girdle. So uncomfortable! I tend to travel in yoga pants or leggings with a comfy shirt and shoes I can slip in and out of. I bring a pull-over sweater for the cold flights and I’m all set. I make sure that my flights are timed so I have time to get to where I’m staying and change and I’m not meeting someone important fresh off the plane so that I can travel comfortably and I recommended the same to them. They just didn’t listen…well two of them didn’t.
It was honestly a bunch of lessons learned on this trip from both parties. I taught them some things I’ve learned from traveling all these years and they opened my eyes to things I never knew (like that Terminal D in IAH always opens late). I’m sure y’all are seasoned travelers, any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Feel free to comment below or email me!