Tips & Tricks for First Time Flyers

You lay in bed, attempting to get some much needed sleep, but your mind is going over everything that you’ve put in your suitcase. Did you pack the toothpaste? What if security confiscates your toothpaste? What if you do so many things wrong you get subject to a “random search”? What if you miss your flight?

Your first time flying can be stressful, especially in a post 9-11 environment. On top of remember gate numbers and not leaving your toothpaste at home, you’ve now got all the hassle of additional security rules to remember and more restrictions on carry-on and checked luggage. So what’s a first time flyer to do? Well, losing sleep over all those last minute details certainly won’t help you any when you are waiting in the security line in the morning.

Here is a list of information that should help make your first time flying experience feel a little more within your control. Read it, print it, and don’t forget to take a deep breath, it really isn’t as hard as you think!

1. Prepare for Take Off. 3oz containers of gels/liquids, in a 1 quart bag, and only 1 per person. This only applies to your carry-on! If you bring more than you are allotted, they will throw the additional in the trash can and tell yu not to do it again.

2. Double check your Prohibited Items List - The last thing you need is slowed down by an item you shouldn’t have in your checked luggage or carry-on and miss your flight. Always double check all the pockets on your luggage to make sure nothing has been left from a previous trip that will not go over well with airport security.

3. Keep the appropriate Identification on you at all times  - While you might not feel the most stylish with a Neck Wallet, after you misplace your ID for the first time while shuffling all your stuff through the security checkpoint you’ll really wish you had invested in one.

4. Pack chewing gum. Your ears will thank you. When taking off and landing you’ll quickly figure out the most annoying thing about flying is the pressure changes. Chewing gum during these times can help keep this pressure from getting painful. Swallowing or yawning also helps if gum isn’t available.

5. Check your luggage size when planning a trip. The standard carry-on luggage size 45", in the form of a 22" x 14" x 9" bag. Some airlines accept larger. If you are in doubt, go directly to the airlines website where you can find the exact acceptable measurements. Also, remember that airlines will charge extra for an ‘overweight’ checked bag as well. Even more incentive to not overpack!

6. Make your bag stand out. Get colorful luggage tags, tie a brightly colored ribbon around the handle, or tie a kid’s meal toy to the zipper, anything to make it so you know that that bag is yours. This goes doubly so if you have a standard black piece of luggage. It not only makes it easier for you to find, it helps insure that someone else doesn’t accidently pick of your luggage in place of theirs.

7. Print a copy of your name, phone number and address on a standard piece of paper and put it in your checked luggage. This way, if someone does accidently pick up your luggage, or if it gets rerouted and ‘lost’, it will be easier for the person who has it to get it back to you.

8. Take some motion sickness medication about an hour before your flight leaves. It will just start to kick in when you get on the flight and will help you avoid any unpleasant nauseous feelings that could ruin your first flight.

9. Long flight? Pack a dorky looking Neck Pillow. Along with the Neck Wallet, it might not be the most stylish thing, but it can be a life saver when you are trying to make your trip easier.

10. Arrive an hour and a half before your flight takes off to allow time to get through security. This time can change depending on the airport. Leaving from Orlando during the tourist season? Give yourself two hours. Leaving from small town Iowa? And hour will probably suffice. If you’re unsure, more time is always better than missing your flight.

11. After you turn in your checked luggage and before getting into the security line, remove your belt, hat, baggy sweatshirt/coat, spare change, cell phone, etc and put them in your carry-on if possible. When you get into the line at security, the less you have to juggle, the better.

12. Plan your security line juggling act. You’ll be required to put the following into gray bins on the conveyor belt: Shoes, jacket/sweatshirt, carry-on bag, laptop, and your 1 quart bag of gels/liquids. Shoes/jacket/sweatshirt go into a bin, carry-on bag goes on the conveyor belt, laptop goes in it’s own bin, and liquids go in their own bin. This will vary depending on the airport, but this seems to be the most hassle free way to separate items.

13. Organize your electronics. If you travel with an excess of electronics in your carry-on, and don’t organize them, prepare for a bag search. I have personally had this happen to me only once, but if you are carrying 5 different devices of varying sizes with all the chargers, all just thrown haphazardly together, it can look rather fishy on the x-rays. When packing, wrap all your charger cords around the charger, and put them in a ziploc bag. Pack other electronic devices in easy to access areas. The neater your bag is organized, the easier it is security to discern what items you have in your bag without doing a physical check.

14. Your electronics will not be hurt by the magnets in the x-ray machines when going through the security check point. After going through with video cameras, digital cameras, mp3 players, laptops, etc. I have yet to have anything have any issues afterwards. If you are travelling with a traditional film camera, you may want to have security hand check the film instead of letting it go through the x-ray system.

15. Your piercings or bra wire will not set off the metal detector. Breathe easy if you like to get pierced as a pass time, the type of metal used in most of your jewelry will not set off the metal detector. Same goes for the underwire in bras.

16. Electronics go in the carry-on, not the checked. A friend of mine packed her laptop in her checked luggage once. When we arrived at our destination the checked bag had a quarter sized hole through it, which matched the one through the center of her laptop. If you want it to arrive in one piece, keep it on your person at all times.

17. Be prepared to “plane side check” your carry on. This happens frequently, especially if you are on a smaller aircraft for the first or last part of your flight. Smaller planes only have so much room in the cabin for checked luggage, so they will require people to check larger carry-on bags. You will generally be informed of this while waiting at your gate for boarding, and given a tag to put on your bag. This is the time to pull out your laptop, other expensive electronics, or just that book you want to read on the flight. They are generally a little more careful with carry-on bags, but it’s still a good idea to be a little paranoid and pull out your most important/breakable items.

18. Don’t worry about not packing everything. I promise, in the vast majority of places you go, you’ll be able to find toothpaste, mascara, shampoo, and a little black dress for sale. You may have to pay a premium depending on where you are going, but you will most likely be able to find what you need. Plus, if you are a staying at a hotel, most offer free items from razors and shaving cream to toothpaste for forgetful guests if you just ask. At the very least, they can point you in the direction of the nearest shopping outlet that you can buy them at.

19. Always layer when traveling. Wear a t-shirt and bring a sweatshirt at the very least. Depending on the flight, the temperature can vary from very hot to chilly. Even if you don’t use the sweatshirt to keep warm, it can double as a pillow for those longer flights. Always dress appropriately for where you’ll be landing. If you’re going from Alabama to New York City in December, you’ll be rather chilly when trying to catch that cab after arriving if you forget your coat.

20. Always take practical clothes. My first trip was to Orlando, FL from my home in Iowa in late May. I knew for sure Orlando was always warm and all I would need was sandals and no socks, short sleeved shirts, and shorts. Needless to say, those chilly nights meandering around the boardwalk I nearly froze. Always bring practical shoes, pants, and shirts. Closed toed shoes, socks, a sweatshirt, old jeans, and a rain poncho may very well save your day.

21. Check the weather. Sites like weather.com can give you insight onto what you should be packing for your trip and save you from over packing the wrong gear. Go to the website, and punch in the city name or zip code of where you will be staying. Not only that, but check the weather of the days your flight will be departing and returning at both destinations, to help be prepared for possible flight delays.

There are a lot of tricks you will learn if you take to traveling often. Hopefully, this list will get you started on making a list of your own. I still get nervous when I'm about to fly, but now that I've been through it a few times and know what's going on, it's definitely not as bad as I first feared it would be. So, here's hoping you'll have a safe trip with more focus on your destination than the coming and going!