1. Mentally prepare yourself to travel by air. Know that weather and mechanical delays are a real possibility. Follow the tips on this list and you should be well prepared to handle whatever comes your way.

2. Travel light, you never need as much as you think you do and realistically, there’s a Walmart or Target pretty much everywhere you go….should you figure out you really should have brought more underwear: ) Another great tip? If you’re traveling with someone else, put half your clothes in their suitcase and have them put half their clothes in yours. This way if you check your bags, and one of the suitcases gets lost you still have enough to get by on until your other bag is retrieved.

3. Be an early bird! Book an early flight and arrive early.There are a lot less delays in the morning and should you find yourself  in a delay situation, the more chance your airline has of getting you to your destination that day. If you show up at least an hour before your departure your chances of having a seat choice greatly increases. Even if you have a seat assignment, show up early, most airlines start releasing seats 20 minutes prior to departure.

4. Provide for your needs! This is a big one. Are you diabetic? Bring the snacks you’ll need in your carry on. Bring snacks anyway, when you fly you never know how long your day will be. Help make a nice flight for your self, bring a picnic, cheese, crackers, grapes whatever is enjoyable for you. Yes, we do provide drinks but if you’re going to be antsy waiting for the bar cart to get to you in the last row middle seat (see step # 3, to avoid) then buy yourself a drink to bring on board once you get past security. I always buy drinks for myself! You can relax if all your needs are met and you’re not relying on someone else….oh, and it doesn’t hurt to use the restroom in the airport terminal before boarding. They’re much larger and don’t smell quite as bad.

5. Keep warm. Please bring a sweater, jacket, or small travel blanket with you. We don’t have enough blankets for everyone…and do I need to reiterate…..you don’t want to use our blankets anyway.

6. Comfortable shoes are a must, for the obvious reasons (most likely you will be walking a lot, and you never know when you may be running to catch that airplane) and also so you don’t feel the need to take them off on the airplane. If you must take your shoes off on the airplane, put them back on before you use the restroom…..trust me on this one, the liquid on the floor is not water….think men and turbulence. It’s also best to wear slip on shoes…easier for taking on and off through security.

7. Be Entertained! Again provide for your needs. Don’t rely on the movie that may or may not be shown. Depending on how long your day will be, bring books, magazines, music and/or a DVD player. I always travel with something to do. I do this in the real world too, if I have a Dr. or hairdresser appointment I never go with out a book to read.

8. Bring whatever noise cancellation system works for you and your budget. It will be a long day and it helps if you can “get away” even if just in your head. You can use something as simple as a cheap pair of foam earplugs, or as fancy as bose noise cancellation headphones.

9. Pack the right things in your carry on, and make sure it will fit under the seat in front of you so you don’t run the risk of it being checked should the overheads fill up…..but of course you’ll follow tip # 3 and won’t run into this problem. Be sure that you have your entertainment, snacks, an index card with any meds you may take, any meds you do take, antibacterial lotion, a small sweater, earplugs, the information you’ll need for your arrival..(phone #’s, confirmation #’s etc.), your phone, tissues, some extra cash or credit card just in case. I also recommend bringing baby wipes (you can get unscented) they come in handy for cleaning a messy tray table or any other surface you may want to wipe before use.

10. Roll with the punches, remember airports are stressful places, everyone is stressing not just you. People become very defensive when traveling, it helps to realize this. My job became a lot easier once I realized this and stopped taking it personally. If you but heads with a ticket agent, gate agent or FA, don’t argue or become defensive, instead smile and try to diffuse the situation. If you can’t stay calm, find someone else to help you. That is the tactic I use for dealing with customers. If I can’t diffuse a situation I ask another FA to step in, sometimes it just takes a fresh approach. Remember, you pass the energy along whether positive or negative.

Have a great travel experience…it can be done!