Starling Travel

Hundreddollar, a friend of mine put this message out to the group:

confession: i’ve got a highly pesky fear of flying- haven’t flown in 12 years- & am about to book a flight for 2 weeks from now. any tips?

Here’s my quick list for people who haven’t flown in a while:

• Be prepared to be treated like cattle, but appreciate that you don’t have to drive for three days straight to get to your destination. Flying is a nuisance, but it makes travel over long distances worth it. If it will take one or two days to drive it, I opt for the car every time, but if it’s going to take me three days to drive, then the hassle of flying is worth it. Plan accordingly.

• Wear comfortable running shoes that can be easily removed. Sometimes flights are late and you need to RUN. You always have to take your shoes off to go through security now, so make sure they are easy to remove, but will stay on when you’re sprinting across the airport.

• Check and re-check your carry-on luggage for tiny little knives (like the kind on your nail clipper) and lotion. They will run your carry-on luggage and purse through the x-ray machine just like they always do. If there is a forgotten item in your luggage that is restricted, they will ask to inspect your bag. If they find it, great, but most of the time it takes them 30 minutes or so to find the tiny metal fingernail file that you put in your purse back in 1987. Just because YOU forgot it was there doesn’t mean that you’re any less late for your flight. Make sure you check and re-check your carry-on luggage. Here is a link to the restricted items: TSA: Permitted and Prohibited Items

• Arrive two hours before your flight just in case the airport security is bogged down. That feeling of panic while you’re waiting in line at security behind the person who accidentally put a pen knife in his backpack two years ago is your own fault, not security’s fault and certainly not backpack-guy’s fault. Give yourself LOTS of time to get through security. If you don’t, please don’t take it out on the people in line in around of you.

• Be prepared to entertain yourself if security isn’t bogged down. It’s pretty irritating to the other travelers if you are wholly unprepared to spend two hours waiting for your flight. Once you’ve called everyone in your cell phone telling them all that you’re waiting for your flight, you will have annoyed everyone around you. Bring a book, a Nintendo DS, or a craft project to work on while you’re waiting.

Flying now is a far different experience than I had as a child. It’s even different than it was just a few years ago. Whether the flight is for work, family or fun, you’ve paid good money to get there as fast as possible. Don’t make it an unpleasant experience by not planning ahead.