Tips to Fly Like a Pro on Your Next Trip

We're Soarin'! Flyin'! - Gabriella Montez (High School Musical)

Waiting on a flight

I have flown countless times in my life ranging from 2 hour trips to Florida all the way to 24 hour trips across the globe. I weirdly love airports. Something about the upcoming adventure you're about to embark on mixed with seeing everyone around you preparing for their next destination is calming and exciting all at the same time. I am so used to flying I'm usually knocked out before the plane even finishes loading. Here are some of my tips to fly like a pro!

1. Pack Light 

Packing light is ESSENTIAL. Normally for domestic flights I chose budget airlines such as Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines so I am only allowed a personal item before they start charging you for carry on and checked baggage. That defeats the purpose of buying a cheap flight so this has taught me how to pack extremely lightly. Travelers usually tend to over pack so ask yourself, do you really need that third pair of sandals that will only match one outfit? 

I do realize that not all trips will call for only a backpack such as international trips (though I did backpack through Europe) but pack clothes that are versatile and can be used for multiple outfits. The lighter you pack the less you have to lug through the airport, the quicker you get through security, the lighter your load is when navigating, often huge, terminals. This also helps once you get to your destination. Ever used the Paris metro with two pieces of luggage, a backpack and a purse? Two words. No Elevators.

My bags from my European backpack trip

Boarding a flight

2. Bring an empty water bottle

This one is a simple trick of mine to save money. Bottled water in airports is often way overpriced and buying multiple bottles can get expensive. Simply taking an empty water bottle through security with you and filling it up at the nearest water fountain saves you money and you can take it on to the plane with you. This way you do not have to wait for the drinks to be served and it can be stored in a more contained way for the duration of your flight. If you want to keep it ice cold, I recommend buying an insulated water bottle or asking any food place that has an ice machine for a glass of ice, they usually oblige no problem.

My Yeti that I used to take everywhere until I lost it in Hawaii... RIP

The view from a flight

3. Bring your own food

It never fails, as soon as I get to the airport and find my terminal I am hungry. Though I do still struggle with this one since I do not enjoy cooking in general, there are all kinds of videos out there on YouTube that show you how to prepare cold AND hot meals for traveling. It is a common misconception, just like Disney, that you can't bring your own food into the airport. This will help for travelers with children who have food preferences or even just want to save money since buying food at the airport is also pricey. Likewise, if your flight doesn't include a meal you can save your food and eat it on the plane.

Chic-Fil-A at the airport because I didn't listen to my own tip!

4. Offline Entertainment 

Make sure that you have plenty of entertainment for any little ones or even yourself while traveling. If you're going international or even just a few hours away, chances are you are going to get bored without WiFi. This is an unfortunate part of our world today but I am one hundred percent guilty of this. So unless you want to pay for on board WiFi (does anyone actually do that?) I suggest taking a book/kindle, updating your iTunes library on your phone and if you have Netflix there is an amazing new feature that allows you to download select movies or TV shows ahead of time and you are able to view them without using data. That last one is honestly a life saver, thank you Netflix for all that you do. You are the biggest blessing in my life and where would I be with out you?

I think it's cool when you board planes outside like this one!

5. Dress Accordingly

I see all kinds of interesting outfits at the airport. When I was younger I never understood why I would see people in heels, dresses, business suits, etc. while traveling. I do understand that some people travel for business and it may be unavoidable, though I always changed when I got to my destination when I traveled for business. If you are traveling for pleasure, dress comfortably.

While traveling in Europe

Some self made rules I follow:

- Shoes with socks that easily slip off so that when you take off your shoes for security you are quick and not standing barefoot on the ground.

- Longer pants and a t-shirt. Planes are usually always cold so I tend to wear leggings or capri-pants with a t-shirt and take a jacket with me. If its cold, I put the jacket on, if it gets hot I use the jacket as a pillow

- no jewelry, watches, necklaces, etc. You have to take all of this off at security which creates a hold up and really who are you trying to impress anyways?

One of my favorite quotes

Follow along with my adventures on Instagram at: KaseyMeetsWorld! Happy Travels!