Air Travel Tips
Whether you are traveling for business or vacation, long security lines, confined air corridors and long flights can make air travel a stressful experience. Here are tips to minimize your air travel stress.
Planning Tips
Know the difference between “direct” and “nonstop” flights
Nonstop flights fly straight to your designated airport. Direct flights involve one or more stops along the way. Instead, “direct” implies that the flight number doesn’t change, so passengers may remain seated while other passengers exit and board the plane.
Double-check foreign document requirements
Some countries require a visa for entry, while others (like South Africa, for example) require your passport to have at least two blank pages for entry stamps. For a complete list of entrance regulations, visit travel.state.gov.
Packing Tips
Keep all the items that you will need at the airport within reach
Whether it’s your travel documents or your electronic devices, be sure that these items can be quickly access at anytime.
Making room in your luggage
Packing is crucial. Forget an essential item and you are left frustrated and rushing to find the nearest store at your destination. If you pack too much, you end up disorganized with heavy bags. For a few basic packing strategies, visit AAA.com/PackingTips
Make your luggage stand out
Waiting endlessly at the baggage claim for your luggage to come around the carousel can be irritating. Make your luggage quickly identifiable by tying a bright ribbon to a handle, using colorful luggage tags or using neon tape.
Flying Tips
Arrive early
Arrive at least an hour and a half early and if you are checking bags, consider arriving two hours early. When you arrive early, delays you may encounter won’t cause any unnecessary stress.
Invest in noise-cancelling headphones
Whether it’s for listening to music, binge-watching movies, or just taking a nap; investing in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones will help isolate ambient noise that you may find irritating.
Pack T.S.A approved snacks
Airplane food (or no food at all) can take a flight from bad to worse, so packing your own snacks can serve you well. Make sure any liquids you pack (i.e., jelly, salad dressing, ketchup, and other condiments) are not over 3.4 ounces and are placed in a one quart-size resealable bag. Only one such bag is allowed per passenger.
For more travel information, contact your local AAA Travel Agent at 1-800-222-1469, visit AAA.com/Travel, or stop by your local AAA office.
