How to Survive Any Airport Like a Pro

Passengers recovering from Denver blizzard, most stuck in the airport for over 24 hrs

Traveling... while it's all worth it for the amazing views and experiences, let's face it can be really stressful. So here's a quick survival kit to get through most airports as efficiently as possible.

Arrive Early: Most airports suggest arriving two hours before departure for domestic flights and three hours for international. If you are a frequent traveler or plan to travel more often, consider investing in TSA Pre-Check and/or Global Entry. Global Entry is a two for one deal that cuts down the long lines coming into the US from an International trip that comes with TSA Pre-Check. TSA Pre-Check allows you to keep your shoes, jackets, and belts on when going through security at your home or any domestic airport. Speaking of TSA, double-check your toiletry and food items are within the permitted size and consistency to avoid your bag being pulled for secondary screening. For quick reference, check the link below.

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/liquids-rule

Bring Snacks: Another way to save on time is to bring snacks with you. If you happen to get held up at TSA, have snacks with you just in case you don’t have time to stop anywhere on the way to the gate. Save money at those ridiculously high airport stores and the possible harassment from TSA agents by bringing a refillable water bottle. If you don’t want to deal with having extra things to worry about your entire trip, just bring an already empty plastic water bottle to refill in the airport and dispose at the end of your flight.

Don't Forget Charger Packs and Adapters: Have a spare battery pack or two for cell phones, headphones, or any other electronic. This definitely helps cut down on stress when coordinating rides upon arrival or finishing up those last few emails while you wait for your flight to board. Check out my growing amazon storefront for my travel must-haves.

amazon.com/shop/ayblack

Make Use of Lounges on Your Downtime: Airport lounges give you the opportunity to have a quiet workspace, or at least the environment to have some unbothered downtime. Also arriving at the airport early enough to make a stop is definitely worth it, because, well food. That's why.

This is a weird one but...

"Use the Wash Closet" *in my horrific attempt at a British accent*: ofttimes there's this weird Fear Of Missing Out syndrome causing fellow passengers to wait to get on the plane to use the lavatory, making the boarding process more difficult for not only passengers trying to get to their seats but also the flight attendants who are responsible for counting bin space, and making sure we're in our seats before door closure. Just use it, unless you’re less than 20 minutes prior to scheduled departure, you have the time.

Bin Space is Shared Space: overhead bin space is a shared and fixed space between all passengers. Most airlines have a “one above, one below” policy meaning you're allowed one carry-on in the overhead bin and the other personal item that should be placed under the seat in front of you. Abiding by this policy really smoothes out the boarding process for everyone. If you’re carrying a coat or hat, it's suggested to place them on top of your roller board or larger bag, allowing for the maximum amount of large bags to fit in the overhead bin. I'm a carry on Queen, so I’d hate to compete with jackets when boarding a plane.

Last but not least: you’ve got your bottle filled with water right? Don’t be that guy (or gal) and ask for a million drinks. ;)