How to Pack: First Timer’s Guide to Holiday Air Travel

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Welcome ladies and gentlemen to holiday travel season, aka some of the worst (and best) times* to travel. Some of us will try our best to avoid it and some of us have no choice. For those of us who have no choice, I thought I would put together a little guide to holiday travel to help everyone get through their air travel/airport experience with as little pain as possible. If you’re a first time traveler, read closely, because this is all pretty important.

We’re going to do this timeline style, going from months ahead leading up to the flight itself.

The First Timer’s Guide to Holiday Travel

1. TSA PreCheck/Global Entry

It’s a little late to apply for this for Thanksgiving, but there’s still hope for to Christmas adventures.

TSA Pre-Check is amazing because at security, it allows you to keep your shoes on, not take your laptop out, and you can keep your light jacket/sweater on. Because of all of those things, the line goes much faster. It costs about $80 to get, but you have it for 5 years. I’ve had it for 2 years and it’s paid for its self.

Global Entry helps you go through customs quickly when you’re traveling internationally AND it automatically gives you TSA precheck. It only costs $100. If you’re planning on traveling internationally at any point, you should just get this.

Both of these include an application and short interview: TSA Application and Global Entry Here. Apply asap and if you’re luckily you can get approved in time for Christmas travel (depending on how many applications they have to process).

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2. Check In Online – Always aim to avoid checking your bag (save money and avoid the risk of your bag being lost)

Okay, so now we’re assuming you already have your plane tickets and it’s within 24 hours of your flight. Go check in online! So many airlines will let you check in online now that there’s absolutely no reason not to. Check in online and get your mobile boarding pass so you can bypass that line at the airport.

Also, avoid carrying luggage that you need to check at all costs. If you don’t have to check luggage, you’ll save yourself time, money, and the chance of having your luggage go missing. All of which would really just mess up your vacation.

Now when you get to the airport you can head straight to security because you already have your boarding pass and you’re good to go.

3. Carry On Bag – Link to Post

Now, you’ll have your regular luggage, but you also need your carry on bag. I have a great post that you can check out here about what I put in my carry on bag, but here are the essentials:
Empty Water bottle to fill up (my mini swell is my favorite)
Snacks in clear bag (the largest one in this pack is great)
Charging cord + external charger (make sure your external charger is charged!)
Book or magazine (this is my favorite time to catch up on magazines)
Headphones (noise cancelling if you have them, of course)
Pack of clorox wipes to wipe down your seat (don’t judge, they don’t clean those seats or tables and flu season is supposed to be epic this year.)

4. A Sweater and boots that slide easily on and off

If you didn’t get your Pre-Check in time, then it’s imperative that you wear a pair of boots that you can easily slide on and off to the airport (moto boots, like in this post are my favorite). That way you can quickly get through security with them and you won’t hold yourself or anyone else up. Also, WEAR SOCKS WITH THEM. You don’t want to walk on that floor and no one wants to see your feet.

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The other thing you want to make sure you have with you in your bag (or you’re already wearing) is a cardigan and a scarf. While the airport might be toasty, the odds are that the plane is going to be cold and you’re going to want to add on layers. This is a great time to pull that blanket scarf back out because it can also double as a blanket in a pinch.

5. Go to the bathroom before you find somewhere to sit (as soon as you get through security

We’ve established that you’re through security, right? Great, go to the bathroom. Get it out. Minimize the chances that you have to go on the plane. Just do it. Save yourself.

6. Get your drink before you get on the plane (if it’s a water based drink)

I’ve heard some unpleasant stories about the water on a plane, so now that you’re through security fill up your water bottle. Since I like to have tea on planes (which is a water based drink), I like to also get my tea beforehand). So I’ll just ask whoever I buy my tea from to also fill up my water bottle. This also gives my tea time to cool before I get on the plane.

7. Personal preference: do everything you need to do, then hang out near your gate (to hear announcements and changes).

Is there anything else that you need to do? Get food? Buy a last minute present? Great, go do it. Get everything that you need to do done.

Now, what I’m going to suggest next is very much a personal preference, but it’s paid off for me.

Once you’ve gotten everything you need to do done, food, drinks, bathroom, etc., I like to go to my gate, find a chair need an outlet and get situated (aka, set up camp). I live in mini fear of missing an announcement about my flight. so I’d rather hang out near my gate. Now, this can also vary based on how long it is before my flight, but I have friends who have decided to go to a restaurant at the end of the terminal, sit down to eat, and end up sprinting back. No thank you. Look at how much time you have before boarding, and be reasonable.

And go to the bathroom again if you need to.

8. Finally, stay calm and be nice to the people working at the airport.

Things may get delayed, it happens! It’s a snowy time of year. But yelling at the person at the counter or at TSA isn’t going to get you anywhere. While it might seem like the world is against you when something goes wrong, remember, these people are actually trying to help you. They want you get through security safely. They’re trying to get you on to your flight or to get on to a new flight when your old one is cancelled.

So if things get rough, take a deep breath, exhale, and stay calm. Things will get solved!

With that, I think you’re ready to travel! But, if you have any funny travel stories, I want to hear them! Share in the comments below!

*Best days to travel (in my experience: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Black Friday. Also, if you want to ditch your family and travel internationally, I’ve been told Thanksgiving is the best time to do so.