Airways is the youngest means of transport; it is also a strange kind of experience. People who aren’t traveling by air regularly will encounter annoyances that might spoil their experience despite the smiling rosy faces of the air hostess and their sweet melodious voice, especially if they are in for international travel that might be long trips. However, a few hacks can help make the experience of flying a lot more enjoyable. This article will explore some of the most valuable such hacks in detail.
Top 10 Flying Hacks for Traveling Internationally
1. Things to put in a carry-on bag
Keeping some essential items in the carry-on bag is vital when traveling internationally via a flight. It is always wise to assume that luggage will get stuck somewhere, and one won’t be able to retrieve it for hours or even days. Thus one should always carry the various essential items in one’s carry-on bag. Similarly, one should have all the things one believes to be necessary for a long journey. A list of such items that it is wise to carry in a carry-on bag includes the following:
- A water bottle and lip bam – to avoid dehydration. A savvy tourist always carries a water bottle of their own
- Pen – to fill the customs forms.
- Scarf and warm clothes – if the weather is likely to be colder. A savvy tourist should always carry a staff with them. It is not merely headwear; it can act as a make-shift pillow or can even be used as a temporary holder to contain one’s things.
- Travel documents, IDs, vaccination certificates, etc.
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Sunscreen, bathing clothes, maps, etc.
- Sanitizers
- Earphones – for always having an option to block everything out.
2. Remember the luggage
While still on the subject of lost luggage, it is essential to remember exactly what it looked like. An intelligent way of getting a couple of good snaps of the bags so that if one has to fill out forms to demand the lost luggage, one will always have proof of ownership.
3. Be flexible wherever possible
Air travel is constantly growing expensive, and it is thus an intelligent thing to look for ways of making air travel inexpensive – even without compromising on the quality of seats. If time is not of the essence, one should always look for cheaper tickets. Online ticket booking platforms can let one check the prices of access to a given destination on different dates and for various lengths of flights. It is always possible in such cases to save significant amounts of money that way.
4. Fully charge the electronics and fill them with some entertainment
Air travel internationally can last for several hours; while flights entertain, it is always wise to carry one’s entertainment with oneself in a mobile handset or tablet – several hours of it. That is doubly important if one is unsure of finding a good internet connection at the destination.
5. Be Careful with the choice of seat
Choosing a seat is a significant consideration, and these days one can look at seat plans of the flight to find a seat best suited to one’s needs. For example, a seat next to the window is best if one wants to sleep through the journey or look at the clouds; it can, however, affect one’s mobility. Seats nearest to washrooms should be avoided too.
6. Always count the points
Unless one is sure of never traveling by the airways again, one should collect any reward points that may come across one’s way – while booking tickets, maybe because one has lost the luggage, etc. Also, check out our article on why you need international travel insurance in detail here!
7. Be nice
International flights are long, and they may become several times longer if the social environment in the flight were to turn hostile. Thus it is always a smart strategy to be nice to other people.
8. A Bassinet Seat for babies
Some international flights also offer baby bassinet seats – these seats are ideal for anyone traveling with a baby.
9. Know how to use the phone apps
It is always wise to have a working knowledge of various smartphone apps and how to get the best out of them. For example, almost everyone knows about google maps. Still, very few people understand that one can download and use google maps in offline mode – something that can be greatly helpful in areas where the internet signal is not steady enough.
10. Plan a sleeping routine
It is also essential to consider that one may have to sleep for several hours during the flight. Now, this might be difficult if one hasn’t planned for it. Things like a scarf doubling as a pillow or a neck pillow can come in handy at this stage. One should have something to cover one’s head (wearing a hoodie can help), earphones for voice cancellation, etc.
This is, of course, by no means an exclusive list of hacks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A lot of people have doubts and questions regarding gold lockers. Some of the most important of these frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are discussed in detail below:
Question: What kind of clothes are best to wear to a flight?
Answer: It is best to dress comfortably for long flights in loose, easy clothes with several lays – that can be removed if the need arises. Wearing a hoodie and carrying a scarf can help sleep, as mentioned earlier, and a jacket can come in handy to provide an additional layer of warmth.
Question: What should be the size of the carry-on bag?
Answer: The carry-on bag should contain all the essential items, but it should not be too heavy or troublesome to carry around (which is its whole purpose).
If the reader has any other doubts or questions, they should feel free to ask.
The Bottom Line
One can quickly wrap up the above discussion by concluding with the hope that these tips will come in handy for the readers the next time they plan internationally.
