Lately I feel like my life has consisted of travel time or time at home before our next trip. I went to San Francisco in December, Africa in January, Arizona in March, and Lake Tahoe in June. I will travel again to Africa this year and in between all those trips I have been visiting family and shooting weddings all over Virginia and the East Coast.
With all this traveling I have learned a lot about how to be comfortable on a plane - and what not to do! Here are my 5 best tips for traveling, especially on long airplane rides and layovers. Enjoy!
1) Pack some basic necessities in your carry-on. Guys, this is so important - especially for international flights. You never know if your luggage will make it, or make it on time to your destination. When I came back from South Africa once my check baggage was lost for 2 months! Pack the basics that you'll need for a day or two just in case - a clean pair of clothes, a few toiletries, and whatever else you may need.
2) Take one or two outfits out of your bag. Last time we went to Africa I decided that even though we had a laundry machine I needed to bring a brand new outfit for every day I was there. In fact I did not, and this was a complete waste of space. Now when I travel for an extended period I bring a few tops and some other complimentary clothes that I can rotate as needed.
3) Walk like crazy at the airport. I have had my fair share of ridiculously long layovers in my time. Traveling is exhausting, and I'm always tempted to sit there and sleep. But between health risks and sanity reasons, I instead choose to walk whenever I can. Sometimes I feel a little crazy in small airports when the same people see me loop past them a few times but you know what? I can sleep on the plane!
4) Turn off your phone. As a business owner, millennial, and human being, I am tempted to be on my phone always - even when we are 10,000 feet in the air and I have no service. Lately I have been intentionally turning off my phone in the airplane. I end up wasting time on it, and if I had it in front of my face the whole time I would miss out on some great conversations and friendships I have formed while traveling.
5) Drink water every chance you get. I am a fiend for drinking water, but on flights all I want is a Coke Zero and a snack. It is too easy to get dehydrated, so I not only load up on water beforehand, but I act like my mom and force myself to drink a cup of water for every cup of soda I drink. I don't always love it, but it helps immensely!
I know there are a plethora of other tips and advice for traveling both in-country and abroad! Do you have any advice to share? I'd love to hear it!
