10 Great Tips for the Air Traveler - View Video

Knowing that a trip is coming up for you is exciting, but knowing you’re going on an airplane is very exciting, but for some, air travel has become nerve wracking because of all the security measures we have to endure. Even though the process of air travel has become, at times, inconvenient, we still board that plane because it’s the quickest way of getting around. For the frequent traveler there are some tips and tricks for making the process of air travel a little less nerve wracking. Here are 10 tips for the air traveler, but some of these tips can be used for those who use ground transportation.

1. Raise your hand if you have forgotten where you parked your car in the airport parking lot. If you had a dollar for every time you did this you would have money for a full tank of gas – LOL! So here’s the tip, each parking row usually has some type of placard with a letter or an alphabet. Take a picture of the placard in the row or area in which you parked your vehicle. When you’re in the parking lot and ready to go home pull the picture of the placard up in your camera.

2. If you have a lot of luggage, don’t forget the FREE shuttles that ride around airport parking lots. Use them especially if you've parked a long way from the airport terminal.

3. Lessen the possibility of getting pat down by security at the airport by wearing tight cloths, or should I say form fitting cloths. Those of you who feel more comfortable wearing real loose clothing might be setting yourselves up for some "groping". The “appearance” of having no place to hide something might help you get through security quicker. Would you be more apt to pat down someone wearing an unnecessarily large shirt? If you are wearing a hat, don't forget to take it off and let it pass through the x-ray machine. Now, if you must wear large clothing, that's understandable. This tip is in nowise to make individuals feel uncomfortable.

4. Having to take off your shoes so you can go through security’s x-ray machine is inconvenient, so ladies, let's make it easy by wearing slip-on shoes (shoes with the heel out), flip flops, or sandals. Men can wear shoes that slip on and off as well such as loafers. Having to untie a pair of shoes is a pain; then you have to sit down to put them back on and tie them up again. To keep yourself healthy, wear socks, knee-hi’s, pantyhose, or throw-away booties. Walking barefoot on airport floors is like walking through a sewer - there could be Staphylococcus, fecal matter, you name it. YUCK!

5. So now you’ve made it on the plane either coming or going home, and you find yourself sitting next to a young child or a baby, and that young child or baby is located between you and their Mom or Dad; in other words he or she has the middle seat. Two things you never do. First, you never pass a hot drink, like coffee, over the young child or baby. When the Steward or Stewardess asks you what would you like to drink and the thought of a fresh piping hot brewed cup of coffee crosses your mind, shoot that thought down like a torpedo. You don’t want that hot drink to spill on the child – just think about hitting turbulence at the time the hot drink is being passed over the child and to you. The second thing you never do is to disturb that young child’s or baby’s sleep. If the flight is especially long you want that kid to be knocked out as long as possible. If the Sun is up and the kid falls asleep, pull the plane blind down no matter how much you want to look out of the window.

6. Say you’re a business traveler and now you’ve made it into your hotel room with your suite case and laptop. If you have to leave your hotel room leaving your laptop and suite case, lock them together – in other words attach laptop to luggage. Use a small lock and insert latch in both zipper tabs of luggage and laptop.

7. If you bring your own soap, shampoo, conditioner, and shower cap and don’t use what the hotel provides then re-gift the hotel toiletries to charity. Take the toiletries, pack them nicely in your suite case, bring them home and give them to transitional housing organizations or shelters which are always looking for toiletries for their clients.

8. Before turning in that rental car take several pictures of it so you’ll have proof of no damage. Take photos of it down the sides, the bumpers, and the roof, if you can, along with the fully inflated tires.

9. Before turning in that rental car take a picture of the gas gage so you’ll have proof that you returned it on a full tank of gas.

10. If you have not done this already, please, please, please change your credit card over to a rewards card. Get miles for flying or staying at hotels if you’re a business traveler. If you have the opportunity to use your credit card to charge items for your company, either for your own company, or for the company in which you work, make sure your credit card works for you. Individuals get to expense the items charged on their personal credit card – meaning the company reimburses them, but then the individual gets reward points on their personal credit card. There are individuals that fly so much for the company for which they work by charging their airplane tickets, hotels, and rental cars on their personal credit cards and accruing reward points, that when it’s vacation time their hotel stays and airfares are free.

How often do you think airplanes' folding meal trays get cleaned? How many times have these fold down meal trays been sneezed or coughed on? When you fold a meal tray down to place your drink or food on it, do you think about that? Rarely the thought crosses anyone's mind. Pick up a small package of disinfecting wipes before your trip or while you're in the airport. The airplane bathroom is a bacterial mill as well - use the disinfecting wipes to wipe down the toilet seat too.