Mistakes To Avoid If You're New To Traveling By Plane

There's nothing like that crummy feeling of knowing you could have saved a significant amount of money if you had been a little more on top of your planning. If you have the foresight to know you'll be taking a trip a few months ahead of time, flight prices are likely to be cheaper the earlier you purchase. Sometimes trips are spontaneous by necessity (such as with a family emergency, etc.), but when you can, book your flight at least a few weeks in advance. Week-of and day-of ticket prices typically skyrocket.

While we're on the topic of mistakes to avoid when booking your flight, don't settle for the first price you see. Always consult multiple vendors before purchasing your tickets. Sometimes even the same seat on the same flight costs different amounts of money, depending on the website selling the ticket. It never hurts to shop around Expedia, Priceline, and the like — as well as airlines' official websites themselves — before finally booking your flight.

As much as you tell yourself "C4," your parking row, is easy to remember, write it down when you arrive at the airport. Trust us, the last thing you want to do when arriving back at your hometown airport at the end of a trip is wander aimlessly in a sea of vehicles desperately hoping to locate your car. Jot your parking lot name and parking row number on a piece of paper, type it in your Notes app, or drop a pin at your car's location before leaving it behind. Do whatever it takes to make sure you can make it back to your car without any trouble, no matter how sharp you think your memory is.

While on the subject, also pay attention to the airport's internal transportation between the terminal and parking lots. We're guilty of getting on the wrong bus, arriving at an incorrect parking lot, and having to ride back to the terminal to find the right shuttle. It's a mistake nearly as frustrating — and easy to make — as forgetting where you parked.

Any sort of liquid — including drinks, lotion, shaving cream, you name it — must be no more than 3.4 ounces per container when traveling on an airplane. Before your trip, visit the grocery store to pick up travel-sized toiletries like toothpaste, hairspray, deodorant, and the like. Alternatively, you could forgo the travel-sized items and plan on making a pit stop once you arrive at your destination to retrieve full-size versions. (Just keep in mind you'll need to dispose of or give away anything left over before flying back.)

Since TSA prohibits travelers from bringing any liquids over 3.4 ounces, you'll be asked to throw away any full or even partially filled water bottles prior to going through security. A hack to avoid spending $7 on a Dasani in the terminal? Bring a refillable water bottle to fill up on the other side after you've gone through security. Just make sure it's completely empty when you arrive.

Airlines are strict about the size of your luggage. Which types of bags qualify as personal items, carry-ons, or checked baggage can get confusing. Making matters worse, not all airlines adhere to the same measurements. For example, just because American Airlines deemed your backpack small enough to be considered a personal item doesn't mean Frontier will. The latter might consider the backpack's size as a carry-on item, in which case you may need to pay a fee. 

Make sure you're in the clear before traveling. Visit your airline's website to learn about its luggage specifications. If you know you'll need to purchase passage for a carry-on or a checked bag, go ahead and arrange that prior to traveling. The cost will be more expensive at the airport. If you're unsure about your bag once you arrive at the airport, visit your flight gate and ask an employee for help. They'll often have a mock storage compartment in which you can verify if your bag fits the airline's various-sized categories. If you need to check on this, do so as soon as you arrive at the terminal to avoid slowing things down for everyone during the boarding process.

We're all going to the same place, on the same vehicle, and for the most part, we all already know where we'll be sitting on the plane. There's no need to hover near the gate to your plane before your boarding group is called. If you arrive at the airport super early, find a less congested area to relax instead. High-ceiling terminals are a stress-relieving dream if you can find one. The height helps the space feel less cramped, even if the same amount of people are under a low-ceiling terminal.

If there are complications or delays with your flight, that's another story. You might want to be near the gate to hear about any updates or alerts. If everything is going smoothly, though, and you haven't received any change-of-plans notifications on your phone through the airline's app, there's no need to crowd around the gate until shortly before boarding.

No one wants to have their flight delayed or canceled, but those changes are often beyond your control. If possible, plan some buffer time in anticipation of travel complications. This is an especially good practice when your reason for traveling is time-sensitive. For example, if you're flying en route to a wedding, the ceremony will go on with or without you (unless, y'know, you're the bride or groom). If your flight is scheduled for just a few hours before the wedding, and the flight is delayed, you might miss the entire reason for your trip. Whereas, if you're just taking a casual vacay to the beach, sure, it's a bummer if your flight gets delayed, but the trip itself isn't inherently reliant on a ticking clock.

In cases when time is of the essence, do yourself a favor and allot more time for traveling than you think you'll need. Travel at least one day before the most important item on your travel itinerary (like a wedding, concert, etc.). Even if you end up not needing the buffer, you'll have peace of mind knowing you have time to spare.

Real talk: As our bodies get older, we can't handle some experiences with the ease we formerly could. The books we always counted on reading while traveling from place to place? Even reading a paragraph or two while in motion now makes us dizzy. That scary roller coaster we loved riding at least three times when we visited our favorite amusement park? We can barely handle one trip around the track these days. Going an entire flight without getting nauseous? Uh, well ...

Even if you don't think you'll get sick from flying, consider packing some anti-nausea over-the-counter medication. Your body might not have as high a tolerance as it used to for instantaneously being thousands of feet in the sky. Feeling faint and/or needing to vomit on a plane is obviously one of the last things you hope will happen during your flight. That being said, it's better to have that Dramamine in your backpack. It's better to have it and not need it versus needing it and not having it.

We've all been there. You're settled in for a pleasant flight, and the passenger next to you disregards any and all notions of courtesy to their fellow travelers. Maybe their headphones are turned up to maximum volume, and you can hear their music just as easily as they can. Perhaps they're chatting with a buddy seated nearby, but speaking way louder than necessary. Or, maybe there's a passenger kicking the back of your seat.

Don't be the obnoxious travel companion, especially when sitting next to strangers. Certainly, you have a right to be comfortable and spend the flight according to your preferences, whether that pertains to noise, light, or other elements. However, be mindful of your fellow passengers' flight experience, too — and for the sake of everyone's gag reflex, leave those egg salad sandwiches at home, Oscar. A little mindfulness for your fellow passengers creates friendlier skies. 

You'd be surprised how thankless some passengers can be to the people whose literal job it is to serve them. It might seem like common sense to be polite to flight attendants, but some folks could use a refresher in Manners 101. We know we may be preaching to the choir here. Anyone frequenting an advice column concerning airplane etiquette and avoiding flying mistakes is likely going to be a polite passenger, and for that, we applaud you. Your kindness makes up for the lack of it displayed by others, even though it shouldn't have to.

We recently spoke with a flight attendant who shared some of the common mistakes travelers make while boarding a plane. Some passengers are just plain rude, like those who hand their trash to flight attendants when boarding, while other passengers might not realize the delays they cause by unpacking their luggage in the aisle. Although you may not be guilty of these mistakes, there's nothing wrong with a refresher to ensure everyone's flights go as smoothly as possible, including the flight attendants.