Saturday, May 7th
And finally, this day has come! I’m sitting in the JFK airport in New York, waiting for my flight to Heat
hrow airport, London. I have flied so many times, but always get nervous before going through passport control in the airport. Do I have all of my documents with me? Where is my ticket?! They are not going to lose my baggage, are they? I feel like no matter how much a person travels, one always gets at least a little bit stressed before the flight. So, to reduce your anxiety, my dear readers, let me give you a few “tips for a successful flight” based on my own experiences:
- Start packing early – at least a day or two before the departure. It’s nice to start making a list of important things way before packing and edit it every time you remember something new. There will be things you’ll need to pack the right before the departure like toothbrushes, combs, etc. – make sure you keep them somewhere you’ll see them and don’t forget them.
- Arrive to the airport at least 2 hours prior to your flight. Firstly, it will save you from stressing out about being late. Secondly, checking in usually opens about 3 hours before the departure. The earlier you come, the small
er the check in line will be. Thirdly, getting your tickets at the check in, going through the passport control, and finding your gate may take you up to an hour. Boarding starts about 30-45 minutes before the departure and the line starts forming even earlier. - If you don’t like your seat or want to seat with your friend, ask someone if he or she wants to switch. Sometimes, people are more than happy to switch seats. This time mine was between two others (hate triple seats!), and the girl to my left was actually very happy to switch because she wanted to seat with her brother who was to my right.
Don’t be afraid of flying! Cars crush much more often than planes do, so if you’ve been lucky enough to survive your ride to the airport, you should be fine on your flight.