5 Things to Do Before Every Flight You Take
“If you doubt you can accomplish something, then you can’t accomplish it. You have to have the confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.”
Love it or hate it, flying is part of our society that we all must partake in if we want to get out there and explore the world. Gone are the days of hopping a ship and heading off to explore. These days, we hop into aluminum tubes and wait hours in lines to cram ourselves into small seats before we can stretch our legs and feel the pulse of a new city.
As it is, I’m sitting at Denver International Airport right now and a few things popped into my mind to do before every flight you take. For me, these things have become gospel, and if you dread heading to the airport, I would highly recommend you do these things before your next adventure.
Either way, let’s get to ‘em!
1) Pack all your belongings the night before
I can’t recommend this enough, but if you pack all your belongings the night before (or two nights for that matter) you will give yourself time to really rethink those necessities you might need. You will also give yourself time to remember anything you may have forgotten.
As I’ve said multiple times - less is more when it comes to packing! Chances are you can get what you didn’t bring. Plus, you should always aim to leave space in your luggage for souvenirs!
2) Wake up early and make yourself a high fat breakfast
Do yourself a favor and never skip breakfast. Arguably, it is the most important meal of the day and should never be skipped due to lack of time. It takes about as much time to floss your teeth as it does to fry a couple of eggs. Grab an avocado on your way out or make a high-fat protein shake with spinach, bananas, blueberries and more. It only takes a few minutes and the fat you consume before heading off to the airport will stave off any cravings you might have for all that junk food found in airports these days.
Take the time to fuel your body for the flight and your day. Get in this habit and you will thank yourself over the long run. Overall, do yourself a favor and never skip breakfast - check here how to plan a perfect breakfast. Arguably, it is the most important meal of the day and should never be skipped due to lack of time.
3) Workout before your flight (if possible)
This is also mandatory for me if I have a flight during the day or later on in the evening and I would highly recommend it for you. Airplanes are small, cramped spaces and if I haven’t dedicated the time to get my body moving during the day in an intense workout, then I tend to find flying much more miserable.
If I’ve already taken the time to exert my muscles, I can focus the time on the plane to recovery and hydration. I also tend to find that I’m able to sleep a little bit better or be more productive and can get work done or read.
Even if you can only squeeze in a 10-20 minute workout do it. You will be much more relaxed on the flight.
4) Skip the check-in counter (if possible)
I find the check-in counter to be one of the more exhausting parts of going to the airport and would highly recommend you skip it, if possible. Even if you have a bag to drop off, try tagging it at one of the kiosks and dropping it off at the counter or paying for it online beforehand when you check-in for your flight.
If you don’t have a bag to drop off, awesome! Make sure to print off your tickets or download them to your wallet on your smartphone so you can just go straight to security. Bonus points if you have TSA pre-check and can skip the security line.
Anyway, nothing sucks the wind out of your trip by having to wait in a lengthy line just to pay to get your bags to go where you’re going.
5) Perfect the EDC (every day carry)
If you are not familiar with the term ‘EDC’ it simply stands for, ‘Every Day Carry’ and consists of what you normally have on your persons from day-to-day. For me, this consists of what fits into my backpack that I bring to work and is the following:
A Backpack
Wallet
Keys
Phone
Water bottle
Computer
Snacks
Spare cash
Chargers
Pen
Note Pad
Sunglasses
I would recommend figuring out how to get all of your items into one backpack and get in the habit of packing the same thing for you when you are flying. Not only will this be easier for you to pack things every time, but you’ll begin to put things in the same place and will become efficient with everything you do for every flight you take!
Have another pro-tip or recommendation?
Let us know in the comments!
more travel tips
Belgium has the best beer in the world and you can see it all by bike!