Recently Justin and I flew for the first time. In preparation for this we researched all that we could and asked advice from others who have flown before. But in all that research there were still a few things that we learned from actually flying that we were not able to find until we actually flew. Which is why we wanted to take a little time with you today and go over those items. That way you are even more prepared than we were for our first flight!
Departure Time
When you schedule your flight, it’ll list your departure time. Now if you’re like us, you will think that is the time the plane is leaving the terminal. That is not the case. The time listed for your departure is the time you will be departing from the ground. So when they say get to the airport early, it’s not just to make sure you have enough time to get through security. It is to make sure you are on your plane in time for it to leave the ground at it’s scheduled time.
Buy Dramamine Even If You Think You Won’t Need It
Since it was our first time flying, Justin and I were not sure if we’d get sick from it. Both of us are prone to getting car sick but everyone tells you differently on if that means you’ll get sick from flying or not. For us it proved that everyone is different and just because you get car sick does or doesn’t mean you will get motion sickness from flying. I was completely fine. I didn’t get the least bit nauseas. Juston on the other hand did. Our first flight actually had a 2 hour layover before we reached our final destination so that allowed Justin time to purchase some Dramamine and take a nap to recover before our next flight. It took him a full hour of napping in order to feel almost completely normal so that he did not get sick on the next flight. So just be safe and go ahead and buy some Dramamine ahead of time and prepare yourself for about an hour of recovery time before going on to your next activity.
It Is Loud In The Plane
So this one was a little shocking to us. As we boarded the plane we noticed just how loud the engine noise was inside the plane. We’d deducted from our research that people had brought headphone on planes in order to block out other passengers. Now that is an added plus but it also blocks out the engine noise as well. Since our first flight was only about an hour, I’d opted to keep my headphones packed away and that was not the smartest choice on my part. I ended up with a slight headache from the engine noise.
Small Planes Have Different Carry-on Rules
When preparing for our flight, we checked to airlines carry-on rules. We’d originally planned for only one checked bag and two carry-ons. So we wanted to make sure that we knew our airlines rules on carry-ons. What our research didn’t tells us though is that the smaller plans don’t allow you to have a personal items and a carry-on due to space restrictions. The stewardess gives you a tag for your carry-on as you wait to board the plane. Then as you are boarding you leave your bag by the entrance of the plane and they take the bags to be checked from there. For us, that was a big deal because my personal item was my purse and my carry-on was my camera bag with all our camera gear in it. So very fragile items that would not fair well stored in the cargo area of a plane with everyone else’s luggage. Thankfully Justin’s carry-on was large enough to fit my purse and I didn’t have to check my camera bag at the plane entrance.
Thank you so much for reading!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this post! And that it helps you as you prepare for your first flight! If you’ve flown before and have any other tips we should add, please leave us a comment! Our recent trip to Colorado meant that we had three flights in total due to the layover on the way there. So we don’t have a ton of tips about flying. It is just a few things we noticed that we were not able to find out beforehand.
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