Make sure everything at home is taken care of. Don't leave something unfinished you can knock out in a minute or two. If the laundry needs to be folded, fold it. Got dishes, do them! All those little things will matter when you come home to a clean house and you can take the extra time to unwind from the trip.
If not everyone in the house is going on the trip make sure they know the 'who, what, when, where and why' of your trip. Now days you can simply forward all the information, confirmation e-mails and reservation information. Maybe just printing the stuff out and leaving it on the table or posted on the refrigerator is enough? Heck you can go 'old school' and use a pen and paper to write down the information! If you do go old school make sure and write a quick note at the bottom with plenty of "XOXOXOXOX". A cool thing you can do with most airlines now days is get live updates on where the flight is! Even if you are rushing to get through security or somthing else your loved ones can find out if you have left yet or if the times have changed. Works great for people who might be meeting you at the other end of the flight.
Packing to travel on a plane is a bit of a chore now days with all the security issues involved with flying. Keep It Simple Smuck! Don't try and bring anything on the plane which might cause you an issue. You really do not need everything you own with you. If you are taking your purse or bag you carry everyday with you find a table or somewhere else and dump out everything. Open all the pockets, open every zippered compartment, turn the bag inside out and shake the bag upside down to make sure everything falls out. Remember someone is going to be searching your bag and the one thing you forgot to take out might cause you an issue. I know I carry things on a daily basis which would cause the TSA to have a fit if I tried to get on a plane with the stuff.
Speaking of stuff you carry everyday. If your everyday carry consist of items TSA would have fit over do not try to take the stuff in the bag you are going to keep with you on the plane. You will get stopped at security and have to deal with a situation you really should not have to deal with. Keep only the essentials with you on the plane. Items such as your identification, wallet and maybe your keys. In the bag you are bringing on the plane maybe a book, laptop or your kindle. You are not going to need to bring on your 8oz bottle of shampoo or your 12" bowie knife. Those things can be packed in your checked bag. Yes you can check bags! Trying to work the system by having a rolling bag, backpack and another 'carry on item' which is just another bag full of stuff does not make you smarter than the rest of us. Doing this makes you an ass and shows how little you think about the rest of us when you take up more than your allotted space in the storage bins, do not be an ass.
Make sure you pack the charger for your phone, laptop and any other electrical device you have with you. Nothing is more annoying then landing with a dead phone and no way to charge it. If you are leaving the U.S. make sure you brought adapters for the stuff. Plugs are different in other countries!!!! Stuff a jacket into your bag and maybe a hat. Be sure and have stuff with you to dress for the weather where you are going!
If you have anything questionable pack the item in your checked bag. For some of you your questionable item is better left at home????? Yes "it" might be legal where you live at but the TSA is a Federal Agency and they still view "it" as an illegal substance.....
Getting through security is not that big of deal with a little forethought and planning. First, you do not have anything in your bag or on your person they are going to be concerned with, which then just turns the process into a dance for you.
"One and two, take off your shoes, three and four, put your laptop in a bin with nothing else, five and six, put your shoes and jacket in a separate bin. One and two, pat yourself down real quick and make sure you took your belt off, three and four, push your bins forward, five and six, wait till the TSA Agent tells you to step forward. One and two, smile at the agent as you go through, three and four, get your bins, five and six, get out of the way. One and two, get your shoes on, two and three, put your laptop away, five and six, check to make sure you have not left anything behind."
A little note on the security folks at the airport.... THEY ARE PEOPLE.... treat them the way you want to be treated if you were doing their job. Do not assume they are all idiots or ass clowns and do not give them an attitude. Why? Because how hard is it really to pass through security? Not really that hard and if you can not dance through the checkpoint who is the idiot and/or the assclown really?
When you land phone home. Let people know you made it that far and all is well. Keeps them from wondering if your alright or not and cuts down on their stress.
Check into your hotel you are staying at and set up your room. Look around the room and see what there is in the room. Make sure things work and they are the way you want them. Changing rooms is easy at this point but becomes a pain later if you want to change rooms for some reason. Plug in your chargers, unpack some of your stuff and settle in. Getting to your destination should not be but in most cases is the hardest part.
In part two we will cover some ideas you should think about once you have arrived. As always;
Stay safe!
