As the popular saying goes, you don’t have to work hard all the time; you just have to work smart. That’s always the better option, and that principle can be applied to almost any area of life, including flying from one part of the world to another.

We all hope for stress-free flights, but most of the time, that isn’t the case. The good news is that we have found better ways to enjoy plane flights with these witty tricks. Get ready to experience a new level of comfort on your next flight.

How to Never Stand in Line Again at the Airport

We know you’ve always wanted to cut in line at the airport so you can attend to other things on your schedule, but how do you do that without offending someone? No one likes to stand in line, especially when the line isn’t moving fast at all.

You’ll do anything to avoid a line, but here’s the trick. When flights are canceled or rescheduled and people troop up to the counter to complain, you can call customer service from your phone and have them sort it out for you. How about that for working smart!

Avoid Being Stuck in the Middle Seat

If you could choose your seat on every flight every time, you would probably go for a window or aisle seat. You would avoid the middle seat like the plague, and the reason is obvious. Chances are you could be sandwiched between two strangers.

And what if they have bad hygiene? Perhaps you were unlucky and got a middle seat. You can change it! To create a seat alert, go to Expertflyer.com. You’ll be notified if someone on your flight changes or cancels their flight, and you can swap seats with them. Good luck!

Prepare for the Worst with These Outfits

When flying, you can’t predict the weather based on where you’re coming from. You’ll be going through the clouds above various cities or countries that may be experiencing different weather conditions. So be sure to dress in a way that can weather any storm.

To do that, simply wear several layers of clothing. Then you can take off some layers when you’re hot and put them back on when you’re cold. It may mean you’ll have extra items to hold during the flight, but that’s only a small price to pay.

Leave No Item Behind

You may be a heavy packer when traveling because you love to change clothes often. But everyone advises you to pack lightly due to baggage restrictions. A person like you might have to find a smarter way to pack more items in less luggage. Try this!

Lay out the heavier items like towels or sweatshirts on the bottom of your suitcase. For everything else such as shirts and pants, roll them up to save space. Things that are likely to wrinkle should be folded. With more items neatly in your suitcase, you can be more confident during your trip.

Keeping Your Phone Powered Up

How will you make it through a flight without your phone’s battery going dead? Well, you could talk nonstop to your seatmates, sleep through the flight, or read one magazine after another. All this can be avoided by charging your phone, but what if you forgot your charging pack?

Don’t fret. We always have a backup plan. Most airports have charging stations like this one, but they also have televisions, and most televisions currently have USB ports that can be used to charge your phone. You’re very welcome to enjoy your phone on the trip!

Let the Germs Stay at Bay

Although you might get a little chilly, we advise you to leave the air conditioner above you on full blast to stay as germ-free as possible. The air helps keep germs at bay. Remember, you’re wearing layers for any kind of weather, so now your jacket can keep you warm.

The air from the air conditioning vent produces an unseen barrier of air around you that keeps germs or viruses from sticking around and making you sick. And no one wants to get sick when traveling, so it’s better to keep the air on and wrap up in a sweater!

You Can’t Over-Sanitize

When you’re flying, you want to arrive safely to enjoy that special event or vacation. You don’t want to board a plane healthy and get off sick, unable to carry out your activities. That is why you have to keep yourself clean and your surroundings sanitized.

Just as you’ll use the plane’s air conditioning to keep germs at bay, remember to bring disinfectant wipes with you to clean your seat and any surfaces you’ll touch during your travels. Also remember to carry a hand sanitizer. You can’t outdo yourself on this one.

Don’t Dress to Kill – Dress for Comfort

The flight attendants on the plane are the only ones in a fashion show. So there’s no point dressing so fashionable that you’ll be uncomfortable. Most flights put you in a cramped-up position due to small seats and little space between them. You don’t want to add to your problem by dressing uncomfortably.

When you’re flying for an hour and intend to rush from the airport to a meeting or an event, you may need to jazz up slightly. Other than that, wearing your favorite heels or your best suit on lengthier flights could just be you setting yourself up for a painfully uncomfortable flight.

Hold the Fizz

Everyone loves fizzy drinks until they become conscious of their health. We don’t want to bore you with that pep talk today, but we can save you from some embarrassment. You should avoid carbonated drinks such as sparkling water or sodas since they might cause your intestines to inflate.

That can result in some discomfort, passing gas, and burping! So drink water or juice on your journey, and reserve the fizzy drinks for when you set your foot on land again. If your body needs to pass gas, it’ll be subtler, and passengers won’t be upset with you.

Save Your Ears First, Sleep Later

Some people have a fear of flying (also known as aviophobia), but they fly anyway because of the convenience and the safety of air travel. Research shows that air travel has the lowest death risk, but it still has its downsides like jet lag and what’s called airplane ear.

Airplane ear happens when the flight takes off. Your ears try to adjust to the air pressure, which makes your eardrums swell. That is a little uncomfortable, and you might want to be awake for this part with your earplugs in until the airplane is safely in the air.

Making It through the Turbulence

Turbulence on flights is tricky because it happens. As the plane flies through the sky, it can encounter irregular airwaves that shake the aircraft and make the passengers anxious. The impact is temporary, but if you want to feel the impact less, there’s a trick for that too.

If you have a hard time coping with turbulence, keep this in mind when selecting your seat. Choose a seat that is over the plane’s wing and avoid sitting at the back since that is where you will feel the impact the most. So, consider booking your flights early to get the seat you want.

Stretching Those Muscles

Staying in one position for a long time can make your muscles cramp. It’s common on a flight unless you get the chance to stretch or move around a bit. There are ways you can stretch and avoid body pain. But there’s just not enough space to do that on the plane or in the terminal. Wait! What if we said there was?

You don’t have to stand up and bend over to do a stretch. Right in your seat, you can stretch your limbs by putting one over the other and pulling it like in the picture. A walk or two to the bathroom helps too. Even if you don’t need to go, do it for your muscles!

Maintain Sanity and Enjoy

People make new acquaintances and build new relationships with people they meet on flights. It could have a fairy-tale ending, but it sure doesn’t happen every time. Sometimes you just want to focus on the series you’re catching up on, a book you’re reading, or work you’re finishing up.

However, your seatmates may be in a chatty mood, and you surely don’t want to come off as rude. The easiest way we recommend avoiding this situation is to bring along your favorite pair of quality headphones and put yourself in another world. Enjoy!

Staying Fresh and Clean in the Air

Longer flights usually have a few stopovers, and you may get the chance to freshen up on one of them. But don’t expect a shower. At the most, you may get to brush your teeth and wash your face in an attempt to freshen up. And here are some tips.

You should pack underwear, socks, mouthwash, and deodorant in your carry-on bag and keep it in the overhead bin. This makes it easy to get to a fresh change of underwear if you start feeling uncomfortable. And using the deodorant and mouthwash will make you more confident when interacting with others.

Get Rid of the Smell

When you’re occupied with activities on your trip and forget to do your laundry, your suitcase may become smelly from dirty clothes piling up. That may cause you to take action. But taking your clothes to the laundromat may not be right for you because of time constraints.

This simple trick to keep your clothes fresh will save you a lot of stress. Toss a couple of dryer sheets inside your bag, and you’re good to go. The sheets will absorb odors from sweaty clothes and dirty socks, allowing your clothes to smell cleaner and fresher.

Letting Your Money Work for You

Some folks like to do it the old way when they are on trips by getting a tour guide and moving around places with a group of strangers. But if you like to fly solo and save some money while you’re at it, then this tip might be very helpful.

Mobile apps have made traveling much easier and more accessible to everyone thanks to technological advancements. Simply do a little online research before stepping out of your hotel and enjoy your holiday sightseeing! If you get lost, check your phone, or seek assistance from a kind local.

The Ultimate Go-To Kit

If you pack your bag like we’re about to show you, you shouldn’t have an issue with any flight regardless of how long it is. Perhaps you’re sitting for hours, your joints start to ache, and you seriously need to be refreshed, but the plane has no shower. A backpack with these items in it should come in handy.

Face wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and a change of clothes may make a tremendous impact on your composure, appearance, and smell. Ladies, feel free to pack some makeup, too, but stick to the essentials such as lipstick and mascara. You probably don’t need that foundation on the plane.

Setting Up for the Cold

In our bag of tricks are even more travel tips for you, our dear traveler. As mentioned earlier, the temperature on flights changes often, coupled with all the air conditioners that may be on full blast. That’s why airlines often provide their passengers with blankets.

If you easily get creeped out, you may not want to use a blanket that hundreds of passengers have possibly used before, although it may have been disinfected. Here’s your way out of this situation. Bring along your own portable carry-on blanket, and have a cozy rest.

Make Hay while the Sun Shines

This is one of the many smart choices you should make as you travel. It’s easy to find your way around an unknown city or country. All you need is a map, and Google Maps makes life easier for you whether you have online service or not.

In a new town, the Internet could be terrible, especially if there’s no Wi-Fi around. With Google Maps, you can download the map of the town before your plane takes off. It will still be there when you arrive at your destination. The bad Internet won’t matter!

Have a To-Do List

To-do lists help us keep an eye on our goals and activities and help even when we fly across cities or countries. We know a to-do list sounds demanding and exhausting, but what we mean is that you should plan what you want to do on your flight to avoid boredom.

If you don’t want to stare at the aircraft’s ceiling or poke into your seatmate’s alone time, you should plan to keep yourself busy. We have a few ideas—play games, watch movies you’ve already downloaded, listen to music, read a book, or even plan your next trip.

Smell Like a Million Dollars

The importance of smelling fresh all day cannot be overemphasized, especially when you are on a trip with strangers, and you want to leave the best first impression. Bringing along your finest and most expensive perfume may be a little overboard, but here’s a tip for you.

Portable fragrance bottles were made for occasions such as this. You can get a portion of your fine perfume drawn out of the bottle. Smaller perfume sizes are also an option, including pocket perfumes and small-sized perfume oils. Try any of these and thank us later.

Prioritize the Security Check

No one wants to be on a plane that gets hijacked by terrorists or drug dealers, so we all must appreciate the airport security system and officials. Let’s not get offended when they cause a delay. But we’ve got a way to avoid the delay.

When you get to the airport early, just an extra 10 to 15 minutes, the security check will seem like a breeze because you’ve still got extra time for everything else. Perhaps you should consider going to sleep early the night before your flight so you can get up early enough to beat the rush.

The Left Line Trick

When you are asked to get in a line, which one are you naturally more inclined to get in—the left or the right? Well, we say the right line because most people turn toward their dominant hand, and for most people, that’s the right hand. What’s our advice for you in this situation?

Get in the line on the left. That line is usually shorter since only smart people like you, people who are experienced travelers, or people who are left-handed get in the left line. This is a great tip so you spend less time in any line at the airport.

Protect Yourself from Your Blades

By now, you have probably removed and even thrown away the detachable cover for your razor blade. But no worries. You are normal, and this is a common occurrence with other humans. Here’s what you need to do instead of getting a new razor when you want to travel.

Get yourself some binder clips and do yourself a favor. They’re an excellent replacement for the plastic cover, and they’re a far better investment than buying a new razor every time you lose the cover! By keeping your razor covered, you can avoid cuts and even germs.

How to Have Your Documents with You at All Times

Forgetting to bring along your passport or travel documents in your own city isn’t a problem since you can always hurry back home and get them. But when this happens in another city or country you’re visiting, it could become a big problem. But here’s how you can avoid this.

We recommend scanning your passport, ID, and any other vital documents and emailing them to yourself, saving them offline, or keeping them on your smartphone so you have some proof of identification at the airport if you are the unfortunate victim of theft or loss.

Making a Friend or Two

Life is fun, but friends can make life sweeter. That’s why life is structured to put us among people, including our families. However, we can’t always travel with friends or family all the time, so meeting people from all over the world on your travels is a fantastic way to make memories.

As much as you want to make friends, approaching a crowd of strangers alone can be intimidating. But technology is on your side! Backpackr or Travel Buddies will connect you with other travelers in your city, and you can meet up with them and begin your adventures! Remember to stay safe though.

Hold Your Water Bottle Close

It’s time to finally put your fancy water bottle to use. Because of the changing air pressure in the plane, the moisture level might be low. Your body dehydrates more quickly than it would on the ground, so you can do your lungs a favor by staying hydrated.

And it won’t cost much if you note these tips. First, bring along your water bottle and fill it with the water offered on the plane. The airline always offers their passengers water, so you will have plenty to work with. Drink enough to stay hydrated, and the bathroom on the plane is there if you need it.

Hungry Passenger = Angry Passenger

We’ve all been hungry, right? Hunger makes most people cranky—or hangry—and others start to hallucinate and have the wildest dreams when their shrinking stomachs are beating them up. Getting hungry while traveling is normal, which is why most airlines serve food on the flight. But don’t expect a five-star meal.

Aside from the food portions possibly being very small, the food may also suck. That is why we advise you to pack a light snack in your carry-on or backpack. And bring it from home to avoid the high prices at the airport. A crunchy snack might come in handy when you get very hangry.

Your Own Tea Bag

We keep showing you more and more ways to save money on your trip, but there’s no need to thanks us. We just hope you apply our many tips and share your experiences with us later. Here’s another tip to help you save some dough and also some effort on your next flight.

Bring along your favorite coffee cup, but don’t put anything in it but a tea bag. When you get on the plane, ask the flight attendant to fill your cup with hot water. And there you have it—a fresh cup of tea, and it won’t cost you anything.

Ditch the Tour Guide, Do It Your Way

What if we told you that the tour guide you’re paying to help you navigate the cool parts of the city doesn’t know everything? So who does know everything about the city? Locals who have lived there for years, of course. And how do you find them?

Good question! Party with a Local is an app you can download and use to connect with the locals in the city you’re visiting. You can chat with them by phone and find out everything you need to know, and you can also meet them face to face. What a cool way to make new friends!

A Handy Power Bank

Only 1% of people travel or move around without a power bank these days, and you don’t want to be one of them, especially if you’re going on a long flight. Power banks are portable battery packs that you can use to recharge your phone or other devices.

They store up energy that can charge your phone and other gadgets that use a USB or accept wireless charging. How cool is that! With your power bank fully charged up, you can keep your gadgets powered on your way to your destination.

Don’t Miss Your Flight

Technology comes through again with another cool app to help you avoid missing your flight. It can be tedious to keep an eye on the departures and arrivals board, especially if there are no seats close to the boards. And what a strain it is to keep turning your head to look!

That can give you a sore neck! Here’s how technology comes to the rescue again. Rather than continuously checking for updates on your flight, simply download the Flight Board app to your smart device and keep track of all arrivals and departures without leaving your seat or turning your head!

A Hidden Reward, Maybe…

Not that we want you to focus on the reward or anything, but when airlines have overbooked flights and want some passengers to volunteer to reschedule their flights, you may want to consider giving your seat up. It’s a noble thing to do for humanity and…

…the airport may help you secure accommodation nearby. And you may get some freebies on your rescheduled booking and a kind thank you and heartwarming smile from the airport staff. Isn’t that beautiful? You may want to experience that even if it’s just once. We sure will!

Keeping Things Organized, All Day Every Day

Some people love packing, and it’s their favorite part of the trip. But if you aren’t one of those, we still think you believe that whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. That’s why we present you with this tip to help keep your suitcase or backpack organized.

Pack knowing that you don’t want to unpack your entire bag when you arrive at your destination. With that in mind, consider packing the items you’ll need first last, and vice versa. When you get to your accommodations, it will be easy to pick out the exact items you need right then. The rest will be there as you progress on your trip.

Shielding Yourself from the Eyes of Airports

We have technology to thank for so many things, including making it too easy for people to track our activities online. And airlines are no exception. They want to know how you’re searching for flights, and they keep an eye on how many times you’ve looked for a specific flight in the past.

You might want to keep this information from them by searching for flights in incognito mode. And it may keep you from paying too much for the flight. Airlines sometimes raise their price because they know you really want to book that particular flight. This is yet another chance for you to save some money.

Bye-Bye Jet Lag, Lift Your Spirits

Jet lag usually overstays its welcome. It may last up to a week if you don’t take it by the horns and kick it goodbye. It’s no fun to miss out on exploring the sites where you just arrived. That is why you can’t give jet lag a chance.

Rather than lying in bed and trying to sleep off your jet lag, you should get up and hit the streets for a nice little run. The sun, the exercise, and the sweat will inform your body that it is time to get up and do productive things. It will leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Never Forget the TV Charger

Remember how we said that most airports have TVs where you can charge your phone if you’re desperate? Most hotels have them too! Here’s a tip for you if you arrive at your hotel and discover that you’ve forgotten your charging port or battery pack. Or maybe you brought the wrong one.

Just like at the airport, check to see if your hotel’s television has a USB port. Then charge your smartphone with the TV until you can get to a store to replace your charging port. Or maybe not! If the TV is okay, you can use the extra cash on something else!

Do Not Drop – Fragile, Handle with Care

Here’s another one we can’t wait to share. We have a game-changing solution to ensure that your luggage is handled with care. Maybe you’re traveling with fragile or precious items that could get knocked around in the cargo hold and get broken. And maybe you don’t want your bag to be damaged.

Mark your luggage as fragile. Not only will this ensure that your belongings are protected, but your luggage will also be placed at the top of the pile. That will also allow you to be among the first to retrieve your belongings from the baggage carousel! We hope everyone doesn’t use this trick though! Haha!

Getting over the Turbulence

Most people aren’t fans of turbulence. If you’re someone who is significantly affected by turbulence, you’re probably doing everything you can to avoid it as much as possible. We’ve previously talked about the best spot to sit, but now it’s time to talk about the best time to fly.

Morning flights have less turbulence since the day’s heat hasn’t yet reached its peak. Heat creates storms and wind, which causes turbulence on planes. So if you’re one of those who hate turbulence and want to avoid it, an early flight is your best bet!

Stay Away from the Ice

Earlier, we told you to stay away from carbonated drinks and instead drink water. We agree that nothing beats a tall glass of ice-cold water to relieve your thirst. But we must remind you that ordering ice in your drinks on a plane is a big no-no, and not for the reason you would think.

There’s a popular misconception that ice served on planes is from the plane’s water tank. No. The ice is ordered from a caterer and brought on board. But the food carts where the ice is kept could be unclean. So, we strongly advise you to skip the ice this time.

Getting an Extra Seat

When it’s time to take off, there’s nothing better than realizing that the middle seat next to you is unoccupied! Here’s how you can get it for free. This isn’t a sure thing, but it’s worth a shot if you’re flying economy and need some extra space.

Book the aisle and window seats together if you’re traveling as a pair. If your flight is underbooked, it’s unlikely that someone will proactively choose a seat between two strangers. Therefore, your chances of having some additional room are at least slightly increased! It’s worth a try!

Get Smart with Your Drink

Another smart trick to avoid pricey beverages at the airport is to use this simple trick that few people are aware of. While liquids are prohibited before entering security, frozen water, tea, and coffee are permitted. How many of you are aware of this?

If the beverage is not entirely frozen when you pass through security, you will be required to leave it behind. So make sure the bottle is frozen. Your flight should also be long enough for your beverage to defrost. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time with a frozen bottle!

Making Your Suitcase Waterproof

We know you’re going to love this tip, so we saved it for last. When it’s the rainy season, you can never really tell when there will be a heavy downpour. That is why you have to be prepared whenever you travel by making your bags and suitcases waterproof.

All you have to do is completely line the inside of your bag with plastic trash bags, which will prevent all your belongings from getting wet. If your suitcase gets wet, simply let it dry out in the cool breeze when the sun eventually comes out. Your belongings inside will still be dry. Loved this tip! Didn’t you?