Do you need tips for flying alone? You’re in charge, you’re on your own schedule, and you don’t have to clean up after anyone else. It’s also a whale of a lot more stressful than flying with friends or family. Flying alone means that if something goes wrong—for example, if your flight gets delayed or cancelled—you’re the only person who can handle the situation. If you’ve never flown alone before, here are some tips for flying alone, making sure everything goes smoothly:
You can’t pack for weather you’ve never experienced.
Packing for a trip is stressful enough, but flying alone makes it even more difficult. If you can’t pack the right things, it could lead to a bad experience that leaves you wishing you had just stayed home.
When packing for your flight, don’t account for weather or events that are unfamiliar to you. For example: if it’s monsoon season in Thailand and there’s an 80% chance of rain on your visit, don’t bring an umbrella unless you’ve experienced what rain feels like in that type of weather before (and can tell if this will be easy or not).
One of the best tips for flying alone is to set aside time to double-check your connections.
- When you take a connecting flight, set aside time to double-check your connections.
- Check the flight schedule before you leave and again when you arrive at the airport. Make sure that your flight times are correct and that there isn’t any delay in your departure.
- If anything has changed or been delayed, ask for help from airline personnel or security staff. Just be aware of any changes in procedure due to heightened security measures before attempting to board an aircraft alone!
Maintain a list of what’s in your luggage, and keep it on your person.
- Keep a list of what’s in your luggage, and keep it on your person. If you have to check your bag, take a picture of the list with your phone.
- If you forget the list, or lose it completely while en route to the airport, most airlines will do their best to help locate lost bags—if they can get an accurate third-party account of what should be where.
Another tip for flying alone is to use packing cubes to create separate compartments in your luggage.
Use packing cubes to create separate compartments in your luggage. Packing cubes are mesh bags that fit inside of your luggage and help you organize all of the stuff you’re bringing with you. They can be used as a laundry bag, dirty clothes bag, or one big compartment for shoes and toiletries (like I do).
Use packing cubes generously! Not only will they save space in your luggage but they’ll also make it easier for security agents to search through your things at the airport. Plus, if anything gets damaged while flying by plane—which isn’t impossible even if it is unlikely—the packing cube will protect the contents inside from spilling out everywhere else too much when they open up the suitcase after landing.
Pack a spare outfit in your carry-on bag.
As a solo traveler, you probably want to be mobile and flexible. A carry-on suitcase will allow you to change clothes if the weather outside differs from the forecast, or if your flight gets delayed and you need to wait at the airport.
Get creative with how you pack your carry-on bag! Some people prefer packing their clothes in small plastic bags or cubes that they can easily rearrange throughout the trip—and others like using space bags specifically made for travel (available at most drugstores). If none of these ideas appeals to you, try using a wet swimsuit bag inside your suitcase instead: it’s big enough for all of your clothes but also folds up easily without taking up much room when it’s empty!
To make sure my clothing doesn’t wrinkle while traveling by plane, I always put them into my gallon-sized Ziplocs. They’re soft enough not to damage anything but sturdy enough, so nothing falls out when I close them shut. Plus, once again—they’re reusable! You never know when one might come in handy…
Rule number one of solo travel: have a plan for where you’re going to sleep every night.
The first rule of solo travel is having a plan for where you’re going to sleep every night. If you can’t afford to book accommodation in advance, or if they booked the place out when you arrive, it will be too late to find somewhere else once you’ve landed.
Budget airlines have made it easier than ever before for solo travelers to go on spontaneous trips. But if this is your first time flying alone, take time before departure to prepare yourself for what lies ahead.
If you’re uncomfortable being alone at night, find an activity that will keep you busy through the evening hours.
If you’re uncomfortable being alone at night, find an activity that will keep you busy through the evening hours. The key is to have a plan in place so that there are no awkward moments where you look around the plane and realize everyone else is going home to their family.
- Find a local pub or restaurant in your destination city.
- Visit a museum that interests you (if this isn’t possible, then choose another option from this list).
- Take a walk or hike near your hotel/hostel/home; feel free to bring along some good headphones if it doesn’t seem safe for solo travel (or just use them anyway!).
- Read a book; take along an old one that’s full of nostalgia for when things were simpler back home (or pick up an interesting new one).
- Watch TV or listen to music on your laptop during layovers – trust me, they’ll go by fast with something fun like this keeping your mind off how long until departure!
- Take a nap in between flights – being well rested will make everything feel more manageable when it comes time for takeoff again!
Be open to meeting new people, but don’t let strangers into your room or follow them off with them into the dark of the night.
- One of the famous tips for flying alone is to be open to meeting new people, but don’t let strangers into your room or follow them off with them into the dark of the night. If you’re like me, this is something you have probably heard before. But it’s important!
- Don’t let strangers into your room or follow them off with them into the dark of the night (seriously, I’m not kidding).
- Don’t go anywhere alone if possible unless there are other people around (like in a city), and even then it’s better to stick together as a group of 2-5 people at least until morning when everyone has had their coffee and woken up enough that they can think straight again after being awake all night long due to jet lag/time zones differences between where they live vs where they traveled too recently so that now things might seem slightly different from usual but otherwise pretty similar overall since nothing really changed much aside from some minor details here and there which most likely won’t affect anyone negatively anyway so don’t worry about those things either way because none will matter much later when everything goes back to normal again anyway so don’t stress out about how all this could affect one’s daily life later on down the road just yet because no one knows what tomorrow brings so try not worrying too much about anything right now because whatever happens next won’t matter until later down the road anyway which isn’t worth worrying about yet anyway since nothing bad happened yet either; therefore, why worry?
Make sure someone knows when and where you will fly, and keep them updated on your whereabouts as much as possible during your trip.
If you are traveling by yourself, it’s even more important to let someone know where you are. Not only will they not have to worry about where their loved one is, but they can help provide support and encouragement when needed. They can also contact the airlines directly if anything goes wrong (like an airline losing your luggage).
For example, if something happens during a flight—whether that be mechanical problems or an illness—you want to make sure someone on the ground knows what’s happening so they can take the action. It’s also good practice to keep in touch with them throughout your trip, so they don’t worry once they know where you’ll be.
It’s also important that you let them know when and where exactly will arrive back home or at another destination after flying alone (and any other time-share events). This way, there won’t be any surprises!
Flying alone can be fun if you’re prepared!
- Know what to expect
- Always prepare
- Be flexible
- Be open to new experiences
- Be safe
- Have fun!
Conclusion
If you note all these tips for flying alone, it will surely be a memorable experience.