Flying Tips from a Minion!

Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to be flying quite a bit. And over that time I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks to make my flying experience smoother and more pleasant. Often, I’m asked by friends or family about this and I’m always happy to share! So I figure why not throw it in a post hoping others may find something useful too! Below are a few of these nuggets of flying experience.

A quick disclaimer: Everyone is different and how they experience comfort varies as well. I find these things work for me but its certainly possible they won’t for you!

The Middle Seats are Underrated

This only applies when flying in wide body aircraft (Typically the planes with two aisles). This means mainly long haul international flights and not the shorter domestic flights. (though sometimes the big planes fly the short routes too!)

I find a lot of people try and avoid the middle section of an aircraft. They tend to opt for seats on either side of the cabin first. While I understand the desire for the window seat, there’s a lot to love about the middle section!

Access is key here. When you’re in one of the “outside’ sections, the only way out is the way you came in. That means, if you’re by the window you will need to disturb your seatmates in order to run to the bathroom, or stretch your legs. Or if you’re in the aisle seat, you’re likely going to let someone out at some point. This can happen a few times on a long flight. However, when you’re in the middle section, you will at most be in a row of three or four seats. Logically, this means that at worst you only need to “climb over” or be “climbed over” by one other person. (Or when its three to a row, there’s a 50% chance of it not happening at all!). This should typically equate to fewer interruptions throughout your flight!

Sometimes “More” is “Less”

I’m sure everyone’s been tempted by the alure of “extra comfort” or “extra leg room” for a little extra cash. These are typically the bulkhead and exit row seats on an airplane. In many cases there is value to them, but you should do your due diligence before opening your wallet.

These are not your typical economy class seats. While they do provide the advertised legroom. You sometimes lose out on comfort in other ways. Because these seats are at the front of each section. There is no seat back entertainment system in front of you. Instead, it may be on the wall in front or it needs to “swivel” up from inside your arm rest. In both cases, you’re likely going to have a “solid” armrest instead of a regular one. For those of us who are a bit “wider” in the hips, what we gain in leg room we lose in seat width. This can make shifting around in your seat a little bit more uncomfortable.

Additionally, these seats typically mean you’re near a bathroom or a galley. So you may find yourself with people loitering and waiting to use the washroom. Or hear the frenzy of a cabin crew preparing for or cleaning up from a meal service. In both cases, doing a little research before committing your dollars to the “preferred seat” can be helpful.

Make and bring your own Flight Kit

The boarding process on a plane is often hectic. You arrive at your seat and you try to get seated quickly lest you hold up the people behind you. For me, this entails quickly grabbing what I think I’ll need for the flight, throwing it on my seat and then storing my bag in the overhead bin. Then midflight I’ll realize I’m missing something. Or once I sit down I realize that my passport is still in my pant pocket and I don’t want it in my pants for the next 8 hours. Depending on your seat, you may need to ask your seat mates to get up so you can access the overhead bin. 

The more I fly, the more I learn about what I really need and how to efficiently have it for my flight. I now have a pouch/toiletry bag that is my “one stop shop” in flight. While or before boarding, I quickly grab it and store my carry on before taking my seat. The bag holds an assortment of items, but can also fit in the seatback pocket in front. For me, it’s an old amenity kit from a previous business class flight I flew. But before this I used a “make up” bag from a local drug store. I intend to do an update to the “what’s in my bag” series. But for now, my current flight kit consists of:

• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• USB-C to USB-C charging cable (in case the plane has a USB-C port)
• A power brick (in case there are no USB-ports but just a power outlet)
• Wireless Earbuds
• Cheap wired earbuds (See below)
• A Pen (See below)

In addition to what’s “in” the bag, the bag itself is also big enough that I can put my passport or wallet in it. Depending on your risk tolerance, I’m typically more comfortable having my important items (like my passport) right in front of me within arms reach. Instead of in my backpack above me where I’m not as aware of in flight(especially on a flight where I may sleep).

Have a Pen

Depending on your destination’s arrival procedures, some require filling out paperwork.  Historically, prior to landing, flight attendants would come around and pass out an arrival card, a customs declaration form or something else. And there are times I didn’t have a pen and would need to borrow from a seatmate or if available, from a flight attendant. If no pen is available, then sometimes I’ll need to fill it up after deplaning which means I get into the immigration line a little later. So I almost always fly with a pen readily available and have often leant it to a neighbour too!

As the world of travel modernizes, I do find that this is not as essential as it once was. However, not all destinations progress at the same rate and every now and then I still find that a pen comes in handy. But I can see a day where this is no longer needed.

Have backup Wired Earbuds!

In a world where Airpods and wireless earbuds are taking over. Having a pair of wired earphones can be a life saver on flights. As airlines look to cut costs I find that one of the things to go are complimentary earbuds. When flying in economy on recent flights I found myself with a screen in front of me but if I wanted the audio I would need to pay for earbuds. While the world of blue tooth entertainment systems are only just making their way into airplane cabins. It’s probably best to have a pair of wired earphones just in case you find yourself with a screen and no way to hear the dialog!

While these are just a few of the things I’ve picked up over the years, I’m sure there are more that I simply can’t recall right now. Let me know if you found any of these helpful! Or better yet if you have any to share, I would love to hear about it!