It’s all about joy!

I used to dread flying across the country. Living in Upstate New York, most cross-country flights take six or more hours. That doesn’t even include layovers or delays. Since I’ve been doing more traveling lately, though, flying to the west coast - or anywhere really - is much more enjoyable. I’d like to think it’s because I’ve learned a few things.

In particular, the following tips have helped make flying infinitely nicer for me:

Avoid Busy Airports, Period. If possible, avoid the larger, more congested airports like Chicago O’Hare, New York’s JFK, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, Los Angeles International, or Dallas/Fort Worth International. This is especially true later in the day, when airplanes start piling up on the runway and delays become inevitable. This is why I prefer to fly through (and even from, if I can help it) quieter airports.

Time Your Flights Strategically. There are two parts to this tip. The first is to know yourself, and plan your flight departures and arrivals accordingly. For instance, I absolutely need my sleep, and don’t sleep well on planes. So, to accommodate this, I avoid red eyes at all costs. I took one once, and that’s all I needed before I realized I am NOT a nice person after having been awake all night! Also, I know that if I book a flight from the east coast that arrives on the west coast any time after 9:00 p.m. PT (which is midnight “my” time), I’d better not have any early starts the next morning. I’m an early-to-bed/early-to-rise kind of gal, so when I travel, I plan for that.

The second part to this tip is to book your flights on days and times when all airports are quieter. Traditionally, that’s a Tuesday or Wednesday between 7:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. I’m here at the airport now (8:30 a.m.) and I’m one of twenty people in sight. Plus, no one was in line at security when I arrived. How fantastic is that?!

Book Flights with Short Layovers (or Fly Direct). I am a huge fan of booking my travel through Cheapair.com. Part of the reason is that this portal site shows me the duration of all flight options on the days and in the price ranges I’m looking for. I don’t enjoy long layovers or long “total duration” flights, and have been able to, through CheapAir.com, fly cross-country with layovers that last no more than 40 minutes. My total travel time is sometimes as little as six and a half hours. Talk about fast and efficient!

Pack Snacks & Bring an Empty Water Bottle. I hate being without the healthy food I love, so when I’m traveling for more than four hours at a time, I pack granola bars, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread (doesn’t require refrigeration!), dried fruit, and an empty water bottle that I can fill up in a fountain. Part of the reason I do this is because I don’t like buying stuff at airports. It’s always more expensive, and rarely healthy (an exception is JFK where I’ve found a couple organic snack shops, much to my delight). Also, for environmental reasons, I don’t like buying bottled water, so I carry an empty one with me. It makes me feel better and keeps me well hydrated.

Bring Entertainment. Whether it’s for the plane, itself, or to keep myself occupied during layovers, I always have:

• My iPod Nano (which plays video)
• A book and a magazine
• My laptop
• My phone

Having all of these things gives me options when I travel, and let’s me decide what I’m in the mood for. Sometimes I can read for an hour, but often, I get impatient and need to switch it up with something else. Variety is the spice (and oftentimes the joy) of life.

Bring a Travel Pillow. I recently bought a buckwheat-filled travel pillow for my east-to-west coast trips. It fits in my carry-on, and lets me nap somewhat comfortably when reading, watching TV, or typing wear thin. Plus, the one I bought smells like lavender, so it’s a nice place to bury my nose when the smell of jet fuel overwhelms me!

Bring Ear Plugs. God bless ‘em, but invariably, there’s an unhappy baby or small child on the plane when I travel. To tune them out, I always have with foam ear plugs with me. They also serve me well in hotels where hallway noise, rowdy neighbors, or the sound of elevators beeping throughout the night can disturb my sleep.

Give Yourself Enough Time. Gone are the days of “just in time” air travel when one could arrive at the airport with just twenty minutes to spare. Before September 11^th, I did that a few times (and it felt great, breezing through security and then stepping onto my plane seconds before it took off). However, in today’s world where check-in and security lines are a crapshoot, rather than stress myself out, I make sure to arrive with plenty of time to spare. That’s usually within an hour and a half of my flight taking off, but sometimes up to two full hours before. Again, this is where the laptop, iPod, book, etc. come in handy!

When All Else Fails, Practice Patience & Rise Above with Spirituality. When the best laid plans fall apart (planes are late, lines are long and everyone’s grouchy), a fallback option is to rise above the situation and practice patience and spirituality. This is where my “going with the flow” attitude serves me, and allows me to really enjoy what’s happening as opposed to trying to control it. Instead of being mad about delays and other stuff I wish were different, I become an observer - of others and myself. I remind myself that everything happens for a reason, and maybe the plan I had for myself when I set out to travel is not what the Universe had in mind for me. I try to take things in stride and be in the moment with all of it. Invariably, this kind of attitude helps and I’m one of just a few people smiling when everyone else is crabby and complaining.

Another blog with some good travel tips is (of course!) ZenHabits, where Leo wrote a post awhile back entitled, “36 Great Tips for Keeping Travel as Simple as Possible.” Check it out and read some other ways to make travel, in general, more enjoyable.