Flying Tips: Key Insights Before You Take Off

To enhance your comfort and enjoyment during your flight, it’s crucial to understand how to prepare for your journey. This guide covers everything from planning to landing, ensuring you won’t miss a single detail.

The first step for a smooth flight is to download the Dinogo mobile app. It’s not just for booking flights, hotels, and cars; many of the tips below become easier with the app in hand at every stage, and some features are exclusive to it.

15 crucial flying tips

1. Stay organized

To minimize stress on the plane, it’s crucial to reduce anxiety before boarding. Prevention is key! Ensure your trip is thoroughly organized with Dinogo Trips, a complimentary travel planner designed to help you address all aspects of your itinerary, allowing you to travel worry-free. It’s essential to check all the boxes before your journey, but our planner ensures you don’t have to stress about them.

2. Be aware of checked baggage rules

Have you noticed those travelers opening their bags at the check-in counter? They’re frantically rearranging their items because they weren’t aware of the baggage rules until it was too late. Most airlines strictly enforce bag size and weight limits, so to avoid unexpected fees, check your airline’s policies on their website before you pack. Always adhere to these guidelines.

3. Adhere to carry-on regulations

While it’s true that many major airlines may not weigh your carry-on, they have the option to do so. Keep your bag under the weight limit to sidestep this issue. More importantly, ensure your carry-on meets the airline’s size requirements; this rule is enforced more rigorously, and if your bag doesn’t fit in the overhead compartment, it simply won’t be allowed on board. Dinogo’s Bag Measurement tool can help you verify compliance with size restrictions using interactive video—plus, it’s enjoyable to use!

4. Monitor your flight status

While you might be accustomed to flight delays, planes can also depart significantly earlier than scheduled. Though rare, this can happen, and if you're not at the airport, you could miss your flight through no fault of your own. Utilizing a Flight Tracker prior to your flight can notify you of any last-minute schedule changes, allowing you to board on time or be first in line for rescheduling if you can’t make it.

5. Arrive ahead of time

Even if you manage to catch your flight, sprinting through the airport causes significant physical stress, which can negatively affect your entire journey. Bag drop lines can be lengthy, security lines can be even longer, and gate changes might require you to trek another 20 minutes across the terminal. Holding status with airlines or having access to security expedited services like TSA Precheck can significantly cut down your pre-flight airport time, but the average traveler should arrive at least 2 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international ones.

6. Opt for loose clothing

Many common discomforts and health issues during flights stem from clothing that restricts blood circulation. Avoid these problems by simply choosing loose-fitting attire, especially on longer journeys. This can also help keep you comfortable, although passengers often find the cabin temperature too cold rather than too warm.

7. Pack a sweatshirt

If you’re not wearing one already, bring a loose-fitting sweatshirt on board. If the cabin is colder than you’d like, it can help immensely. Beyond regulating temperature, a rolled or bunched-up sweatshirt can also provide neck support, serve as a pillow, or even cushion the hard armrests, which are typically metal or plastic.

8. Be mindful of your socks

Socks play a surprisingly significant role during flights. While it's common for travelers to take off their shoes, bare feet are often considered inappropriate by fellow passengers and aren’t very hygienic. Airplane floors receive only superficial cleaning between flights, and you definitely want to avoid going into the restroom barefoot. An extra pair of travel socks can greatly enhance your health and comfort on board, and compression socks can further aid circulation.

9. Bring a compact pillow

When I say compact, I mean toddler-sized. Look specifically for pillows made for air travel to comfortably support your neck, elbows, lower back, or even your rear end without bothering your neighbors. Keeping it small will also conserve space in your already-limited carry-on bag.

10. Avoid overpacking your personal item

Your larger carry-on, such as a suitcase or duffel bag, should be placed in the overhead bin, but a personal item like a handbag or briefcase typically needs to be stowed under the seat in front of you. This is also your only available legroom, so the larger your bag, the less space you’ll have to stretch your legs. Keep only what you need in this bag while seated; everything else can go above.

11. Don’t bring alcohol on the plane

You might have seen memes or heard tips about sneaking tiny liquor bottles onto planes to mix your own drinks for free, but that’s not permitted. You can bring TSA-approved amounts of alcohol on board, but consuming them is a federal offense. Don’t waste valuable carry-on space.

12. Steer clear of alcohol altogether

There’s something about the allure of flying that makes people crave an onboard drink at any hour, but this isn’t wise, especially on long flights. Staying properly hydrated in a plane cabin is already a challenge, and adding alcohol only worsens dehydration. It can also lead to more frequent trips to the restroom. If you choose to indulge, make sure to drink an equal amount of water between alcoholic beverages.

13. Stretch out

The longer the flight, the more your body remains in an unnatural, cramped position, leading to discomfort and potential health issues that may linger after you land. Taking a brief walk every few hours on longer flights, or even standing at your seat, can help alleviate these problems. Additionally, stretching in your seat and flexing joints like your ankles, wrists, neck, and shoulders can be beneficial.

14. Choose the right row

If you’re flying internationally and don’t have any kind of fast-track status at your destination, selecting a seat near the front will allow you to disembark before potentially hundreds of passengers seated behind you. This can save you a considerable amount of time at border control. However, if timing isn’t critical, opting for a seat toward the back of the plane increases your chances of having an empty seat beside you, as planes are usually filled from front to back when passengers don’t select their seats.

15. Share your flight information

If a friend or family member is picking you up upon arrival, share your flight number and encourage them to use a Flight Tracker as well. Arrival times can vary frequently due to runway delays, shifting weather conditions, and other unexpected factors, so both you and your driver will benefit from knowing your actual landing time rather than just the original schedule.

How Dinogo curates this guide

Experience is the best teacher! With an average of 120 flights each year spread throughout every week, I find myself spending a significant portion of my life in airports and aboard planes. After enduring this demanding schedule for years, I've learned exactly how to make those countless hours more comfortable and less stressful, regardless of the flight's duration. I’ve merged this knowledge with Dinogo’s tools and expert insights to create this guide.

Let’s get started!

Now that you’re fully equipped for your flight experience, explore this year’s travel trends and start planning with confidence. If your schedule allows for flexibility, think about booking your trip during quieter travel months to steer clear of crowds and secure better rates on everything from accommodations to activities.

Our top flight routes

• Flights to New York

• Flights to Orlando

• Flights to London

• Flights to Seattle

• Flights to Fort Lauderdale

How do you board a plane?

Despite its chaotic appearance, the boarding process is quite straightforward if you know your zone. Most major US airlines board passengers by zone, which are not always assigned in an intuitive manner, so be sure to check yours before the rush begins. Your boarding pass will indicate your zone, and attempting to board before your group is called may lead to being removed from the line, causing delays for everyone.

What should you do 30 minutes before your flight?

Most boarding doors close 15–20 minutes prior to the scheduled departure, and they cannot be reopened. If you arrive after the door has closed, there’s no excuse that will allow you to enter, so it's best not to even try. Therefore, all passengers are advised to be in the boarding area 30 minutes before boarding starts. It’s also a good idea to use the restroom around this time to avoid lines on the plane.

What do you need to board a plane?

For domestic flights, you don't need to show ID at the boarding gate. After you pass through check-in and security, it’s wise to place your ID back in your bag to prevent losing it amid the boarding rush. However, international flights usually require you to present your passport again while boarding, so keep it accessible. Regardless of the flight, you'll need your boarding pass, whether it's printed or digital.

What can you do on a plane?

Once you're familiar with all the flying tips mentioned earlier, the only task left on the plane is to get comfortable and unwind. Fill your time with in-flight entertainment, reading, or working, and enjoy snacks and beverages that are easy on your body. Try not to worry about what you can't control. Most importantly, always follow the instructions of airline staff—they are the ultimate authorities in the air, and you are legally required to heed their guidance.