First Time Traveling by Air; 6 Tips You Need
Who would have thought that my first time traveling by air would be one month after my first travel by train? Unlike the train journey, where I was excited to be exploring, and also it was for pleasure, this is for work and I actually have mixed feelings about this, don’t blame me. 😂
Forget the mixed feeling, I’m writing this with so much excitement in my heart, and once again, I am reminded that as long God exists, a possibility exists.
This is for a domestic flight, bear in mind that the process may be slightly different if it’s an international flight.
We (Myself and a colleague from work, it was a business trip) got to the airport 3 hours before our flight is scheduled to take off because we wanted to reschedule our return flight, we eventually did not because the available time of departure would be later in the evening, and I wanted us to get to our respective homes in time to get enough rest. While waiting for the departure time, we opted to have brunch, and that was where this picture was taken.
Tip 1: Leave your house at least 2 hours before your flight, to avoid Lagos traffic.
After the meal, I had to attend a business meeting online, and then we relaxed and proceeded to check-in, one hour before our flight was scheduled to leave. We made sure to ask the officials in uniform for where we can check-in, as we were both first timer. We got to the desk of our preferred airline, the attendants asked for our means of identification, we had booked the flight days before.
Tip 2: Don’t be ashamed to ask questions and seek directions from the airport officials.
They accept work ID cards, Voter’s card, International Passport as well, as long as it carries your face and your name. We got checked in and with our boarding pass in our hands, we had our luggage checked in and proceeded to locate the departure hall.
Tip 3: Go with a form of identification.
If you have body spray, medications, body cream, cutleries, kindly keep them in the bag you checked in before heading to the departure hall as the security process does not allow passengers to have those items on a carry-on bag. On our way, we sighted a mirror and thought it won’t be a bad idea to take mirror selfies, unknown to us, the mirror was inside the elevator. Ended up taking the elevator, instead of the stairs or even the escalator(I have never taken an escalator all my life, but I eventually did on this trip, and I did not disappoint my family, Glory to Jesus 😂).
Tip 4: Take your time to soak in the moments
We got to the security check point, first of all, you’d have to pull your shoes so it’s advisable to wear something you can easily pull off and wear back. Your shoe goes through security, then you have to bring out all the contents in your bag including your laptop, do not keep your laptop in the luggage you checked in to go with the flight’s cargo, as it might end up missing or damaged.
Tip 5: Do not check-in your laptop
You pass through the check point yourself and if you are cleared, you are good to go, there is a bowl where you can drop your items, be watchful so another person doesn’t mistakenly go with your property. I couldn’t take pictures here because everyone was serious and in a hurry. 😐
We made it through, and got to the departure hall which was crowded. Flights are being delayed because it was raining in Lagos, so we had to make ourselves comfortable.
Finally, our plane was ready and we had to move to the on-boarding gate with our boarding pass and a form of Identification. We proceeded to the plane, and unlike the previous memory I had of visiting the airport, there was no bus to take us to the plane. It was later I realized not every plane requires a bus, the bus is basically to cover the distance between the passenger and the plane depending on the boarding gate.
Tip 6: Record the moments as much as you can
We settled into our seats, thankfully, the windows seat was empty so we had the chance to take as many pictures as our phone could capture and I love it.
It was my first time traveling by air, so i wanted to see with my eyes and enjoy the feeling, guess that was why I was restless.
I was restless and it was obvious that I was a newbie.
I never knew that I won’t be able to use my laptop 😂, I thought it was going to be like when i travelled by train where i could use my phone and laptop if i wish. Also the Air Condition wasn’t too much for me, considering that I am allergic to cold. If you are like me, you can go along with an extra piece of clothing or a shawl.
Tip 7: Eat light before your trip.
The toilet was also different from the regular toilet, there is a waste bin for used tissues instead of flushing it through the water closet. I wish i could recommend airlines to you, but I just commenced exploring the different airlines that exist.
Overall, I had a great experience traveling by air for the first time, although it was within Nigeria, looking forward to traveling internationally and to the end of the earth like my father has instructed me.
My destination was Abuja, Nigeria. 😉
Thank you for reading to this point. I hope this tips will help you when it’s your turn.
Don’t forget that God loves you much more than you can imagine.
