Boarding the plane

When most people name their favorite place, they often name an exotic location or even a category like beach that evokes the ultimate feelings of relaxation.  For me, my favorite travel place and moments are boarding the airplane.  I swear, I should check my Apple Watch and see if my heart race really does skip a beat like it feels like when I board the plane to take my seat.  It takes everything in me to not skip down the loading bridge and on to the plane.  Once there, I hurriedly place my luggage in the overhead bin (sometimes with the assistance of a taller stranger) and take my seat and buckle in for an adventure.  Whether it is a short domestic flight to Ohio or a red eye to Germany, the excitement is still the same.  I'm about to soar through the air and see the world pass me by and take me to a new location.  Sometimes, I've been lucky and had the whole row to myself.  Other times, I learned to tuck my elbows in an make myself as small as possible as the plane was packed but in all situations, nothing could drown out my enthusiasm.

Some of my favorite plane boarding tips:

• Go to the bathroom before you board.
• Fill your water bottle, too!
• Make sure your essentials are where you think they are: passport, headphones, hard candy/gum, something to do on the plane...  Move some items to your pants pockets, if appropriate. 
• Have a hand wipe or disinfecting wipe for cleaning off your seat rests, seat belt, TV screen, and tray table.  Ew, germs!  I normally bring one in a snack bag so I have an instant garbage bag, too.
• Try not to put anything in the seat back pocket because again, ew germs! and you may lose something there.
• Keep your jacket or sweatshirt handy if you think you will get cold.
• Since I solo travel, I will put a luggage lock on my purse for extra security.  The key is safety pinned inside my money belt.  My money belt contains all my essentials: passport, ID, and credit/debit cards and all of my cash.  I keep my phone on me during the plane ride.
• If you are planning on sleeping, make sure your seat belt is always visible.  Buckle the seatbelt over the blanket so you are not disturbed during a mid-slumber turbulence.
• Settle in and enjoy the ride!