Before you go

When booking online, make sure you’ve left enough time to make your connection. This is especially important in the winter when planes will often depart late due to de-icing.

The Friday before Christmas has been called the busiest day of the year - make sure to leave for the airport with plenty of time to check in and go through security. Mentally prepare for lines and you won’t feel as stressed when you get to the airport.

Keep your eye on the weather forecast and your airlines travel advisory website. My family knows that I get obsessive compulsive with checking the travel advisories the week leading up to our flight. But, when there has been a travel advisory, I have often been able to be one of the first people to call and have our flight changed (at no additional fee). This is especially important if you are flying from a smaller airport that may only have one departing flight a day. If your flight is impacted and you haven’t been able to change it, you could be looking at days before they are able to accommodate you on another flight.

Often if a Halifax to Sydney flight is cancelled the airline may make arrangements for a shuttle, if you are in a rush to get home, ask if shuttle arrangements have been made.

Also - if there is stormy weather expected to impact your travel and you are not in a rush to get home, you can reschedule your return flight for a couple days later, which would let you stay comfortable at your accommodations instead of getting stuck in transit.

If you are planning on bringing food (or lobsters) home for the holidays you probably want to carry that into the cabin, just incase your luggage gets lost. You can pack items into soft sided cooler and fill it with bagged frozen peas. Often ice packs will be confiscated, but frozen peas won’t!

Check the insurance on your credit card - this is not only important for medical coverage while travelling, but often if you book with a travel card there will be coverage from your credit card for things like delay in travel or lost luggage in addition to the compensation from the airline.

Checking in

Pay attention at security and be ready. There is nothing worse than standing behind somebody who doesn’t have their act together while the line gets backed up. Make sure your electronics and ziplock back of liquids are taken out of your bag, if you see other people removing their shoes, then you should probably do it as well just to save time. Check your pockets, take off your belt… keep things moving along and everyone will be much less stressed.

If you have not pre-purchased your seat selection, make sure you go online and check-in as soon as you can so you can choose your seats. Personally, I’ve always felt that the rows at front of the airplane seem to have a little bit more room than the seats in the back, so try to choose the front of the plane if possible.

Aisle or Window? Really it comes down to personal preference. If you are a taller person, the aisle is probably a better choice for you. But really both have their pros & cons. The aisle may offer your slightly more leg room, but you are often bumped by people walking by or the refereshment cart, but you are also the gate keeper of the entire row, meaning you can get up and move around whenever you’d like. The window offers other comforts as you can lean against the wall to sleep, (sometimes there is a little ledge that you can rest your foot on) but you are at the mercy of the gate keeper if you are needing to take a restroom break.

If you do get stuck in transit and are told to stand in a line at the customer service desk, also try to get customer service on the phone. I’ve been stuck in a customer service line and had my flight rescheduled for me ahead of other people in line because I got on the phone with customer service. (for that matter, you can even try social media messaging! I once had a flight rescheduled on my behalf via facebook messenger!)

On the plane

While waiting for plane to board, try to stay standing or walking around. Sitting before your flight is like taking a nap before bedtime. You are going to be confined to your seat on the plane for an extended period of time, so why not get some exercise before boarding by walking around.

Overhead storage space is always limited; however, over the holidays the carry-on space is extremely coveted. Sometimes airlines will offer to check your carry-on at the gate for free and you won’t need to collect it until the baggage claim at your final destination. You are allowed one carry on item and one personal item, so if you can pack your personal item with the things you require for the flight (medication, reading material, IPAD etc) and pack your carry on with other items you can keep your checked bags lighter and still have them checked to your final destination (at less cost).

I’m not a total germaphobe, but when it comes to planes I am. I will usually wipe down the seats, arm rests, seat belts, trays, walls and windows with a medical grade antibacterial wipe. During one of my toddlers first flights, I caught him in the act of licking the window (ewwww), so now I just feel better if everything has been wiped down.

Speaking of which, I will also carry a bottle of hand sanitizer in my carry on, as airports and airplanes have the highest concentration of surfaces touched by unknown hands and I’m not always able to wash my hands as much as I would like.

Once seated, try to sit upright and fasten the seatbelt so it goes right down into the front of your hip groove. If you are dealing with back issues, you can roll up your coat and place it in the curve of your lumbar spine or you can bring a lumbar roll pillow - a device that can be worn around your waist that give you just a little bit of lumbar support while sitting.

If you are seated in the aisle, you will have the luxury of being able to stand up before ligamentous strain sets in. Aim for a standing session at least every 50 minutes.

If you are in the middle or window seat, you can take a modified sitting break, try sitting up extra tall and slightly your extending back a couple of times.

Regardless of which seat you are in, at anytime of your flight, you can do some light ankle rolls and ankle pumps (pulling your toes to your nose) to keep the blood flowing to the feet.

If you are travelling with toddlers, one of the best entertainment snacks that we’ve discovered is popcorn. I will usually make some popcorn the night before a flight (or buy some the day before if I’m pressed for time). Snacking on popcorn can occupy up to an hour.

As a preventative measure, at least one point during my flight, I will get out of my seat and walk back to the galley area (out of courtesy of the flight attendants, making sure it is not during service time) and stand for a couple of minutes and complete a couple of my back exercises and a light stretch for my legs.

If you are the type of person who can sleep on a plane, consider bringing ear plugs and possibly a mask. This will hopefully help you stay asleep longer (making the trip feel shorter!)

Stay hydrated, but watch out for plane water. I’ve heard studies where the water from the plane tanks is actually quite gross, so opt for bottled water or sparkling water (but FYI sparkling water can be high in sodium). We will usually travel with our refillable water bottles and fill them at bottle stations after security.

Once you land, and the seat belt sign has been turned off. Stand up, give your hips a little wiggle and give yourself a moment. If you rush to grab your bag from the overhead compartment after sitting for a long period of time, you could be putting yourself at risk for a back injury.

Travelling during the holidays can be challenging, but worth it as we get to spend quality time with family and friends!

Happy Holidays!