With the summer coming up, Woodhaven students are gearing up for vacations. A lot of students may be traveling through the airport this summer. 

Students have mixed opinions when asked, “How does a travel day make you feel?” Some stated that they were “excited” and others stated that it “stressed them out to the max.” Traveling can bring forth many different emotions and with these five tips it could make a travel day less stressful.

Pack your suitcase or backpack at least a day in advance. Laying out all the items you are going to take on your trip can help reduce the stress of packing the morning or night of. It would also help you notice if you missed something or need to go get something before you leave. 

Arrive Early. From a survey sent out to Woodhaven High School students most stated to arrive around two to three hours before the flight. One student mentions, “Do not wait until the last minute to get to the airport.” Arriving around two to three hours before a flight gives time for you to check in, check any bags, get through TSA, and find your gate. This can also be helpful just in case there are changes in your flight. 

Bring snacks. Students agreed that people should bring snacks. Airport food can be two to three times the cost of items found at the grocery store. You can easily spend about 100$ in the airport solely on food. Let’s take bottled water for example. At the grocery store, you can get a bottle for around 1.50$ but at the airport, you can pay anywhere from 5$ to 10$.  Bringing your own snacks can help save you some money. Bringing a reusable water bottle to fill up after security can also help. Here are the water refill stations at both terminals at DTW.

Bring headphones. Another thing students agreed on was headphones. One student stated, “Bring headphones/Airpods”. Listening to music can relax the mind and body. You can also use your headphones to watch shows or movies to keep you entertained without being disrespectful to those around you. 

Wear comfortable clothes. You don’t want to wear something that you will be uncomfortable in all day. You will be much more relaxed in comfortable clothes. Wear shoes that are easy to take on and off because you have to take them off at TSA. Additionally, you may want to wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking way more than you think. In the McNamara terminal, there is an Express tram to take you from one end to another. 

Following these five tips will help you make your airport experience run smoothly.