Whether you’re flying for business or a swanky Spring vacation, air travel can be a pain. But if you prepare properly, it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s some tips to take the stress out of your trip through the airport:

1. Avoid checking luggage. A carry-on will speed up the process and avoid any stress related to lost or damaged baggage, not to mention save you a little $ in checking fees. If the trip is less than a week, you should be able to pack (and wear) versatile enough pieces to get by on one medium-sized duffle bag.

2. Have your boarding pass ready. The longest wait in the airport is usually to print your boarding pass. If you’re not checking bags, you can skip this completely. Print it out beforehand, or use the fancy barcode scan on your smartphone.

3. Before you leave the house, get metal-detector-ready. This means storing your belt, watch, phone, keys, wallet, etc. at the top of your carry-on. No sense putting something on that you will inevitably have to take off. Keep only your boarding pass, passport, and one credit card in your pocket, and feel free to accessorize once you’ve reached the gate.

4. Wear slip-on loafers! And please, wear socks…for the sake of your feet, and your fellow travelers.

5. If you’re bringing a suit, wear it on the plane. Not only will you look stylish in-flight, but the jacket’s interior pockets are designed for passports and passess, and, most importantly, it’s better for the life of the suit than squashing it into your carry-on.

6. Wear a polo shirt, for comfort. This one has a deep placket and button-down collar, perfect for under a suit. Have a lightweight sweater close-by too, for those unpredictable cabin temperatures. Make it a cardigan, not a pull-over – it’s much easier and more graceful to add or remove.

7. Your carry-on goes under the seat in front of you, to leave room for your neatly-folded jacket in the overhead compartment.

8. Once you arrive to your destination, settle-in asap and hang/store your wardrobe properly. Don’t forget, most hotels have an iron and board in the room. If not, you can always get the shower steam going.

Have a great trip! Next up: a series on what to bring and how to pack it.

Have any other air travel tips? Share them in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

TSBmen