If you’ve flown before, you’ve probably encountered some sort of ear pain on a flight.  While this pain is usually uncomfortable, you’re going to notice that you’re going to experience sometimes and sometimes you may not encounter it at all.  This all depends on the air pressure, turbulence, etc.  Preventing ear pain on an airplane at all and in fact you can use items on an airplane to prevent it.  Here’s how you can do it –

Yawn- If your ears pop, simply try and yawn, this will most likely clear out your ears.  A great way to yawn is to simply harden the back of your tongue.  If you can accomplish this, your ears should clear up.

Plug your nose – If you can’t manage to yawn, plug your nostrils and blow slowly.  Don’t blow too hard because you can do damage to your ear drums and it’ll hurt worse than the pain before.  The key is to blow as slow as possible until you feel your ears clear out.

Chew candies/gum – The best way to prevent ear pain is by either chewing on a piece of gum, which I highly recommend or sucking on any type of candy.  In fact, anything that you can chew or suck on will get rid of that ear pain or potentially prevent it.

Earplugs – If you have a pair of earplug, bring them on your next flight and wear them.  This will help keep the pressure inside of your ears.  If you’ve flown before, you’ve probably noticed that the pressure hurt your ears upon landing and take off.  This is the best time to wear your earplugs.

Being sick – If you’re sick, you may want to stay home and not fly that day.  You’ll not only help yourself but the rest of the passenger since you’ll only be breathing in recycled air the whole time.  Make sure that you contact the airlines with a doctor’s note, so that you don’t have to pay a “no-show” fee.  Flying on an airline while sick will only make things worse.

Whether you’re a college student or you’re a family looking to go on a trip for spring break, there are a few things you should look out for before you actually book your trip.  Before you go out and click that submit button for your airline tickets, there are a few tips you should followed as noted below –

Check more than one website – Comparison shopping is the best way to get the best deal on your airline ticket.  I highly recommend you check out more than 5 websites when you’re looking for a ticket.  When you think you’ve found a good airline ticket, be sure to check out the airline’s website itself.  When you usually purchase a ticket through the airline, you can usually save more than the third party ticket suppliers.

Buy a vacation package – If you’re looking to just get airline tickets but you’re going to stay at a hotel and rent a car at the same time, you might want to check out a package deal.  With a package deal, you’re able to save more money because generally, a package deal will give you a greater discount on the hotel or rental car.  Sometimes, you might even be able to get the rental car at no cost.  If you’re going to get more than an airline ticket, I would recommend a vacation package.

Look for discounts – If you’re a college student or even a high school student, you might want to look into getting a student discount card.  This discount card will allow you to get a student discount.  Most of the times, you’ll be able to save up to 50% compared to an average traveller who will have to pay full price.  If you’re a student or even a senior citizen, make sure you look for what discounts you’re eligible for.

Get an airline card – If you don’t have an airline credit card, you may want to look into getting one because with most cards on the market, you can simply sign up and a majority of the airlines will give you a free airline ticket just for signing up.  So not only will you get a free airline ticket and save a few hundred bucks, you can continue to use it and gain miles on your card every time you fly.

You should treat spring break airline tickets no different than you would with an airline ticket at any other time during the seasons.  Make sure you do your research before you buy your ticket and you’ll just do fine when it comes to finding the perfect airline ticket.

If you’ve flown before or you’re new to flying, you may not know this but it is possible to get your airline ticket upgraded at the gate before you take off to your destination.  While it can be easy to get an upgrade sometimes, some other times it may be hard.  To increase your chances at getting upgraded to either first class or a better seat, there are some certain steps you’ll need to take to improve your odds.

Be loyal – If you fly a lot, make sure you fly one airline ALL the time.  Ticket agents look for passengers who have been loyal to the airline.  If you don’t have a frequent flyer card with the airline, defintely sign up, this will increase your odds greatly.  They will most likely give you the upgrade over some bum who has never flown the airline before.  Remember, loyalty is your number one concern.

Have manners – Nobody on this planet hates someone who acts like an idiot or is mean.  No matter what kind of mood you’re in, make sure you treat the ticket agent with a bunch of respect and be as nice as possible.  If you’re an idiot to everyone at the airport including the agent, you can kiss your chances of getting a free upgrade to first class goodbye.

Be aggressive and ask – The first thing you should do when you arrive at the gate is casually ask the agent that you’re interested in an upgrade to the first class if at all possible.  The agent will most likely tell you how packed the flight is going to be and will probably write your name down.  If you’re the lucky person to get upgraded, they will call your name over the PA.  Only ask ONCE and forget about it, if you keep coming up and asking, this will only annoy the agent and they will not upgrade you seeing you’ll probably be just as annoying first class to the other customers.

Frequent flyer mile trade in – If you’re part of the airline’s frequent flyer program, if you have any extra miles leftover, you may be able to trade them in for an upgrade.  If you’re willing to trade in your miles, I’d say do it because this will almost get you in 100% compared to someone that has nothing to offer.

Upgrading to first class as I mentioned above can either be easy or hard all depending on how packed the flight is.  If the flight is going to be crowded, you’re probably not going to get the upgrade.  Remember, it never hurts to ask, the worst that’ll happen is either the word, “no” or “we will put your name down on a list”.

If you plan on sending your child off on a flight alone, there are a few tips you should follow if you have never done this before.  While it’s not uncommon for children to fly alone, there are many precautions you should take to ensure that your child lands at their destination safely.

Check with the airline – Before you book your child’s ticket, make sure that you find out what kind of fees occur with a child flying alone.  Most airlines will charge you a fee because they will need to assign a chaperon to your child so that he/she can make it to the flight safely.  We all know airports can be confusing, this why it’s important to have an appropriate airline official accompany your child.

Know the rules – This point goes along with the point mentioned above.  When you book your child’s flight, make sure that you know of all of the rules when sending your child on his/her next trip.  Generally, if your child is under the age of 11, they must be assisted by a chaperone.

Talk to your child – Before you send your child to his/her flight, make sure that you talk with them.  Let them know that everything will be ok and that they must be on their best behavior and let them also know that if they act up, he/she can potentially get kicked off the plane and get into a lot of trouble.  Depending on the age of the child, this tip generally works for all ages.

Give your child some entertainment – Even though most of the times your child will be with an assistant, there will be times where your child will have to wait.  Make sure you pack your kids will entertainment such as magazines, books, game boys, and anything else he can bring along that will pass the time.

Getting ready for vacation always seems to be hetic.  You’re always worried you’re forgetting something, if you have enough clothes, too many clothes, it’s always something.  You go on vacation to get away and relax, so make sure that’s what you’re doing when you get there.  Consider a few of these tips and make your vacation run a lot smoother!

• Save all your documents.  If you have airline tickets planned, hotel nights, or theme park tickets make sure you save and print the document confirmation.  The last thing you need is to your destination and have them say “you aren’t on the list.”  Save yourself from the hassle and have a back up.
• Carry all your important items with a carry on bag.  It’s happened to almost all of us at some point.  The airport looses the luggage.  Play it safe and pack a bag of must haves when on vacation.  This is especially good for medications!  Carry this bag with you on the plane and avoid having it get lost.
• Tell people where and when you’re going.  Play it safe and always tell someone when you’re leaving and where you’re going.  Especially if your taking a plane to your trip.  There is nothing worse than when something bad happens and know one knows where you are or how to help you. 
• Check your airline’s restrictions.  Find a list of items that you are allowed to take on the plane and items you’re not allowed to take.  Nothing is more frustrating that getting your personal belongings confiscated.
• Wear comfortable clothes.  When you have a long plane ride theres nothing more frustrating than clothes that aren’t comfortable.  We often tend to dress nice because we are visiting people we haven’t seen in a long time.  Although that is a nice idea you might be paying for it later when you can’t get comfortable.
• Get the best deal.  Find the top websites when booking your flights or hotels.  Check out a few websites to find the best deal. 

Follow these tips and have a more enjoyable vacation.  Avoid having a big story to tell when you get to your destination.  We all have had those trips so play it safe and consider these tips!