10. For those who’re touring with a mobility machine like a guide wheelchair or energy chair, issues can get further difficult. This can be a nice multipart information to touring with a wheelchair, and this can be a actually useful Reddit thread about taking your guide wheelchair on a airplane—or, if completely needed, checking it on the gate. One consumer urged bookmarking this web page, which outlines the federal regulation that states airways should no less than attempt to retailer your collapsible wheelchair within the airplane’s cabin.

11. As unfair as it’s, flying comfortably whereas fats requires some further preparation. Some airways have gotten with the occasions and established particular insurance policies for “prospects of measurement,” which is the terminology carriers usually use. Southwest, for instance, provides complimentary extra seats if a passenger can’t match right into a single one, together with by reimbursing further seats purchased prematurely.

12. When you possibly can’t ebook forward of time however assume you’ll want extra space, you must ask the employees on the gate whether or not it’s attainable so that you can swap to part of the airplane with an additional empty seat and even to a whole free row in case your flight isn’t full, as Katie, a Delta Airways flight attendant, tells SELF. (Katie requested that SELF omit her final identify for skilled causes.) “Attempt simply going to the gate agent and saying, ‘Hey, if there’s anyplace with a center seat open, I’d like to be there,’” she says.

13. Request a seatbelt extender as you board the airplane—in line with Katie, that’s the best time for flight attendants to accommodate your request. “We’ve got all completely different planes, the seats are made in another way generally,” she says, so even in case you don’t all the time want an extender, it’s price asking in case you assume there’s any likelihood you possibly can be uncomfortable. (You’ll be able to verify SeatGuru to search out the width of the seats in your airplane.) Additionally, it’d look like a timesaver to convey your personal extender from residence, however you’ll have to ask the flight attendants with a view to make sure the one you’re utilizing is Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)–compliant, as a result of not each at-home mannequin conforms to the aviation security administration’s security laws.

14. Masks up. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) nonetheless suggest that you simply put on high-quality masks or respirators whereas touring, particularly in “crowded or tight areas with poor air flow like airport jetways,” on planes the place the air flow system is switched off, and on trains and buses—a.ok.a. the best way many airports require vacationers to hop from terminal to terminal. For the most effective safety, seize a pack of disposable N95, KN95, or KF94 masks. Hold a number of on you always so you possibly can placed on a brand new one if long-term put on is making the one you got here to the airport with really feel stale.

15. When you don’t want to make use of a Clorox wipe on each inch of your seat to guard your self from germs, it’s good to be cautious about touching shared surfaces on the airplane, particularly in case you’re immunocompromised or touring to go to somebody who’s. One factor you do have to totally sanitize: your arms! Ensure you wash them after utilizing the lavatory, and don’t be afraid to get liberal with the hand sanitizer too. “Hand sanitizer goes to be a greater funding than bringing an entire tub of wipes,” Peter Chin-Hong, MD, a medical professor who makes a speciality of infectious illnesses at College of California, San Francisco tells SELF. “And washing [or disinfecting] your arms earlier than touching your face—that’s most likely crucial factor.” Dr. Chin-Hong additionally says that as a result of toilet door handles are typically significantly germy, it’s price discovering an alternate technique to open the door after you’re finished, like with a serviette or your elbow.