So, I just got back from an adventure that I already know I’ll be talking about for years.

Our oldest graduated from Marquette University last week, and I cannot even begin to explain how proud I am. If that wasn’t already enough to make it the best week ever, the graduation happened to fall on May 9th. My birthday. I turned 47 watching my kid walk across that stage. I genuinely could not have asked for a better gift, and I told them exactly that.

We flew out Thursday and spent a few wonderful days in Wisconsin before heading home Monday. Here’s where the adventure really kicked in. We had a layover in Atlanta and were supposed to be wheels up around 5:30 PM or so. One delay turned into another, and before we knew it, our departure had been pushed to 12:25 AM. My grandmother, who uses a wheelchair when traveling through airports, had already been going strong for nearly four hours at that point, that’s not even including the first airport and plane trip to Atlanta! Asking her to sit in an airport for six more hours just wasn’t happening.

So we did what any determined family would do. We rented a car, drove about two hours out, grabbed food, found a hotel, and got some actual sleep. The next morning we took advantage of the free breakfast, loaded back up, drove to the Orlando airport to pick up our car, returned the rental, and made the hour and a half drive home.

Was it how we planned to get back? Absolutely not. Was it actually kind of a great time? Yes. It was me, my grandmother, my mom, and my stepdad (who I just call dad, because he is), laughing and talking and making the best out of a situation we couldn’t control. Sometimes the detour is the memory.

All of that said, traveling reminded me how much good packing can make or break a trip. After a few years of flying and figuring things out the hard way, here are the tips that have genuinely made a difference for me.

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Pack Smarter, Not Harder: My Practical Tips for Traveling by Plane

1. Roll Your Clothes

This one sounds so simple, but it is a game changer. Instead of folding your clothes flat and stacking them, roll each piece tightly before placing it in your bag. You fit significantly more that way, and as a bonus, rolling actually reduces wrinkles for a lot of fabrics. I can pack what used to take a large suitcase into something much more manageable just by switching to this method.

2. Use Silicone Bottle Covers on Your Toiletries

If you’ve ever opened your luggage to find that a shampoo bottle exploded all over everything, you already know why this tip exists. Silicone stretch covers that fit over the caps and lids of your travel-sized toiletry bottles create an extra seal that keeps things from leaking during the pressure changes of a flight. They’re inexpensive, reusable, and absolutely worth tossing into your travel kit.

3. Bring a Neck Pillow

I know, I know. They look a little silly. I do not care. After a long flight or an unexpected airport delay stretching into the middle of the night, a neck pillow is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself. It also makes sleeping in a car during an unplanned road trip home considerably more comfortable, speaking from very recent personal experience. If you can find one with a hood attachment, even better. I’ll explain why in a future post.

4. Earbuds or Headphones and Downloaded Entertainment

Do not count on in-flight Wi-Fi. Bring your own earbuds or headphones and before you ever leave the house, download movies, TV shows, or a playlist onto your phone or tablet so you have something to watch or listen to completely offline. It makes a huge difference on a long flight, and if you end up stuck at an airport for hours waiting on a delayed departure, having your own entertainment is a lifesaver.

5. Pack a Motion Sickness Kit

This one is personal for me, but I promise it applies to more people than you might think. I deal with vertigo, so flying requires a little extra preparation on my end. I pack max strength Bonine before any flight, and I also bring SeaBand wristbands, which use acupressure to help with nausea. Even if you don’t typically get motion sick, having both on hand is worth it. Turbulence is unpredictable, delays mean longer time in the air, and the last thing you want is to be stuck on a plane feeling awful with nothing to help. Think of it the same way you’d think about packing a pain reliever. You might not need it, but you’ll be really glad it’s there if you do.

While you’re at it, throw some gum in your bag. Chewing gum during takeoff and landing helps relieve that ear pressure and popping that a lot of people deal with, and it’s one of those things that’s so easy to forget until you’re already on the plane wishing you had it.

I actually have a whole separate post coming about how I manage flying with vertigo specifically, including seat choices, where to fix your eyes, and a neck pillow trick that genuinely changed things for me. Stay tuned for that one.

6. Use Ziploc Bags for Medications and Electronics

Keep all of your medications in their original bottles and group them together in a clear Ziploc bag. If TSA asks you to pull them out during screening, everything is already in one place and easy to see. No digging through your bag pulling out bottles one at a time. We did the same thing with small electronics and camera equipment, everything bagged together and ready to pull out if needed. We didn’t actually have to remove anything this trip, but having it all organized that way made packing and unpacking so much easier regardless.

7. Bring Snacks and an Empty Water Bottle

Your water bottle has to be empty going through security, but most airports have water bottle fill stations once you’re past the checkpoint, so bring it along and fill up on the other side. As for snacks, pack some in your personal bag before you ever leave the house. Airport food and drinks are expensive, and depending on the airline, even in-flight snacks and beverages can cost you. Having your own stuff with you means you’re not stuck paying $5 for a tiny bag of pretzels or going hungry during a long delay.

Funny story…we did end up buying chips at the Atlanta airport while we waited. The bags were so puffed up and full of air that I joked to my grandmother that I felt like mine was going to pop when I opened it. Literally the second I said that, my mom opened hers across from me and POP! Chips absolutely everywhere. I don’t think any of us had laughed that hard in a while. She still had a small handful left to salvage, so it wasn’t a total loss, but the moral of the story is twofold: pack your own snacks, and maybe be careful what you say out loud around pressurized chip bags.

8. Pack a Personal Emergency Bag

Pack a small bag inside your luggage with any essentials you might need if your checked bag gets delayed. Think a change of clothes, your phone charger, any medications, and a basic toiletry kit. It’s the kind of thing you hope you never need but will be so glad you have if things go sideways.

9. If Someone in Your Group Needs Mobility Assistance

If you’re traveling with anyone who needs extra help getting through the airport, most airlines give you the option to request wheelchair assistance right when you book your flight, so take advantage of that and arrange it ahead of time. That said, we did still have to flag down an airport worker to actually get the wheelchair once we arrived, so don’t assume it will just be waiting for you. Stay proactive and ask as soon as you get there. The assistance itself was wonderful once we had it, just know you may need to do a little legwork to track someone down first.

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Traveling is one of my favorite things even when it goes completely off script. A little preparation goes a long way toward making sure the unexpected parts of a trip feel like a story to tell rather than a disaster to recover from.