• During my decade as a flight attendant, I found ways to make travel better and more seamless.
• I recommend contacting hotels directly ask for lower rates, which has worked for me.
• Basic tips, like not checking a bag, have saved me time at the airport.

I worked as a flight attendant for 10 years. Even after I left the job, I continued traveling the world and have been to more than 74 countries.

As I've globe-trotted for work and leisure, I've learned a thing or two about how to make travel as seamless and enjoyable as possible.

Here are 10 tips I learned during my days as a flight attendant and still use when I fly.

Stay awake until bedtime the day you arrive in a new time zone

After an overnight flight, I'm always tempted to collapse into my hotel bed. However, as someone who's gone straight to sleep after landing and struggled to adjust to a new time zone, I recommend staying awake.

I used to have a rule that I'd let myself take a short nap if I landed in the morning, but if I arrived any time after noon, I'd force myself to stay up until the evening. 

Powering through the first day until bedtime helps me adjust to a new time zone, get the best possible night's sleep, and beat jet lag. 

When it's finally time to snooze, be sure to set an alarm so you don't sleep through the morning.

Ditch your checked bag and opt for just a carry-on instead

When I was a flight attendant, I got into the habit of traveling with just a carry-on suitcase and a tote bag.

This method allows me to have my belongings with me at all times and lowers the risk of losing luggage halfway around the world. Traveling with only a carry-on also means I can avoid waiting in long check-in lines and wasting time at baggage claim.

Most airlines allow passengers to bring a carry-on plus a purse or small backpack into the cabin, but you should still check the luggage policy before arriving at the airport.

If you're trying to pack everything in a carry-on, I suggest freeing up space in your bag by wearing larger items, like coats and boots, on the plane. 

Put a shoe in your hotel safe to remember any valuables

Leaving a hotel and realizing that you left your most valuable, important possessions in the safe is horrible.

I have a simple solution to help avoid making this mistake. When you put all of your items and documents in the hotel safe, place one of your shoes in there too — preferably one that you'll wear the day you check out.

You're probably not going to head out of the hotel wearing one shoe, so the trick is a good way to make sure you remember to empty the safe before you leave.

This was the first piece of advice another crew member gave me when I was a flight attendant. I found it so helpful that I've passed it down to countless other crew members and plane passengers over the years.

If you check a bag, invest in a luggage tracker and packing cubes

Portable trackers and packing cubes are game changers for travelers who check luggage. 

I wish portable tracking devices, like Apple AirTags, were around when I was a flight attendant. They're easy to pop into your suitcase to help locate misplaced bags.

Packing cubes were my best friend when I needed to take a lot of items with me for long trips.

The cubes divide your belongings into separate sections and help keep them organized. If you're looking for a particular item in your suitcase, they save you a ton of time.

Look into last-minute jet charters — they might be less expensive than you think 

Flying private may seem like an extravagant option (and it usually is), but jet charters can be surprisingly economical depending on where you're traveling — and especially if you're flying with a group. 

Many operating companies offer discounted charters for last-minute, empty-leg sectors. If a jet is scheduled to fly to or from a destination without passengers, the companies will try to fill it shortly beforehand for a lower price. Companies such as Lux Aviator and Daflo Jets often advertise these open sectors on social media.

You can also book a single seat on a semi-private jet rather than having to charter an entire aircraft with airlines like Aero.

Download a translation app before you arrive at an international destination

Before your flight lands, download a translation app, like Google Translate, in the local language so you can use it offline.

This tip has served me well on trips to places where English isn't widely spoken and internet access is spotty. Even if the translation isn't perfect, the app helps get your message across.

I also recommend downloading currency-convertor apps ahead of arrival so you can use them offline too.

Contact hotels directly to ask for the best room rate

Most people think that hotel-booking platforms provide the cheapest accommodation prices, but that's not always the case. If you want to stay at a specific hotel, call or email the property directly to ask for a less expensive rate.

I've been amazed at the number of times this tip has worked for me. Sometimes it's even gotten me an upgrade to a higher room category.

For travelers intent on getting a restful night's sleep, call the hotel and request a room that's in a different part of the hotel than the pool or entertainment area.

Not all hotels have irons, but you can still remove clothing creases without them

Many hotel rooms around the world don't have irons, which wasn't ideal when my flight-attendant uniform had to be pristine and wrinkle-free. 

To avoid paying for an ironing service or waiting for a communal iron, I pack a small travel steamer to remove creases from clothes.

If you don't have one, crank the hair dryer in your hotel room to the hottest setting and blow the air close to your clothes. 

Alternatively, you can hang your garments in the bathroom, run the shower at the highest temperature, and shut the door for 10 minutes. In my experience, the shower steam smooths out the creases.  

Pack enough medicine to get you through the trip, and include extra in case of emergency

Just because you can buy certain over-the-counter and prescription medications at home doesn't mean they'll be readily available when you travel.

Every time I prepare to fly, I make a basic travel pack with enough medications to get me through my trip. I also recommend bringing a backup supply in case you lose some or extend your travels.

Just make sure to do your research about drug laws in the places you visit, as some medicines that are legal in the US are banned in other countries. 

Consider getting a prepaid travel card to help you stick to a budget

When I was a flight attendant, I would always get a prepaid travel card, which I loaded with a set amount of money.

It helped me stick to a tighter budget and allowed me to withdraw money in the local currency.

Some prepaid travel cards come with fees, so make sure to do your research as you prepare for your trip. That way, you can figure out whether a prepaid travel card, a debit card, cash, or a credit card is the best option for you. 

This story was originally published in September 2022, and most recently updated on May 6, 2025.

Flight anxiety among passengers is soaring amid high-profile crashes and technical problems. In a poll commissioned by The Points Guy, nearly 90% of respondents said they were afraid to fly. It's made flight attendants' jobs harder. When travelers are nervous, there's a risk of unruly behavior. But whether it's passenger misconduct or a crash landing, flight attendants are often the first line of defense. They're not just there to serve drinks; they're trained in firefighting, water and land evacuations, first aid, and self-defense. As the number of airplane passengers is expected to hit a record high in 2025, can flight attendants keep everyone safe?

• A passenger tried to open an emergency exit on a flight from Madrid to Venezuela.
• One of the flight attendants fractured his leg while intervening, the airline told Business Insider.
• The passenger was handed over to authorities on landing in Caracas, it added.

After a passenger tried to open an emergency exit in midair, a flight attendant who intervened is off work for weeks with a fractured leg.

Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas Flight 701 was traveling from Madrid to Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday when a passenger began disturbing other travelers.

An airline spokesperson told Business Insider the man was slapping and shouting at the person asleep next to him.

"The crew acted quickly, calming the situation between the two," they said, adding that the disruptive passenger was moved to another seat.

Moments later, he tried to open one of the plane's emergency exits, the airline said.

A video shared on social media appears to show cabin crew scrambling toward the man to restrain him while concerned passengers look on.

During the incident, one of the flight attendants suffered a partial fracture of his fibula, a lower leg bone, the Plus Ultra spokesperson said. He has been treated, but the injury will keep him off work for a few weeks, they added.

The unruly passenger was subdued in the back of the plane, accompanied by two crew members, until they reached Caracas, where he was handed over to local authorities, the airline said.

It wasn't clear how far into the eight-and-a-half-hour flight the incident occurred. Data from FlightRadar24 shows the flight landed in Caracas around 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

"In no case was the safety of the flight or those on board compromised," the spokesperson said.

While somebody reaching for an emergency exit is frightening, it is effectively impossible to open one midflight.

To prevent problems like hypoxia or altitude sickness, planes are pressurized to an altitude of 8,000 feet or below. That means the cabin's pressure is much higher than outside, producing huge forces that keep the doors sealed shut.

Passengers attempting to open plane doors are rare but not unheard of. Last month, an Iberia passenger was accused of assaulting a flight attendant and opening an emergency exit before jumping onto the taxiway while a flight was preparing to take off.

In 2023, four South Korean airlines signed up for a program that prioritizes exit row seats for uniformed personnel, including soldiers and airline workers. Passengers would also be warned in the pre-flight briefing not to try to open the emergency exit.

The measures were introduced after an Asiana Airlines passenger opened a door at an altitude of 700 feet as the plane came in to land.

Nobody was seriously injured, but nine people were taken to hospital after suffering from suspected hyperventilation, and a 33-year-old passenger was arrested, The Guardian reported.

• A couple said they had to share a row with a dead body after a passenger died on their flight.
• One former flight attendant told BI how crew are trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• An airline trade organization has guidelines for dealing with deaths in the air.

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were heading to Venice when another passenger died on their flight from Melbourne to Doha.

Ring told Australia's Nine News he spent the last four hours of the 14-hour Qatar Airways flight sharing a row with the woman's dead body.

After the passenger collapsed in the aisle near their row, Ring said, "They did everything they could, but unfortunately the lady couldn't be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch."

"They tried to wheel her up toward business class, but she was quite a large lady and they couldn't get her through the aisle."

He added that the flight attendants saw there were two vacant seats in Ring and Colin's row of four. They then asked Ring to move over and placed the body in the seat where he had been sitting.

Ring said that the cabin crew didn't offer the couple different seats to move to.

While another passenger in the row behind offered one to his wife, Ring told Nine News he spent the rest of the flight in the same row as the dead body.

He added that he was told to stay seated after the plane landed, as medical crews boarded the plane and removed blankets covering the body.

"Our thoughts are with the family members of the passenger who sadly passed away on board a recent Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne, Australia," the airline said in a statement.

"The safety and comfort of all our passengers is of paramount importance to us."

Qatar said it had contacted the affected passengers to address their concerns.

Deaths on airplanes are not unheard of, though they are comparatively rare. A 2013 study found that medical emergencies happen once in every 604 flights. Deaths are even rarer, resulting from 0.3% of such incidents.

How crew are trained to deal with dead passengers

What actually happens when someone dies on a plane? Airlines have protocols in place, and staff are trained to deal with medical emergencies. The International Air Transport Association, an airline trade group, has guidelines for dealing with a death on board.

"We were told to be as compassionate and understanding as possible, especially if the passenger was traveling with people," Pierre-Yves Monnerville, who spent 17 years as a flight attendant at carriers including British Airways, told Business Insider.

Ideally, he said, there would be an empty row to place the body. In the Qatar Airways case, Monnerville said he suspected that the flight would've been very busy.

He said that he was trained to "find a way to make them as inconspicuous as possible." For example, not putting a blanket over their head and keeping them upright as much as possible.

While Monnerville didn't deal with a passenger's death during his time as a flight attendant, he said he used to do first aid with the French Red Cross — where he experienced how difficult it can be to move a body.

"Somebody unconscious already is quite hard to deal with in a regular house, but you can imagine in such a confined space [as a plane]," he told BI.

Monnerville added that it would be an extra challenge on newer planes as the aisles are narrower to fit in more seats.

Qatar Airways said in a Friday statement shared with BBC News that the crew's handling of the woman's death was "in line with training and industry standard practice."

In 2021, a flight attendant went viral on TikTok as she explained procedures if a passenger dies on a plane.

"If they have a heart attack and die, and there is nothing we can do about it, and we can't start CPR, we are just going to wait until we get to our final destination," Sheena Marie said.

She also said that, despite a myth of bodies being put in airplane bathrooms, this isn't possible as a body can't be safely strapped in.

In the past, some planes even had specific compartments reserved for bodies.

In 2004, Singapore Airlines began operating Airbus A340-500s with a locker that could store a body, which became known as a "corpse cupboard." The airline retired its A340-500s in 2013.

Under the IATA's more formal guidelines, the first thing flight crews should do is notify the captain, who should then inform authorities at the destination airport. The deceased should then be moved to a seat with few passengers around.

If the flight is full, the body should be put in its original seat or one that doesn't obstruct an aisle or exit. "Be aware of the difficulty of the situation for companions and onlookers," the guidelines say.

The IATA also recommends using a body bag, if available, and zipping it up to the neck or using a blanket. Close the eyes, and secure the body with a seatbelt, it adds.

Other passengers should be disembarked first, while any family members should stay with the body.

• CiCi has been a flight attendant at a major airline for over six years.
• She shared the biggest mistakes passengers make when packing a carry-on suitcase.
• From overpacking to forgetting a reusable water bottle, here are the common errors she sees.

After years of working as a flight attendant, CiCi has a newfound love for both the sky and packing suitcases.

CiCi told Business Insider that over six years ago, she left her career in real estate and became a flight attendant. Today, she works for a major airline. For privacy reasons, CiCi asked BI to omit her full name and the airline she works for. BI was able to verify CiCi's employment.

"I have loved it," CiCi, who posts about her job under the username @cici_inthesky, said. "It's a completely different lifestyle than what I have lived for the past 20-some years."

One of the biggest lifestyle changes has been how she packs, and she said she's not the only one who makes mistakes when organizing a suitcase for a flight.

Nearly every day, she witnesses passengers making mistakes with their carry-on bags. Here are the common — and avoidable — mistakes CiCi sees.

CiCi said the biggest mistake she's seen is when travelers pack their bags so full that they can't lift them into overhead bins.

CiCi said she constantly sees passengers who can't pick up their carry-on bags and require help from other passengers or a flight attendant. When it comes to her role as a flight attendant, CiCi stressed that lifting suitcases is not part of her job.

She doesn't want to risk hurting herself by lifting someone else's bag, and airlines often have policies preventing flight attendants from lifting passengers' suitcases, meaning that if a flight attendant gets injured while helping with suitcases, they may not receive worker's compensation.

CiCi said passengers should be confident and comfortable lifting their luggage.

Plus, some airlines, like Frontier Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, have rules about how much your suitcase can weigh. If your bag is overstuffed and weighs too much, you might have to check it at the gate. This can add unwanted time to your travel.

CiCi said she commonly sees passengers bring more than two bags on the plane.

CiCi said she passengers will often walk up to their gate with a roller suitcase, a backpack, and a purse — that's one too many carry-on bags, according to airline rules.

This can result in gate agents asking passengers to consolidate their belongings into two bags, which adds time to the boarding process. Plus, this can cost a traveler money if they can't fit everything into two bags and need to pay for an extra carry-on.

Passengers whose essentials aren't easily accessible can cause boarding delays.

CiCi said passengers who need to access their carry-on suitcases can sometimes cause delays in boarding. She recommends packing everything they need for a flight in their personal item.

"People put things that they need on the plane — like their book and their earbuds or whatever they're going to need — inside their suitcase," she said. "It's not easy to access."

Passengers who must get in their suitcases and sift through their belongings during boarding can block other passengers from their seats and cause delays.

Waiting until they're in midair to get items from their suitcase is risky, too — turbulence could've shifted the bags in the overhead bin, which might cause them to fall and injure someone.

CiCi said her advice is to ensure all your flight essentials are in your personal item, which will be within reach during the flight.

Many passengers don't pack liquids correctly.

The changing altitudes an airplane experiences cause gases to expand during a flight, which can, in turn, cause toiletries or water bottles to leak in your carry-on.

CiCi said she sees this frequently, but she has a few tips.

First, squeeze as much air out of the bottle as possible. She said this would help prevent expansion.

Perhaps most importantly, she said, choose travel-sized containers wisely. CiCi said that she's tried dozens of travel-sized containers designed to prevent leaks and that the ones she's had the most success with have screw-on caps instead of snap tops since these create a tighter seal.

Passengers make the mistake of not packing a reusable water bottle.

CiCi said it's important to stay hydrated on a flight.

The Aerospace Medical Association recommends that travelers drink 8 ounces of water each hour on a plane.

While you can't bring more than 3 ounces of liquids on the plane, you can bring a frozen water bottle or an empty bottle you can refill once you're inside the airport terminal. 

This will help travelers save money and stay hydrated.

She said some travelers forget to pack their own snacks.

CiCi said turbulence during the summer can get intense since high heat causes more convective turbulence in the sky. When there's a lot of turbulence, flight attendants are sometimes required to remain seated.

If flight attendants can't get up, passengers don't get snacks or beverages. Some airlines, like Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air, have ditched the complimentary snack service and offer drinks and snacks for sale.

CiCi suggests passengers bring their own snacks. She said that in addition to fruits like apples and oranges, she always has a few bags of nuts in her luggage.

Finally, CiCi said she sometimes sees passengers packing heavy items instead of wearing them on the plane.

CiCi said that if you're flying with just a carry-on, wear your heavy items on the plane instead of packing them.

She said she's sometimes shocked to speak to passengers who are traveling far with just a carry-on and wearing light airplane attire.

That's not what CiCi does. She said that on a recent flight to Italy, she wore her bulky rain boots, a sweater, and a jacket — even though she was flying out of hot, humid Florida. She added that this saved her a significant amount of space in her carry-on and allowed her to pack more outfits for her trip.

• A Swiss International Air Lines flight made an emergency landing last month.
• The Airbus A220's cabin was filled with smoke after encountering an engine problem.
• An autopsy said a flight attendant died due to hypoxic brain damage, Blick reported.

A 23-year-old Swiss International Air Lines flight attendant died due to a "severe lack of oxygen to the brain," according to an autopsy reported by Blick, Switzerland's largest newspaper.

It comes after an incident on December 23, when Swiss Flight 1885 encountered engine problems, and the cabin was filled with smoke.

The Airbus A220 was flying from Bucharest, Romania, to Zurich when it made an emergency landing in Graz, Austria.

All 74 passengers and five crew members were evacuated, 17 of whom required medical attention, the airline said.

A week later, Swiss announced that one of the flight's cabin crew members died in the hospital in Graz.

"We are devastated at our dear colleague's death," said CEO Jens Fehlinger. "His loss has left us all in the deepest shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine."

Blick reported that the public prosecutor's office in Graz has launched an investigation into the flight attendant's death.

A spokesperson told the newspaper that a Friday autopsy found the provisional cause of death to be hypoxic brain damage and cerebral edema, meaning brain swelling.

"The brain was massively damaged by a severe lack of oxygen, and the young flight attendant died of it in the intensive care unit," the spokesperson told Blick.

"We are also looking into the role played by the respiratory mask that the flight attendant was wearing," he added.

The Graz public prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

Swiss said the investigation's initial findings point to a problem in one of the plane's Pratt & Whitney engines.

"We have no indication that the safety of the aircraft type is in question," it added.

• A flight attendant working for Swiss Air has died after a plane's cabin filled with smoke mid-flight.
• On December 23, a flight from Bucharest to Zurich diverted due to engine issues and smoke.
• The staff member, who hasn't been named, died around a week after being taken to hospital.

A young Swiss International Air Lines flight attendant died after smoke started to fill the cabin and cockpit.

The flight — operating from Bucharest in Romania to Switzerland's Zurich on December 23 — made an emergency diversion to Graz in southern Austria after engine problems led smoke to spread through the plane, according to a press release by the airline.

The member of staff, who has not been named publicly, was airlifted to a hospital in Graz, where he was put into intensive care. He died on Monday, December 30.

"We are devastated at our dear colleague's death," Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger said in a statement.

"We stand with one another at this truly difficult time; and we will be doing our utmost, together with the relevant authorities, to determine the causes involved," Oliver Buchhofer, the airline's chief operating officer added.

"We have many questions, and we want them answered," he added.

All 74 passengers on board the Airbus A220 were evacuated, and twelve received medical attention. All five crew members were placed under medical care.

"Our teams of experts are working hard over the festive season to evaluate all the facts and findings available, and are in close contact with the authorities," the airline said in a statement about the investigations into the incident.

The focus of the investigation is on the mechanical parts of the aircraft — like the engine — and the protective breathing equipment available to the cabin crew.

SWISS announced it was working with the relevant authorities, the engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, and the aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

"The initial findings point to a technical problem in one of the engines," it said in the press release, but the cause of the smoke has not yet been conclusively determined.

A special flight from Graz to Zurich was organized on the morning of Christmas Eve to get passengers to their destination.