Early Morning Flight? Sleep in Longer with 8 Expert Tips

To grab some of the best price glitches and flight deals, I often book early morning flights. In fact, even in my previous 9-5 lifestyle, my work trips always required super early morning flight times.

So how do you survive if early mornings aren’t your thing? Here’s how I am able to endure the “joys” of walking into the airport at opening time without it becoming a pain.

1. Pack Strategically According to your Travel Day Itinerary

I am a self-proclaimed packing master. When taking a flight at the crack of dawn, I often refuse to wake up more than 15 minutes before departing my home in the morning, so I make sure I have EVERYTHING ready to go the night before.

This means, three rules apply:

• If I don’t need the item until after I board my flight, it should be packed in my carry-on.
• If I will need it in the taxi, it should be in my pocket or purse.
• If I will need it at check-in/security, it should be in the most accessible pocket of my personal bag (this includes vaccination cards/negative COVID test results if applicable)

Stick to those rules and you will depart feeling reassured that you have everything you need. Here are some tips on how to travel light if some packing guidance.

2. Prioritize Shower + Personal Care the Night Before

I mostly shower at night because it allows time to moisturize my skin and tame my hair in preparation for the upcoming day of travel. This is especially helpful when prepping for early morning flights.

It’s an easy way to soothe my body and worries before bed, and even helps me get to sleep quickly (also great to do if you suffer from the winter blues).

Things to get done: shower, hair conditioning, shaving, skincare (masks, exfoliating, etc.), nail grooming, etc. This also helps you avoid packing all that stuff with you.

3. Pre-Set Your Travel Day Outfit

I set out my outfit the night before according to every step I’ll take in the morning: clothes by the bed, shoes and jacket near the door, etc. Before bed, I may even put on some of the clothes I intend to wear the next day.

Roll out of bed? Boom. Outfit already halfway on and another 5 minutes shaved off my wake-up call. 

• Expert tip: The nicer you dress, the better your chances and getting that upgrade! Dress comfy, but don’t come in pajamas.

4. Go to Sleep Early

I don’t know about you, but I always feel terrible when I get up too early. My body is sluggish, my eyes are dry, and I’m just not in a good mood. Instead, I like to go to bed about an hour early to try to get as much rest as possible.

If your mind is racing, try journaling your thoughts beforehand. I like to create a list of the things I am worrying about forgetting, so I know I can sleep easy without stressing.

5. Check In the Day Before Your early Morning Flight

Sometimes, the best way to prep for a ridiculously early morning flight is to shorten your time at the airport as much as possible. This way, you’ll get a few glorious extra minutes to sleep in.

One way to speed up your time at the airport is by checking in the day before. Most airlines give you the option to check in online within 24 hours of your flight. Then, you can keep a digital ticket in your phone’s wallet app (or print it out if that suits you).

If you don’t need to check in any bags, this step can allow you to completely bypass the check-in desk at the airport and just go straight to security. For international flights, you may need a kiosk at least.

6. Get TSA Pre-check Access

Signing up for a perk like TSA Pre-Check is life-changing and will shave off a significant amount of time at the airport waiting to get through security.

The perk is available at over 200 US airports and not only lets you get on an “express” line, it also lets you keep on your shoes, belts and jackets, as well as keep your liquids and laptop in your bag.

Ways to get TSA Pre-Check:

• Buy TSA PreCheck membership: $85 per five years
• Get Global Entry (Includes TSA Pre Check): $100 per five years
• Buy it as an add-on with your plane ticket
• Get reimbursed for it through your travel credit card (I use Chase Sapphire Reserve)

7. Weigh Your Bags at Home

Another way to decrease your time at the airport is by measuring and weighing your bags at home (especially if you tend to be an overpacker).

One of the worst airport experiences is finding out that your checked bags are a few pounds overweight and then having to reorganize your bags to get them all to the desired weight. 

Instead of dealing with all that hassle at an absurdly early hour, weigh your bags in advance! Or if you’re traveling from your vacation destination back to your home, you can pack a portable travel scale that you can use before heading to the airport.

8. Schedule Your Ride Ahead of Time

For some of us city dwellers, ordering a rideshare or hailing a taxi at any time of the day/night comes easy.

But if you live in the suburbs or rural areas, you definitely need to plan ahead and schedule your transportation. I’ve made the mistake of relying on an Uber while briefly staying in the suburbs of New York and what was reported as a 20-minute wait turned into an hour wait because there were such limited options.

Follow these early-morning flight tips and you’ll be prepared!

Of course, I am not perfect, but I really do try to stick to this routine for all morning flights. Now that I have Priority Pass as well, I am often excited to get to the airport so I can zoom past security and grab all the free food, drinks, and wifi in the comfortable lounges.

If you follow these steps to prepare for an early morning flight, I promise you’ll be able to feel a little more prepared, a little less anxious about your travel to-do list, and maybe even well-rested! And when you are able to achieve those things, you can travel with a better attitude and be more optimistic when other things don’t go according to plan.

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