We know that air travel can be a hassle. But if you follow these ten easy rules, your flying experience will be much more enjoyable. Trust us! (and keep reading)

By Dan Johnson

1. BE SOBER: Spending your entire layover at the airport bar just isn’t that cool, trust us (or ask this guy). Besides, if you’re too hammered to walk, the odds are you’ll be denied boarding or worse (how does being detained by marshals sound?). Not sure if you’re drunk? Click this link to find out!
2. PACK SMART: You’d think by now that everyone would know what’s okay and what’s banned, but we’ve all been stuck behind that one guy who is shocked that his ice-pick collection can’t go on board. Don’t be that guy.
3. PACK LIGHT: Don’t bring too much stuff. Airlines have weight limits, and you should know them. You’re also in the bonehead category if you try to carry on your external-frame backpack or rock-climbing gear and stuff it in the overhead bins. It won’t fit, you’ll delay your flight, and everyone on the plane will hate you.
4. BRING YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT: You’ve been there - you’re delayed on the tarmac, the inflight magazine only has articles on Paris Hilton’s favorite places, and your neighbor is an outhouse salesman who thinks you’re in the market. Hell. Bring a book, pack your iPod, pack your personal DVD player; this can be the difference between arriving with the serenity of a yoga master, or with fingernails chewed to the bone.
5. BE KIND TO YOUR LIPS: That dry airplane air sure does a number on your skin, but we think it does its worst on your lips, so, carry you own lip balm, and be the envy of the cabin.
6. HYDRATE: Beware of dehydration. Did you know that flying while thirsty is just as bad as flying with a raging hangover? TIP: Save money and create less plastic-waste by bringing a reusable water bottle and fill it once past security.
7. HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN: The skies are crowded - flight delays, changes, and outright cancellations are commonplace. If you’re stuck in Cleveland and need to get to Chicago, can you rent a car and drive? A forced overnight in Miami - do you have any friends to crash with? Look at your itinerary before you go, figure out your potential choke points, and plan accordingly. And here’s a list of hotels and rental car agencies, courtesy of FareCompare.
8. TIME YOUR ARRIVAL: Nobody wants to be too late or too early, and airports vary: the security line in San Francisco is arguably the fastest in the country while the line in Denver can take what seems like months to me. Here’s a guide to average “wait” times for U.S. airports; you take it from there.
9. DON’T FLY WITH A COLD: If you’re sniffly, feverish, hacking, and coughing, cancel or delay! You might make your fellow passengers sick, but more importantly, you could be miserable, or worse - you DON’T want to risk a Myringotomy procedure. TIP: Simply must fly with a cold? Try ear plugs.
10. SET YOUR ALARM: No, Captain Obvious didn’t come up with this one; trust me, you’d be surprised at how many people sleep through their departure times. So, set that alarm. No, set two.

Now, you’re ready to roll; you’re a smart traveler. And as we all know, a smart traveler is a happy traveler; he gets where he’s going, hassle-free.