My Two Achilles’ Heels When Traveling – Overpacking and Getting to the Airport Too Early

Every traveler has their little quirks and peculiarities when they are getting ready for a trip regardless of how long or short a journey it is. Mine just happens to show up before I even leave the ground, which is the most anxiety inducing part for me. If I’m being honest with myself and always try to do so in my travel writing, my two biggest Achilles’ heels when traveling are overpacking for a trip regardless of length and getting to the airport absurdly early for a domestic or international flight. Neither flaw is catastrophic in the grand scheme of travel quirks but both say a lot about how I approach the journey: with a lot of excitement, a bit of pre-trip anxiety, and maybe a touch too much preparation in advance.

Let’s start with my overpacking flaw, which has been with me since I first started traveling more as a teenager and into my 20s. On paper, it feels like the responsible move when it comes to traveling. You prepare for different climates, unexpected events, outfit changes, and the “what if I need this?” scenarios that never actually happen. The pros are clear: you’re rarely caught off guard, and you have options especially when it comes to toiletries. There’s comfort in that approach, but the downsides hit fast. Lugging a heavy suitcase through Cobblestone streets in Europe or up three flights of stairs in a budget hotel in Latin America isn’t just inconvenient, it drains your energy over the course of the trip. Overpacking also slows you down mentally. Instead of moving freely, you’re managing all your stuff in one large suitcase. And the irony that I’ve noticed repeatedly? You end up wearing the same five outfits anyway and end up not wearing clothes that never leave the suitcase at the end of the trip.

Then there’s my second major travel vice that I’m still working on getting rid of: arriving at the airport way too early. I’m talking “sit at the gate for two hours watching planes taxi” early while sipping my coffee, which isn’t the worst thing to do while waiting for a flight especially on a beautiful weather day. The upside is peace of mind for me as someone who gets pre-trip bouts of anxiety. For myself, not having stress about missing flights, no rushing through security and/or customs, no sweating through your shirt because TSA decided today was the day they’d take their time and the lines are longer than expected. There’s something calm about knowing you’re already there at your gate. However, let’s be real as the cons stack up and have for me in the past. Time is your most valuable travel currency and sitting in an airport longer than necessary is a poor investment. It also feeds a kind of low-grade anxiety. You’re not relaxed as you’re just waiting. And airport food and drink prices? That’s a tax on being overly cautious and I’ve paid the price over the years.

You may be asking yourself at this point about what should I do about it? For overpacking, the fix is better discipline. I aim to set a hard rule: if it doesn’t fit in a carry-on or a backpack, it doesn’t go with me especially for only a 1–2-week trip. Also, I plan out my outfits better by building a capsule wardrobe with neutral colors, versatile pieces, and layers for unpredictable weather. I also must give myself permission to wear clothes again during the trip. Again, I’m traveling, not attending fashion week and I’m the last person who would end up on a fashion runway from what I’m wearing.

For getting to the airport too early, it wouldn’t hurt me to tighten the buffer in the future. Instead of showing up 2.5–3 hours early for every flight, I should aim for a consistent window, 90 minutes minimum for domestic flights, minimum 2-2.5 hours for international although I may stick with 3 minimum if the airport is further away from where I am staying.

If you’re in the U.S. or have access to tools like mobile boarding passes and TSA PreCheck, you should use them if possible or available to you, to speed up the airport check-in process. Replace your anxiety with systems that work and will save you time so you can get some extra sleep or have a nice meal before you head off to the airport. If you’re in the U.S. or are from a country that partners with ‘Global Entry’, it’s worth the currently $120 fee for five years of validity upon approval to speed up the U.S. re-entry process when you’re arriving back home. Many countries seem to have their own type of ‘Global Entry’ or automated migration system now so it’s worth looking into whether it saves time entering or leaving the customs part of the airport journey.

Here’s the bigger picture when it comes to managing your travel quirks: most of them, including mine, are relatively harmless. In 2026, there are far worse travel habits to avoid. Some travelers move through the world without respecting local cultures or making even a minimal effort to learn the language. Others treat destinations like content factories for social media, more focused on capturing the moment than living in it. They skip out on understanding the history, the food, and the customs that give a place its identity. Those habits don’t just limit the trip; they limit the traveler’s entire experience.

By comparison, overpacking and arriving at the airport too early, my personal struggles when I travel, are minor flaws. They might cost me some comfort and time, but they don’t take away from my peace of mind or my ability to fully engage with a place. Awareness is step one to solving any travel issue. I’ve started to recognize these patterns in my bad travel habits, and now it’s about refining them. Traveling lighter, moving smarter, and trusting that not everything needs to be planned to perfection. At the end of the day, these habits come from a desire to be prepared but real growth comes from learning when to let go and allowing the journey to unfold on its own terms.