In our last post, we gave tips for those infrequent travelers who are trying to navigate airline policies, airports, security and such. Today, we want to focus on things that mission and humanitarian trip leaders can do to help team members who are travel novices.

First, don’t make assumptions about your team when it comes to their level of travel experience. Just because you are double platinum in six airline frequent flyer programs doesn’t mean that the rest of your team has any travel experience. In fact, you probably will have team members who fly only occasionally or who haven’t flown in a significant period of time. So early on in your team interactions, try to get a feel for each team members’ travel comfort level.

Talk through the travel process with your team. Make sure you address things like luggage weight and size limits, as well as the importance of making sure the gate agent puts the right tag on the bags. Explain the security screening process and the need to keep liquids in three ounce containers inside a clear, quart-sized, plastic bag. Also discuss the boarding process and how many airlines board by zone numbers printed on the boarding pass.

Have a travel interruption contingency plan, especially if your team isn’t all traveling together. You should have this plan even if you have a team of experienced travelers. For the infrequent flyer, this is vital. Discuss what to do if a flight is cancelled or delayed (see our past blog posts on “Dealing with Airline Gate Agents” and “Avoiding Weather Delays” for tips). If you purchase travel insurance through Ministry Travel, make sure that your team has the policy information and contact numbers. This insurance usually covers trip interruptions and provides 24 hour travel assistance.

Enlist travel buddies, especially for older travelers or those who are nervous about flying. Pair a team member who is an experienced traveler with someone who is not. This way they can look after the novice traveler and you will have one less thing to worry about!

Explain how passport control and customs work, both for the country you are traveling to and for the U.S. on your return.

These five tips will help you greatly improve the rookie traveler’s experience.

We took a family member to the airport the other day and were quickly reminded that not everybody flies on a regular basis. Some hit the skies rarely, if at all. That was that case with this family member, who in his 47 years of life had flown maybe a handful of times.  He had a lot of questions about the process.

It is easy for those of us who are frequent flyers to take travel for granted. But if we are facilitating the travel of others—whether it is as travel agents, mission trip sponsors or humanitarian project leaders—we need to look at travel through the eyes of the infrequent traveler so that we can help them have a great travel experience.

Here are three tips for the infrequent traveler. If you fall into that category, then you will find these especially helpful. If, on the other hand, you have more frequent flyer miles than you can track, then pass this along to a travel novice.

Give yourself plenty of time. Having to rush—whether it is packing, getting to the airport or finding a gate—is stressful, especially for the infrequent flyer. You can avoid a lot of anxiety simply by allotting extra time. Start packing for your tip several days ahead of time. Plan to arrive at the airport at least three hours ahead of time for an international flight and two hours for a domestic flight. In fact, you may even want to pad that time some and plan to arrive in time for a leisurely meal at the airport.

Be prepared for security screening. For many people, this is the most stressful part of the trip. Visit the Transportation Security Administration’s website at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm to find out the latest rules and tips for getting through airport screening. Basically, you should be prepared to show a government issued picture identification (like a driver’s license or passport) and your boarding pass. You will be asked to remove any laptop computers from your carry-on bag and have it screened separately. You also are limited to the amount of liquids that you can take through security. They must be in 3 ounce or less bottles and all bottles must fit into a quart-size clear plastic bag. Have this bag where you can easily pull it out of your carry-on as you approach the X-ray machine. You also should be prepared to remove your shoes. The biggest thing is to just pay attention as you go through the line and do what you see everyone else do!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you don’t know how to find your flight’s gate, have a question about the boarding process, or just need general guidance, ask an airline employee. The same is true once you are on the plane—if you need help, ask the flight attendant. Also, many airports have information desks and personnel on hand who are more than happy to help you. At the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, for example, these people are called Airport Ambassadors and you can easily spot them by their green vests and wide-brimmed hats. Most airline and airport employees are glad to help answer questions.

So if you are an infrequent traveler, following these three tips should make your next trip go much smoother.