If you are approaching six feet or are above six feet (like myself standing at 6’2.5), you are likely familiar with tall girl problems. Some tall girl problems are easy to laugh at while some are frustrating. One of those particular tall girl problems that comes to mind that can be frustrating at times is travel and flying. We all know that planes are already small and limited to space so when you are well above average height (of which I am guessing these planes were designed for) it is much more challenging to travel with comfort and ease but being that I hit six feet in middle school, I have had quite some time to adapt to this particular tall girl problem and wanted to share the tips that I find helpful to cope with the very real tall girl problem of traveling and flying!
Tall Girl Problems: Tips For Traveling
- Always book the aisle seat! I feel like there are two types of people when flying- those that love the window and then those who need the aisle seat. If you are a tall girl my guess is you fall into the latter. If not I would seriously reconsider switching over the aisle side group because having that ability to occasionally stretch your legs out to the side or comfortably being able to cross your leg makes all the difference.
- Exit row or even more room seats! My entire family is above six feet excluding my mom so whenever we travel altogether there is battle for booking ahead of one another to get the exit row! The exit row typically has a few extra inches of leg room for your long legs to enjoy and usually it is less expensive than the even more room seats, which brings me to my next point
- As soon as you know you are going to be traveling and need to book a flight, book it ASAP! I know that most of us young adults do this already to avoid paying extra but seriously learn to book the flight the second you know you are traveling out of state because the longer you wait the less chance you have of a comfortable seat that isn’t breaking the bank!
- Wear your biggest shoes on the plane. If you are over six feet, I am willing to guess that your shoe size is at least a size 9 but more likely closer to a 11 (my size)/12 which means that your shoes take up SOOOO much room and can become an issue especially if you are trying to do just carry on. Be as particular as you can and think ahead to what pair of shoes you can get the most use out of and try to limit yourself as much as possible in the footwear department because as we know our clothes take up twice as much room as our shorter peers which makes it that much hard for us to pack with options and backups.
- In my travel and packing tips post, I discuss the best types of carry-on luggage to be on the looks for and the type of luggage that I find most helpful for us tall girls are the suitcases with pockets on the sides that are also expandable so that you can fit a pair of sandals/shoes into the outside compartment without taking up the room on the inside!
- When packing for a trip that I anticipate needing more space for clothing options, I pack the pjs last. Why? Well as a 6’2.5 girl, my fav pair of pjs are pants and my lounge tops actually take up some room due to their length and while I would love to pack those comfy af lounge and sleeping pants and tops, it can make the difference between being able to zip up my suitcase or not. So when I have packed all other essentials, I will go back and assess and if there is not enough space, I will often times pack a comfy thin tank and a pair of boyshort pj’s that can be rolled up and easily fit into a full suitcase!
- Invest in a big additional personal item carry-on (the one that goes under the seat). I used to travel with a tote purse and try to fit everything into the carry-on stored above over head but after too many trips of not having the right items or not being able to fit everything, I found it best to have an oversized backpack to pack my computer, cosmetics, and a smaller sized purse that I will use on the trip. While it may seem like there ins’t much room on panes, there typically is enough space for an oversized fully packed barely able to close backpack to store under the seat, in my personal experience.
- Lastly, if you are someone who is just not about that plan chat, put the headphones on to avoid those unsolicited height comments as you board the plane. But to entertain the funny side of tall girl probs/ find entertainment during the sometimes very slow process of boarding the plane, I count the stares I receive as I board the flight that are then followed by a quick (not at all subtle) glance at my feet to see if I am wearing heels or really am just tall AF.
