Young Girl Shares Helpful Tip For People Who Have A Fear Of Flying

Sarah Kester
Melissa McCarthy sitting on flight
USA Today | New Line Cinema

If you have a fear of flying, you're not alone. Aerophobia, as it's called, affects more than 25 million Americans. Some even fear it more than death!

While certain things can help — anxiety medication, deep breathing, and an emotional support peacok — one girl on TikTok has another idea.

In her viral video, she shares a helpful tip to help people relax on flights.

With nightmare stories from airports and tickets selling like gangbusters, we'll take ALL the travel hacks we can get!

Man sitting at airport
Unsplash | JESHOOTS.COM

One that will save major money and stress is how to ensure you won't be charged money for an extra bag.

Miguel Muñoz, a flight attendant for more than a decade, shared this hack.

Isla Fisher holding bags
Screen Queens | Paramount

In an interview with the Daily Express, he said that duty-free bags aren't counted in your carry-on luggage allowance. So passengers can use this to their advantage to have more luggage.

All people have to do is ask the staff at one of the airport's duty-free shops for a shopping bag.

Shopping bag
Unsplash | Phu Dinh

Then, you place whatever you want into the bag. Since duty-free bags aren't counted in your carry-on luggage allowance, this means that you won't be charged for having an extra carry-on!

You can use this same duty-free bag hack to avoid issues with checked luggage that exceeds the airline's weight limit.  

People running to flight
Giphy | ABC Network

So if the airline tries to charge you any additional fees for an overweight suitcase or bag, Miguel says to remove some of the heavier items from your checked luggage and place them in a duty-free bag.

Another clever travel hack came from TikTok.

TikTok user @nolimitua showed people how travelers can bring extra items on their flight without being charged. Instead of a duty-free bag this time, you use a zipped-up pillow! This works because airlines don’t impose fees on pillows.

This next hack from TikTok is perfect for those who are afraid of flying.

Annie on plane being nervous
Giphy

Who hasn't been afraid of flying before? Whether it's the turbulence, fear of crashing or sitting next to a screaming baby, there's a loss of control that comes with traveling by plane.

Anna Paul is a pilot who shared her unorthodox hack to curing flying woes with her 4.6 million followers.

Woman holding up red jelly
TikTok | anna..paull

In her viral video, she held up a cup of JELL-O. She asked viewers to visualize that the red jelly is the air that you're flying in.

Then, she scrunched up a napkin to represent an airplane and placed it inside the jelly.

Woman holding up red jelly
TikTok | anna..paull

Instead of it falling down to the bottom, the napkin was held securely in the middle of the jelly. "That is you flying through the sky," she said.

She explained that there's pressure coming from the bottom, top, and sides of the airplane.

Woman using red jelly to show turbulance
TikTok | anna..paull

To demonstrate turbulence, she hit the top of the jelly with her finger. Viewers could see that the airplane was utterly unaffected by this for the most part.

"You feel the plane shaking, but this is not just going to fall down," she explained.

Woman dancing on flight
Giphy | The Comeback HBO

It stays in the sky because there is pressure coming from everywhere.

To reassure travelers even more, she explained that there's never been a plane crash from turbulence. Phew!

She told viewers to imagine themselves in jelly the next time they're in turbulence.

People in the comments were incredibly grateful for the tip and even amused.

"Plane freaking out about turbulence. Me: don’t worry guys we’re just in wobbly jelly," one wrote. "This genuinely has helped me SO much," another added.

Asking for a friend: Do JELL-O shots work, too?