How to Make Air Travel Easier for the Directionally Challenged

Let’s face it — airports were not designed for the directionally challenged.

If you’re the kind of traveler who can get lost between the check-in counter and the restroom, or who once followed a “Baggage Claim →” sign straight into a janitor’s closet, this post is for you.

Air travel can be stressful for anyone — but for those who struggle to follow signs, recall gate numbers, or keep mental maps straight, it can feel like navigating a labyrinth designed by someone who really enjoys watching people panic.

But here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way. With a healthy sense of humor, and few practical strategies, we can change our next flight from a confusing ordeal into a smooth (and possibly even enjoyable) experience.

How do we do that?

1. Let’s start with a Map — Our Best Friend in the Sky

Before we even leave home, we should download the airport map. Most major airports have them on their websites or in their apps. If we study the layout as if we’re preparing for a treasure hunt – because we are – we might not fare too badly. The essential areas to look out for are:

• Our airline’s check-in area

• Security checkpoints

• Our terminal and gate

• Food outlets (always know where food is)

  
  

If we’re doing connecting flights, it’s important that we look up the other airport(s) too. Some apps like GateGuru or TripIt even show walking times between gates. Of course, my experience is that, often, you have to literally sprint between the disembarking gate and the new boarding gate.

Key tip: Screenshot the maps. Airport Wi-Fi is often as unreliable as our own internal compasses.

2. Pack Smart, Move Light

This is a lesson I have learnt, but haven’t yet put into practice: When you’re prone to getting turned around, less truly is more. A heavy bag can make every wrong turn feel like a fitness challenge you didn’t sign up for.

So, let’s keep our essentials – ID, boarding pass, charger, snacks — in one easy-to-reach pouch. That way, when, not if,  we’re lost and hungry, at least we won’t have to dig through a suitcase to find our trail mix.

3. Follow the Herd (Mostly)

There’s a reason people tend to walk in herds at airports — they’re usually all heading toward security or towards the boarding gate or Baggage Claim.

When in doubt, go with the flow — but confirm before you commit. If you’re like me, you have to be careful that you don’t overshoot your destination, as you follow the herd to wherever it’s going.

Following a crowd without checking the signs is how one traveler I know ended up boarding a plane to Boston instead of Houston.

 Key tip: Gate numbers are small but mighty. We need to write ours on a sticky note or set it as our phone wallpaper. Yes, really. It’s better to be sure than sorry. 

4.  Ask for Help Early (and Often!)

I know that some of us, especially our male friends really do not want to give the impression that we don’t know where we’re going. But, airports have information desks, gate agents, and kind souls in vests whose entire job is to help us find our way.

Let’s not wait until were sweating and jogging toward “something that looks like Gate 47 but could also be a food court,” or worse, we hear “This is the final call for passenger Xxxx Yyyy…..,” and realize that's you. Ask someone before you’re lost.

Most airport staff have heard every version of “I think I’m in the wrong terminal” imaginable — and they’ll usually help us without judgment (and maybe with a knowing smile). Only recently, I was heading for Gate 29. The even numbers went in one direction, and the odd numbers went in another. I was going along quite well. There were 23, 25, 27…Suddenly, all I saw was 31! I retraced my steps and started counting again. There was no 29, that I could see. So, I did the sensible thing. I asked an airport staff member – an older gentleman – for Gate 29. He smiled gently and pointed in the direction I should go. After he'd left, I looked again at the sign, and there was 29 right between 27 and 31! Now, why hadn’t I seen it before? It must have been hitting my blind spot!

Key tip: Always endeavor to identify staff members who can assist you with directions.

5. Build “Lost Time” into Your Schedule

When I lived in Jamaica, a rule of thumb was always to arrive at the airport at least two hours before the flight. However, having lived in the United States for a number of years, I guess I got a bit careless, and let that rule slip. I paid dearly. A good way to ensure that we’ll not miss our flight is to arrive at the airport three hours before the flight.

You may think that’s too much time, and it may be too much for the well-oriented. But for us, a three-hour lead time is just right. That extra hour isn’t wasted — it’s our directional buffer zone.

If we have to retrace our steps because we made a wrong turn, we’ll definitely have the time to do so, before our boarding gate closes.

Key tip: Just in case you get lost, and have to make the correction, you may also have the time to grab some refreshments.

6. Use Landmarks, Not Just Signs

As I alluded to earlier, you may not be able to rely solely on reading the signs. Sometimes the words and arrows tend to blur together, or a particular word or phrase – or number becomes invisible to us. That is when we need to use large landmarks, such as:

• The big blue sculpture near Gate A4

• The coffee shop shaped like a spaceship

• The souvenir shop selling “I ❤️ Chicago” keychains

  
  

When we leave a spot, we should mentally note: “I just passed the dinosaur exhibit to my left and the food court to my right.” That’s our breadcrumb trail back to sanity. Of course, we must have our left/right formulae all worked out, or that information will make no sense.

Key tip: Remember, permanent landmarks will not disappear or appear obscured. We can rely on them.

7. Go Digital — Let Technology Be Your Copilot

Our phones are marvelous inventions. They can be our best navigation tool — if we use them wisely. We can:

• Turn on location services in the airport app.

• Use Google Maps’ indoor directions (available in some airports).

• Take photos of signs as we go, so we can retrace our steps visually.

  
  

A good idea is for us to download the airline’s app, and set flight alerts on our phones, so we don’t miss gate changes while we’re busy trying to find the restroom, or trying to navigate back to the gate, after using the restroom.

Key tip: Once you’ve located your boarding gate, take a picture, making sure to capture an outstanding landmark. Keep that picture handy until you are seated on the plane. You can erase it then.

8. Make Certain to Laugh at Yourself

We are going to get lost at some point. We’ll walk in the wrong direction, take the wrong escalator, or show our boarding pass to the custom agent, instead of a gate agent.

That’s okay. Being directionally challenged doesn’t make us bad travelers. It only shows that we’re human.

However, every wrong turn becomes a story, every panic moment becomes a lesson, and every successful flight feels like a small, triumphant miracle. Also, in every one of those episodes, there are moments that are rich with humor. Find them and enjoy them, by yourself (when you’re alone. Don’t burst out laughing for no apparent reason), or with friends and family!

Key Tip: It is indeed true that laughter is medicine. It can certainly reduce the stress of not knowing how to navigate.

Please Share

Do you have a story about being lost at the airport? Won’t you share it? We'd love to hear how you fared?

Remember, air travel isn’t just about getting from Point A to Point B. It can really show us what mettle we’re made of.

So next time you’re standing in Terminal 3 wondering why Gate 14 is somehow in Terminal 1, take a deep breath, and laugh! We might as well laugh our way through it together.

Final Thought

Being directionally challenged is not the end of the world. We only need to own our condition, be able to articulate or demonstrate it, and to have the rest of the world acknowledge us.

Please join in the quest to attain recognition for us. Share your experiences, and the strategies you’ve used to cope with your inability to decipher directions.