Whether you are cheerfully hopping on a plane and flying off on vacation or are a white-knuckle flyer reluctantly forced on a plane for a business trip, there are a lot of things you can do to make the flight easier on yourself. There are also pitfalls that you should avoid for a safe and happy flight with the least amount of hassles.

From ticket buying to seating to making the flight on time, there are a lot of things to remember. In between the confusion of packing, trying to remember what government regulations are about nail polish or shampoo and worrying about how to find the right terminal, you may be overstressing before you even get to the boarding gate.

Take a deep breathe and start at the beginning,. If you are fully prepared by the time you have to leave for the airport, you can sit back and relax a little, maybe have a drink at the bar before getting on your flight (just one, please!) and enjoy yourself instead of being consumed with anxiety over whether or not you checked luggage made it onto the right plane.

Probably the most worrisome item on everyone's minds these days is security. How long will it take to get through the checkpoints? How can you be sure you've allowed enough time? You want to get there early enough to allow for time spent standing in line. You also need to factor in traffic around your chosen airport, and the possibility of flight delays.

Using the checklist below can at least help you streamline your activity prior to arriving at the airport, and can possibly make the process a little easier after you've gotten on the plane and during your flight. As long as you've followed protocol for packing and checking your luggage, and tried to cover all possible eventualities, you can at least know that you've done your best!