Ask yourself, if your departure time is 9:00 a.m., can you be there at least 7:00 a.m.? or even earlier? When you book your ticket, you are booking your future experience.

Here is why we need time. One the day you travel to Rome, make sure to arrive at the airport at least 2.5 hours before your departure time. Arriving early will help you avoid long waits in case of long lines. Once you have your boarding pass, you will need to go through airport security check, which can also have a longer line as all passengers must pass through this checkpoint to reach their boarding gate. The time it takes for the security check can vary, ranging from 15 minutes if you're lucky to 1.5 hours in my case in Dubai. After completing the security check, you also need time to find your gate for boarding your flight. If you are traveling from a larger airport like Los Angeles, which handles both national and international flights, it may take up to 45 minutes or more to find your gate due to the airport's size. Be prepared as the airport can be like a small town.

When you book your ticket, think about your landing time. Ideally, try not to arrive later than 9:30 pm, especially if you are solo female traveler for many good reasons. If you have someone to pick you up, then au does not need to worry.

This is because after your flight landed, you will need to go through immigration point, and then go to baggage claims, and so by the time you have everything, it could be 10:30 pm or even later.

If you are travelling to Rome, take our train from Fiumicino Airport to Rome city (approximately 30 minutes), and plus find your way to the hotel or Airbnb from train station is another one hour or so, so my suggestion is to arrive in the day time, or even in the morning, then you will give yourself a day to refresh yourself, and enjoy the city.

When deciding which ticket to buy, in addition to your departure and landing time, you need to pay close attention to the transfer time. You will need to click to see the details, and if possible, allow yourself at least 2 hours to transfer to your next flight. Knowing you have enough time to navigate the situation will bring you peace of mind.

Let's say your first flight takes you from St. Louis to Berlin, and your second flight is from Berlin to Rome. Your first flight will land in a major international airport, which is typically large. Ideally, if your flight lands on time and everyone disembarks smoothly, that's perfect. However, this isn't always the case, and you can't do anything about it. This is why giving yourself enough time can save you from stress.

After leaving your first airplane, you need to find your second gate for the next flight. Sometimes, the second boarding gate can be far away. I hope this isn't the case for you, but it's good to know when deciding which ticket to purchase. Being aware of this can impact your travel experience.

Also, allow yourself at least 2 hours for restroom breaks, stretching, grounding yourself, or making phone calls. Avoid booking a connecting flight with less than 1.5 hours of layover time for many practical reasons.

Avoid booking your departure time too early in the morning.

For example, if your flight takes off at 7:00 a.m., this means you will need to be at the airport at least 2 hours ahead for the reasons we addressed before: check-in, getting your boarding pass, going through security, and so on.

And if no one can take you to the airport, considering your transportation options to the airport in the early morning is also risky. The local train schedule may not align perfectly with your schedule, or it could be affected by service disruptions. If possible, try to book a return time that allows for more flexibility, as being in a foreign country may require additional time to navigate and figure things out.