4 Things to Know Before Flying Ryan Air

This past month I have had my fair share of flights. There's just so much to do, so much to see. (Cue Allstar by Smash mouth)

 A great deal of my travels were done through Ryan Air.

Ryan Air is a big airline carrier in Europe known for its extremely low prices. It's a no frills flying option and because of this there's a few catches. Whether you're a student abroad or looking for an affordable family trip here's some things you need to know before you book a flight with Ryan Air:

1. Checked baggage

No one wants to check baggage while flying. It's a hassle! When you get to your gate, Ryan Air staff will check you in;look at your ticket, passport and your luggage. If your luggage looks too big they will forcefully make you pay up 50 euro to check your bag without any explanation. You must fight them on this; there's a "see if it fits" kiosk (for lack of knowledge regarding the actual terminology) that can actually hold quite a bit.  Squeeze your bag into the kiosk/model to see if it fits. Some Ryan Air staff will let you just check your bag without a fee, but most will not so keep this in mind.

2. Getting your ticket stamped

If you are going from  the United States and going from country to country you MUST get your boarding pass stamped. Without this, you will not be able to get on your flight. Getting your boarding pass stamped can be done at a Ryan Air desk in your airport's departures area. Although this doesn't take long, make sure to carve out 10 minutes in your schedule just in case.

3. Do not get your boarding pass at the airport

It's great that Ryan Air is cheaper than its airline counterparts.  However, because they are cheaper, Ryan Air finds sneaky ways to charge you more. A big fee comes from your boarding pass. If you wait until you are at the airport to print your boarding pass you will also be asked to pay a hefty fee of  40 euro (at the time of this post) What a shame when printing at home is free! 

4. Ryan Air "lies" about major cities

While I had no problem getting to my destinations, I've heard stories from other students and their final destinations. Ryan Air may claim to fly into *insert big city here* when in fact they are outside of the city and it's up to you to find other modes of transportation to get to your final destination. Really look into where Ryan Air will be flying in or out of. Luckily, Ryan Air is rapidly growing so this may be less of a problem now, but still something to consider!

Other quick things:

- The boarding gate closes 20 minutes before boarding, if you're late you will not be allowed on your flight

- Usually a shuttle is  taken to get from your boarding area to your plane

- Drinks and snacks aren't complimentary

 This post isn't trying to "expose" Ryan Air in any way; there's countless reviews, posts and articles all over the web for that. I'm simply sharing information that I found extremely important when traveling around Europe.

 I hope this short list comes in handy when you start looking into your next trip!

With love,