International traveling is pretty hit or miss. Either it’s the greatest flight you’ll ever go on, or it’s a disaster. With international airlines, it’s hard to know what to expect, and usually, it’s the opposite of what you’re expecting.

Let’s start with the size of the plane. Some planes seats are three and three. Some are two and three. Some are three, four, three. So for someone who doesn’t like a middle or window seat, well, the last option makes it pretty hard to get what you want. On top of the weird seating arrangements, the space between the rows can contribute to the level of enjoyment during the flight. On my way to Germany, we had a layover in Amsterdam. The flight from Chicago to Amsterdam had seats of three, four, three.

There was no space to walk or stretch your legs, and the rows were so close together with no space to put a bag under the seat in front of you. This arrangement made the flight extremely uncomfortable and caused a lot of claustrophobia. On my multiple flights to Israel, I remember there being a ton of space between the seats and in the aisles, contributing to a much more free feeling and spacious flight. This also made it easier for the flight attendants because they didn’t have to squeeze by us and risk bumping into us while we were sleeping.

Personal space is a major factor in flight enjoyment, but another thing that gets a lot of hate is airline food. Almost everyone’s first joke has something to do with airline food, and honestly, I don’t blame them. Airline food is so risky. You very rarely know what you’re getting, and for people with allergies, this can actually be dangerous.

On my recent flight to Germany, our dinner was pasta, salad, and a brownie. Sounds good, but just wait until I explain. The pasta had a green and white sauce on it with little pieces of red stuff all over. I tried it, and it tasted like macaroni and cheese. I don’t know about anyone else, but my macaroni is not usually green and red, it’s a lovely shade of yellow and orange and smells and looks much better than this dish. Next, let’s talk about the salad. White lettuce, a single grape tomato, and feta cheese EVERYWHERE. I hate feta, but lucky for me, it was covering every piece of lettuce. So I ate the tomato and that was it.

Now, let’s say the feta wasn’t an issue... white lettuce. The healthy part of lettuce is the green part. So basically, if I had eaten that lettuce, it would’ve been equivalent to drinking water. How nutritious. Then comes dessert, the brownie. I touched it with a fork and it was rock solid. I kept tapping at it and the entire layer of frosting fell off. I then tapped the brownie part and, naturally, it was also rock-solid. So since the brownie never went in my mouth, all I have to say is brownies should not be rock solid.

I don’t know how to fix the issue of airplane food, other than to put the ingredients label on each dish. People should know what they’re eating. Asking a flight attendant is usually not a good option because of the language barrier and, on top of that, they often don’t know what’s in the food themselves.

What I’ve concluded through my international travels throughout the years will save me a lot of discomfort and hunger in the future. I will stick to bringing my own food on the plane. Thankfully I had some back up on the Germany trip, and my dinner ended up being dried fruit and a protein bar. Not the best, but definitely better than being hungry for eight hours. I also have learned that paying a little extra for more room on a long flight is one hundred percent worth it.

Upgrading a seat doesn’t cost too much (usually) and it’s so worth it to not be completely smushed for the entire ride. So, basically what I’m trying to get at here is to be prepared for anything on a plane. Be prepared to be served mystery food, be prepared to be smushed. Carry some extra money in case there’s an open seat in first class. It will be worth every cent, in my opinion.