I was really nervous leading into my first flight. I had a day off between orientation and what had been scheduled as my first flight – a 3 day trip with a classmate as of one of my fellow crew members – so I decided to rip off the bandaid and I picked up a turn to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic on my day off.

A turn is when you fly out to a destination, the passengers leave, new passengers get on, and you fly back to your base. No time to sightsee, but turns have their advantages. For example, if you just want to pick up some extra money on your day off, or if you live in your base so you can be home each night like a traditional job.

I couldn’t have asked for a better trip for my first flight. My fellow crew members were AWESOME. Of course I told them it was my very first flight and they were SO enthusiastic. They showed me the ropes, gave me great advice, and the pilot took a group photo of us at the end. We even had a bit of extra time when we landed in Punta Cana, so one of my fellow flight attendants took me to the duty free shop where I bought some Bombay Sapphire for Jeff. Between the duty free discount and the crew discount, it was quite a deal!

By the time I got back to my crash pad I was tired, but I had done it! My first flight was under my belt, and with my first three-day trip the next day, I knew I’d sleep better for having worked the turn vs. tossing and turning with nerves in anticipation of what was supposed to be my first flight. One trip down, hopefully many years of trips to go!