OK - no need to feel uncomfortable about having to seek advice on flying - we all have to have a first time.

You should have received tickets on which will be printed the name of the airline you are flying with, the departure and arrival airports, the flight times and the flight number for each flight (usually in the form of two or three letters followed by a number - each flight has an individual unique number). You will also discover the weight allowance for HOLD baggage and hopefully the letters OK which confirm your booking.

You should arrive at the check in terminal at least two hours before your flight is due to leave ... AFTER having parked the car, locked it (!) and taken the shuttle service to the terminal if using an off-airport car park.

On entering the terminal, you will see banks of television screens which tell you the order in which flights are departing and also the number(s) of the check in desks (s) for each flight.

Now find the check-in desk and join the queue! All the passengers in your party should stick together - you cannot check in only part of your party.

When you get to the top of the queue, please give the ticket agent a BIG SMILE and say Good Morning or some suitable greeting, and look him or her directly in the eyes. This should start off your temporary relationship on the best of terms, and she/he should smile back. Give the agent your tickets - one for each member of your party and all your passports.

The agent will then ask you to put your hold luggage on the weighing scale/conveyor belt at the side of the check in desk. You will be allowed to carry through ONE item of handbaggage per person (plus a lady's handbag etc).

If your baggage is 'overweight', the agent will tell you how to resolve the problem.

Each hold bag will have a ticket attached to its handle showing the airport destination code (usually 3 letters), and a bar code so that it can be checked up on if it goes astray. A separate bit of each baggage tag will be stuck to your boarding card, so that you have the bar code to help search for it!

Your luggage will disappear (legitimately!) and you will next meet it at your arrival airport on the incoming baggage conveyor belt.

You will then get back your passports, the tickets with the return coupon still in them (check this before you leave the desk) and a boarding card. The boarding card shows your seat number, which gate the flight leaves from and the time that you need to be waiting at the gate. Keep it handy, ditto your passport.

You will now need to go through a security checkpoint which effectively separates 'Landside' from 'Airside'. Once through this, you cannot return landside. You will be asked to take your coat off, perhaps even your jacket and put any metal objects into the plastic bin provided. You then walk through a scanner, and if it bleeps, you may be asked to lift your arms and a hand scanner will check you for metal objects (usually a key or a piece of loose change or even your trouser belt!). Your luggage passes through a similar scanner. It is perfectly safe for camera film.

When you finish with security you will be in a lounge with plenty of shops and bars to tempt you to start your holiday straight away. You many need to show your boarding card when you make any purchases as the staff are required to note the flight number.

Make sure you know which way to go to find your gate, as most UK airports are what are known as silent airports and just have TV-type screens and no annoucements. It's probably better to go to the toilet in the terminal before you head out to the aircraft - more comfortable and no feeling of holding up the queue!

When you get to your gate, there should be seating where you can wait. Airline personnel will tell you when to get on the aircraft, and you will need to show your boarding card again (part of it will be retained by the gate personnel) and may be even your passport. Don't throw away your boarding card stub until you are safely out of the airport with all your luggage on your way to your hotel. You might just need to show it to the personnel on board the aircraft, especially if someone disputes your seat allocation!

When you arrive, well, all airports are very different, and time of day and how busy it is will affect your progress, but in general, you will disembark the aircraft, pass through the immigration control of the country you have landed in (need to show your passport) and then follow the signs directing you to the correct conveyor belt for the incoming luggage from your flight. Collect your baggage and head out for the mad crush that is the arrivals hall and look for the name of your holiday company on a clip board held by a representative from your holiday company. She or he will then advise you where to go and you will be well on your way to enjoying a well-deserved break.