Travelling is a bit of an oddity. Of the huge number of things that people ever do in their lives, travel is essentially unique in it's ability to be equally loved and loathed in the same second. No matter how well planned out a journey is, no matter how much you're looking forward to it and no matter how many times you've been before, there's always the potential that your once-in-a-lifetime dream vacation to the destination you've wanted to visit for years will be forever known as 'The Worst Holiday Ever'.
The stresses of air travel are often the most excruciating, with the need to check-in on time, head through security at least once, find your gate and board the plane enough to worry about, even before you come to the stress and hassle that is the in-flight experience.
It's worth noting, however, that following some basic rules can help to reduce the stress involved, as well as significantly decreasing the amount of time spent going through security. However, successful travel begins with successful planning, so some preparation should be expected.
Below are my air travel trips for a better airport experience:
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A Month or Two Before your Holiday
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1. Prepare your documents
Every year, thousands of people turn up at the airport without the right documents to travel. One of the biggest causes of this are expired passports. Most countries require that your passport has 6 months worth of time left on it when you enter, so check the passports for all your party. Does everyone have one? Do they have 6 months left on them at the time of travel? Does anyone need to be changed from a joint passport to their own? Has anyone run out of pages in their passport?
These days, more countries than ever are requiring visa applications beforehand and once again, it's important that all of this is sorted out well in advance (although within the timeframe recommended by the applicable country). With your passport ready for travel, getting a visa is usually an easy process, either by post, in person at an embassy or online. Follow the application procedure and you should receive your passport back in plenty of time before travelling.
2. Prepare for the journey
Start thinking about the journey itself - what do I still need to do before we go?
Is someone looking after the house? What do they need to know? Write it down on a piece of paper, whether it's when to feed the cat or how to switch the boiler on so the house is nice and warm before you get back from the airport.
Think about what you need for baggage - do you need to get another suitcase? Do you need to get a few luggage straps to make your baggage stand out? Do you know what your baggage allowance is? Double check it, buy what you still need and be ready for packing day.
Checking in for your flight can often be done now days before a flight, or in some cases, seats on your plane can be picked well in advance by using an airline's website and your ticket details. If you want to guarantee yourself that roomy seat in an exit row rather than being stuck at the very back of the plane near the toilets, look to see if you can pick your seats well in advance on your airlines website, or even ring their booking department if necessary.
Has travel to the airport been sorted? Have you phoned up the taxi
company to check they're coming to pick you up at the right time?
The point of a holiday is to enjoy yourself, so try to think about how to make your journey more comfortable. Many people find the pillows offered on flights to be hugely inadequate, so it's often prefferable buying a neck pillow (from one of a variety of stores, both online and on the high street). Do you have earplugs or mints to help with your ears popping during take-off and landing? Try to think of any small luxuries that you may want on the journey that you can prepare now, like sweets, or extra batteries for handheld games consoles, etc.
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Baggage
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Smply put, hand baggage can be the most annoying part of a flight. It can slow down the flow of people getting onto the plane, delaying take-off and it can also slow down people getting off the plane, potentially delaying you before you rush across the airport for that tight 90 minute transfer to your next flight. My advice can be summarised as follows:
Hand Baggage should be a small enough to be slipped under the seat in front of you, be of correct size to meet your aline's requirements and be carryable without your hands.
With baggage small enough to fit under the seat in front of you, there's no need to concern yourself with fitting it into a locker above your head, which, in these days of increasing hand baggage size on most airlines, is becoming increasingly difficult. Further to that, having baggage under the seat in front of you will allow you easier access to it during the flight and it will also allow you (with the aid of a speedy getaway) to avoid a lot of people grabbing their stuff (very slowly) from the overhead lockers after landing. Carrying it without your hands leaves you free to handle other luggage without needing a trolley and to open pockets to get passports out for immigration checks.
It should be able to be wheeled easily, usually with a telescopic handle. Enough said. A wheeled suitcase means no need to get a trolley at the airport and no need to fumble about looking for the elusive £1 coin in your hand baggage. Most airlines are pretty stingy with hold baggage weight allowances these days, so try to weigh your bags before you go, checking they are acceptable to the airline. This saves on embarrassing re-arranging of bags at the check in desk.
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Before You Leave for the Airport
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Double check everything. Have you packed everything you need? Remind yourself of the details of the flight. Check you have the tickets. Most importantly, check you have everyone's passports and keep them safe. Wallet, documents, keys. If you haven't, then it's well worth considering checking in online or via one of the various phone apps before you leave, saving you the need to do so at the airport.
