Welcome aboard! The words that all travel lovers have been longing to hear for what seems like forever and we’ve all got holidays on our minds! That safari you always wanted to go on… no time like the present! Swimming with sea turtles in the Seychelles? Book it! Let’s go! But in the rush to get away there have been some teething issues as we all fall back in love with travel but out of love with getting there. The news this week has been full of stories of delays and cancellations but while the airports sort out their staffing issues and these problems resolve themselves in time for the next news-cycle; we have been talking with our clients about seven things that we feel we can all do to minimise the hassle when we travel.
Before you leave home
Make the most of your time at home as a lot of your checklist can be ticked off beforehand. Remember that old phrase: “proper planning prevents…” (well you know the one) and it’s true that so many delays could be minimised with a little organisation when packing.
Make sure your passport is still valid
So, you’ve been stuck at home for a while and the passport has been gathering dust on the shelf. Well pick it up and blow off the cobwebs before you book your tickets. You may be surprised how long it has been and you need to make sure your passport is still valid and check your destination on uk/foreign-travel-advice for any specific requirements.
Keep important documents close to hand
Keep electronic devices at the top of your case
Consider only taking hand luggage
Check the website for the airport
You’re on your way now
You might be a travel expert with hundreds of stamps in your passport. You might be heading out to explore the world for the first time. Either way you will still be at the mercy of other travellers. With all the best planning and packed luggage, delays do happen so it is always best to head to the airport early. These days, arriving two hours before your flight might not cut it and you may end up ruing that extra ten minutes in bed in the morning. Besides, who doesn’t love hanging around airports? But seriously, an extra walking tour of the local knick-knack shop beats heading home having missed the plane.
Once you get to the airport, you will be in a queue snaking around as you aim to get through security. For those of you old enough to remember the game Snake in the years before Smart phones, you will know that planning is key to getting ahead. You will (eventually) get to the scanners and you will need to put your liquids in a carrier bag and your shoes and belts in a tray provided. So, get these ready before you get to the front of the queue. You will surprise the airport staff who will have repeated themselves a few thousand times by the time you get there and will save yourself valuable time and sail through the scanner almost without breaking stride.
And these are our seven tips for an easier airport experience. Start your holiday the right way and minimise your worries about getting on board your flight. For those of you who have travelled already, did you use any of these tips? Do you have any of your own nuggets of wisdom to impart to your fellow travellers? Let us know and we’ll be sure to share them so we can all do our bit to make travel that bit more enjoyable.
