How To Make Your Airport Experience Less Stressful

My feet weren’t meant to stay on the ground for too long.  I work so hard and save up so that I can go on holiday regularly and really experience life rather than be surrounded by lots of stuff.  There’s nothing I love more than to travel the world, see new sights and learn about other places and people.

Travelling is second nature for me as I’ve jumped on a plane to jet off all over the world in my adult life but when I go to the airport I always seen couples and families stressed to hell with the airport experience.

To make your pre-holiday and airport experience smooth and straightforward, I’m putting together my top tips for stress free travel!

STORAGE

Always keep your passport and photocopy, travel insurance documents (if you have annual cover), airport lounge passes, EHIC, spare travel money and any other paperwork that you always take with you when you travel together in a folder in a designated drawer so that you always know where it is.  When you book a trip, print out the tickets, boarding passes and any other information as soon as its available and store it with these items then everything is together and you’ll not be hunting around for it when you’re packing your cases.

When storing suitcases, keep the corresponding luggage bags, tags and padlocks with their keys and combination reminders (I write the digits on a bit of paper, keep them with the padlock and then leave the paper at home when I go away) inside the respective suitcases.  I also keep the items that I only use on holiday such as my Tempur travel pillow, my eye mask and electrical plug adaptors in one of my hand luggage cases too.  Effective storage in between trips makes packing so much easier!

SHOPPING & WASHING

Since I travel quite often throughout the year, I’ve usually got enough weather appropriate clothes for each trip without having to go out to buy more but if that’s not the case for you, make sure you do your shopping in advance; don’t leave it until a couple of days before your holiday to go out to buy your swimwear.  Give yourself enough time and wash and iron everything in advance too so that its hung up or folded up ready to just be put into your case when you’re packing a couple of days before.

My favourite SPF from Clarins

I always save my travel and sample sized beauty products in separate drawers for hair, face and body so that when I’m packing my toiletries, I can just shop my stash and since I use Clarins and Lancaster SPF, I replenish my stocks at the airport anyway because its cheaper in duty free.

I know some people who pack a week in advance of their trip but its just not necessary for me because everything is stored effectively and good to go.  A day or two before my flight is all that’s needed for me.

TRAVEL MONEY

I tend to order my travel money online because that’s where the better rates tend to be.  I’d recommend doing this at least one week before your flight so that you have time for it to be delivered to your home.

TRANSPORT

Plan your journey ahead of time, especially if you’re travelling to an airport that you’ve not flown from before. It can be pretty stressful trying to find your terminal in time for your flight if you don’t know the airport and aren’t organised. Once you know the time of your flight and the time you should be at the airport for, book you Bratislava Vienna airport taxi then that’s one less thing for you to worry about on the morning of your flight.  Alternatively, f this is something that really bothers you, then you could always consider a private jet charter instead. There is more information regarding that on the Jettly website. Plenty of airports have local and national bus and rail services going to them or, of course, you could arrange a lift from a friend or relative or book a taxi.

I tend to drive to the airport when I travel because I like being in control of how and when I’ll get there, I like the ease of being able to put all of my things into the car before I have to leave and I like to be able to get home quickly when I arrive back from my trip.  I always book my parking online at least 2 weeks before I travel, unless it’s literally a last-minute trip, as I find that’s when I’ll get the best deals. For transport whilst you are on holiday, you can pre-arrange with a company such as StressFreeCarRental.com for a hire car to be waiting at the airport for collection on your arrival. This will mean you can start your holiday stress-free from the moment you arrive!

When you’re searching online, you can find the parking services and information for all of the major airports which makes things so much easier and then there’s usually a form to fill in and they’ll give you a price on screen within seconds.  For example, if I were flying from Birmingham Airport, I’d go onto birminghamparking.com and then prebook the best parking from whatever terminal I’m flying from.  Once booked, all of the parking information like where to find the carpark and the process for checking your car in is all emailed to you with a confirmation number so there’s no panicking on the day about trying to find a space!

CHECKING IN

If your airline allows you to, check in online and fill out all of the API (advanced passenger information) on the travel companies website too.  It makes the whole process so much more speedy as you can print your boarding passes out at home and just drop your cases off at the bag drop before your flight.  Some airlines even allow you to drop your bags the night before which is ideal if you’re staying in an airport hotel over night… which, you’ve guessed it, I would book online in advance too!

I’d also recommend downloading the travel app associated with your airline as these usually have plenty of useful features on them.

 

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE

If you or someone you’re travelling with will require special assistance at the airport, such as early or priority boarding or a wheel chair, then call the relevant number for your airline before your trip, giving them as much notice as they can so that they’re able to make arrangements for you.  That way, you can focus on packing without stressing and worrying about what will happen when you get to the airport.  When you drop your bags off at the check in desk, you can go straight to the special assistance desk afterwards and its all plain sailing from there!

Bikini from Simply Be

SECURITY

Make going through security a breeze by checking online to see the current restrictions, dos and don’ts.  As a general guide, make sure that all of your liquids are under 100ml in size and kept in a clear plastic bag (I have one that I reuse for each trip and keep it in my suitcase when storing it) and that all of your electrical tech items such as your laptop, iPad, mobile phone, etc are within easy reach in your bag as these need to be removed and put through the scanners in a separate tray rather than inside your bag.

 

AIRPORT LOUNGE

Its a good idea to book yourself into the airport lounge in advance too so that you can ensure you’ll get a spot.  There’s usually free food, drinks and reading materials on offer so once you’ve dropped your bags off, headed through security and done a spot of duty free shopping, you can make your way there to relax before your flight.  Stress free and excited for takeoff!

 

What are your top tips to make going on holiday less stressful?