Travelling through-airports-with-less-stress

LESS STRESS IN THE AIRPORT Travelling through airports with less stressLet´s face it, travelling can be really, really stressful. The stress starts with the airport. Thisshort report will give you some tips on how to minimise stress when travellingWhy listen to me?Good question and I am glad you asked!! In the line of work I do I have gotten to travel allaround Europe and parts of South America. I´ve seen big airports, small airports, the scams,the upgrades, the downgrades, the restaurants and more… This is my collection of tips to helpyou get the best of your travel starting with your time in the airport! I have some extra specialtips for you at the end….The Tips 1

1. Check in Online – this is the first most important thing you can do. See if the airline company that you are flying with allow you to do an online check in. So many people don´t realise that they can check in online, both on the outbound and the return journey. This can save you so much time. Even better if you only have hand luggage. You can literally arrive at the airport and go straight through security. Top tip sometimes you can select your seats for free when you check in online2. Plan your route – plan how you are going to get to the airport. Most major airports have airport busses that will leave from the centre of town and drop you to the airport. They are usually quicker than trains, and less expensive than taxis. However always check to see if they leave you at the right terminal or if you need to a feeder bus or train.3. Know where you are going – the internet is your friend! Know what terminal you are going to and how to get there, where do you check in, where do you leave luggage etc4. Don´t get robbed! - the fact is that airports are notorious for robbing you blind when it comes to buying food or snacks in the airport. Therefore plan ahead and pack your own snacks. In most airports nothing will be said if you bring a salad or sandwich thru security. Remember bottles of drinks etc are now allowed 25. Don´t get scammed – airports are a great place for scammers. People who will try to con you out of money. Here´s a great one. A guy in Barcelona airport who hangs around and listens for English speakers. He ask for money to get to Girona airport, saying his friend booked him a flight but the bus left him in the wrong airport. He has one hour to get to the airport and needs just 2 euro for a taxi. Yeah he got me, he did not fool my girlfriend, and then the following week asked her again. When she said do you not remember me he just walked off! There are at least 4 of these scammers working Barcelona airport6. Bag drops – remember there are usually two queues – one for check in and one for bag drop. If you have done your online check in you will only have to drop your bag. So remember to select the right queue7. Getting ready for security – security can be stressful. I´ve lost and forgetten items when going thru security, so here´s my tips. Remove all your belts, watches, coins, and anything else you have in your pockets and place them in your hand luggage – that way you won´t forget anything. Once you have shown your boarding card, place it safely in your hand luggage. I have seen so many people leave passports and boarding cards in the plastic trays. Remember to take out your cosmetics, laptops and iPads etc. Be nice and smile to the people doing security. They have the power to really mess you around if they 2

want!!! 8. Check, check and check again – before leaving the security area make sure you have everything taken out of the trays. It´s easy with all the stress to leave something behind. I´ve done it too often 9. Check the departure gate – normally the departure gate will not be displayed until an hour or hour and half before departure. But make sure you know what gate you are going to. On some rare occasion departure gates can change so always keep an eye on the screens10. Stand up and be counted! – if you are travelling with a budget airline and you are concerned about where you will be sitting make sure that you start to queue early. Most budget airlines don´t allow you to book a seat so it´s first come first served.11. Be careful with your bags – two points here. Be careful about leaving your bags unattended for obvious reasons. But the second point is if you have over packed your bag or try to get on the plane with more than one bag, many airlines will charge you extra. Budget airlines are notorious for this. In fact it is said that the ground staff get a commission for every bag they find that is over the size.12. If your bag is oversized – take stuff out, if it´s clothes wear them. Ok you make look ridiculous with for tshirts on and a pair of trousers over your shorts, but if it saves you XX amount of euro or dollars it´s worth it.13. Use the toilet before boarding – seriously, between boarding the plane, take off and being able to use the toilet (if it´s free) could be one hour! So use the toilet in the airport before boarding14. Keep your boarding pass – some airlines (mainly the budget ones) ask for your boarding pass before you actually get into the cabin, so make sure you have it handy.15. Sit back and relax – you´re on the plane and now it´s time to relax and take it easy! The stress of the airport is nearly behind you….16. Collecting your bag – ok so you´ve relaxed now the second part of your airport experience starts….. time to find the way to the baggage area. Make sure you check the screens. When the bags come out make sure you collect the right bag. I´ve seen lots of the same 3

bag (usually if a store has a special on you will see this). Make sure you pick up your bag correctly. 17. Getting from the airport – when you arrive in a new country you will stand out a mile. Looking around not knowing where you are going. The first thing you must do is make sure you go to the information desk and ask for information regarding travelling to your destination. I remember I was advised about this when I went to Colombia in South America. The taxi drivers are everywhere, however you need to book the taxi in arrivals, and you will get a fixed price, otherwise who knows where you will end up and at what price…. So that´s the top tips I can give you but here are two more special ones…. Internet Everywhere If you have a smartphone or tablet a really useful thing to be able to have is the internet! If you´re stuck in an airport or around a major city, the internet can be expensive. So imagine being able to get unlimited internet access for under $7 a month? Check out Boingo for more information – it´s been my life saver! Get upgrades…. Did you know that it is possible to get upgrades when you fly, if you know how to work the check in desk staff? Imagine getting business class for basically no extra charge! Interested? Bet you are, if so check out http://tiny.cc/businessclass 4Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Travelling through-airports-with-less-stress

by Richard Butler on Jun 26, 2012

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