Quick tips to make your travel days easier
Anyone who travels a lot will tell you that there are easy ways to get from A to B and hard ways. We are talking specifically about aeroplane travel either in country or international. If done right it can be a very simple and painless day, but if done wrong it can be about delays and hassles and endless frustrations. So, what are the tips and how do you go about destressing a plane trip. From the mouths of the experts, and those who fly very regularly, here are some tips to try and make it as simple as possible.
Smart luggage
Wherever possible try to have the right luggage; ideally stuff that doesn’t need to be stowed under the plane. Find yourself some nice hard luggage sets, one that has a few different cases that conform to the latest cabin requirements and specifications. Pack wisely and try to just take the case that works as hand luggage. If you are able to do this, it means that you can arrive at the airport later as you don’t need to check in your baggage, and you can get away quicker because you don’t need to wait at the carousel for your bags to be offloaded.
Online check in
Following on from the point above, if you have no luggage to drop off and you do the check in online you buy yourself an extraordinary amount of time. Not only does it mean that you can get to the airport later than otherwise it also ensures that you get the seat that you want, a very important thing for maximizing comfort.
Pick your seat
The seat that you sit in is very important during your travel. The options are many and the earlier you check in the better chances you will have of getting the seat that you want. From a convenience perspective the goal should always be to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible. This is particularly useful when it comes to disembarking as it means that you are close to the exit and away from the plane quickly. Middle seats are obviously not very comfortable so pick between aisle or window. The former allows for the quickest exit while the latter means you don’t get disturbed by neighbours who want to get up and go to the toilet – or bumped by careless air hostesses as they make their way up and down the aisle.
Sleep
It is amazing how much quicker a plane trip goes if you manage to have a sleep. While sleeping on a plane is not something that works for everyone, it is always worth trying, particularly on domestic flights where it is more a nap than a sleep. If you are able to snooze lightly for an hour, you’ll discover that the back of the trip has been broken and that you are almost at your destination.
Board early
Contrary to many suggestions it is better to get onto the plane early. There are a few advantages to this. The first is that you can make sure that there is plenty of space for your hand-luggage in the overhead bins. This is particularly important if you are travelling with a large bag and no checked-in bags. The reason for doing this is to exit the airport quickly and if you end up with your bag under the plane as LOFO baggage, your whole plan has been thwarted. The second reason for getting on early is to make the space yours. Be the first in the row and the second or third people in are coming into your space. There is a subtle power dynamic at play as a result.
