You may think that you’re a travel pro but you’d be surprised by the simple details that you forget. Don’t begin your holiday purple in the face and at the point of a meltdown due to an airport fluster.
Start your trip off on the right foot with these tried and tested airport tips that will get you from the check-in desk to your seat seamlessly!
All aboard
Get your boarding pass on your phone. Everyone has experienced the hassle of printing out boarding passes, barcodes not working, pages going missing and the crazy charges of re-printing at the airport. You don’t need to have a fancy app on your phone to save your boarding pass (although they are available). Simply take a screenshot of your boarding pass which will save to your camera roll. Then you’ll always have it to hand, which is particularly useful when stocking up on duty free as in most cases you have to present it at each purchase.
Airport tips – Bag drop
There’s not much worse than the fear of heaving your bag up on the scales at the check-in desk and watching the weight clock dangerously close and then over your allowance, resulting in a increasingly aggressive group of travellers watching you rummage through your personals to find the heavier items and stuffing them into your hand luggage. Did you know that some airlines now let you check your bags in the night before your flight? Avoid the stress and long queues and start your trip free from luggage stress.
Fast Track
If you’re travelling at a particularly busy peak travel time investing in a Fast Track pass could be the best way to go and one of the best airport tips. Skip the crazy queues of people sorting out their liquids and removing layers of clothes and fly through security (pardon the pun).
Dress well
Make life easier for yourself – dress lightly, don’t wear any belts or jewellery that will set off the alarms, wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off and avoid scarves and hats that will only have to be removed before going through the scanners. Comfortable footwear will also come in handy in the event of a panicked last minute realisation that your gate is in fact at the far side of the terminal and closes in four minutes.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
Don’t be one of those people trying to cram six bottles of suncream into an airport approved clear bag at the last minute. Pick up a pack of sandwich bags before you leave and have your liquids all sealed up and ready to go. Also, keep your electronics to hand as these will need to be scanned separately.
Choose wisely
As airport tips go, this is one most people forget. When approaching security, take a quick scan of the queues. Avoid the groups of students with their matching backpacks and instead head for the group of suits who are sure to be travelling pros.
Ring the alarm
Airports have flights announcements for all kinds of destinations every minute. Don’t rely on them to remind you, especially considering some parts of the airport don’t actually broadcast these alerts. Set yourself an alarm giving you plenty of time to get to your gate.
Airport tips – Wifi
Airports have some of the best Wifi around. Take advantage and get some work done while you wait or simply make your friends jealous with the standard “On a plane on the runway” pre-holiday check-in.
Travel Health
We hope that you find these tips useful while you travel abroad. For travel health tips and advice call your local TMB travel health clinic and speak to one of our qualified professionals. Our experts will guide you through the health requirements for your destination, telling you all you need to know about vaccinations, mosquito bite prevention and food hygiene.