Air travel can be top on the list of the stressors that we experience when traveling; however many of these frustrations are self inflicted. Here are a few simple steps to remove most of the frustrations associated with air travel.

Before travel day:

Pack your bags. Make sure all your packing is done at least the night before and that you have all your bags in one central location for easy and complete loading into your car or taxi.

Have all your travel paperwork organized and in one central location.

Make a checklist of all the things you want to check to secure your home before you leave and walk through your home checking off each item.

Be sure your pets are taken care of. Make any kennel reservations well in advance of your trip to be sure you have a reserved spot at a kennel you trust.

Check the airline or airport website to see how early they recommend you arrive for check in.

If you can check in from a mobile app, online, or at a self serve kiosk, this can save you a huge amount of time.

Travel day:

Leave home in plenty of time to anticipate busy traffic. Better to be early and have to kill some time in the airport.

Make sure that any “carry on” baggage really is carry on. Check the airline’s website the night before to confirm what size luggage they consider carry on.

When boarding the plane, find your seat and stow your carry on baggage quickly, then sit down and stay out of the way. There are lots of people trying to do the same thing and we’ve all encountered the folks who block the aisle for a long time fussing with their luggage. You’ll have plenty of time to get up once the plane is in the air.

If you have to change planes it can be a real challenge, especially in the larger airports. If you know the connecting flight’s gate, ask the flight attendant for advice to reach that gate quickly, or have a look at the airport’s map online. In some airports a connection can take 30 minutes to get from one gate to another. If you know in advance how to get to your next gate, it will be much less stressful.

Ready to go? Contact us or a preferred experience specialist and we’ll get you on your way.