If you travel regularly, you would know that there are certain processes and behaviours you need to be aware of before boarding a flight. Although most obvious would be to avoid joking around about firearms and bombs, there are other ways you could invite trouble.
Airports can be stressful at times. You need to make sure you respect timeframes, check-in schedules and be aware of any delays. This could all be amplified by the fact that one would not be too pleased that he is going abroad. One may also be surrounded by people who are stressed, making the situation worse. There are ways obviously, to make the airport process more tranquil as you board your flight.
Don’t expect your seat as a given
We are not saying that you should expect not boarding your flight, but when facing understaffed airlines and tight schedules, you can encounter mishaps. The experience of flying has diminished, due to the large volumes of people and cheaper airlines. One of the reasons of stressful flight experiences is the unrealistically high expectations.
Avoid being late
One rule of thumb is to always arrive at the airport two hours in advance of take-off. If you are late, you will need to rush through all the processes, making it a nightmare. Imagine having yet to still go through airport security and your flight leaves in fifteen minutes time!
Avoid excess buying just before you board the flight
Most people would travel with their hand luggage, which needs to conform to certain weight and size restrictions. There are numerous cases where people would have the appropriate hand luggage weight and size, but then exaggerate in their buying just after the security check. If airline staff notice a larger than usual hand luggage, they can ask travellers to have it checked again, which may lead to the hand luggage being transferred with the normal baggage. This may cause unnecessary stress.
Don’t drink a lot of alcohol
You need to be on the alert just before you board a flight. This underlines the reason why you should take it easy with the alcohol. The flight itself will also dehydrate you which might make the feelings of jetlag worse. The smart choice would be to switch to water.
Don’t sleep at the airport
Although it might be tempting, especially if you have travelled for a long number of hours, you should avoid sleeping at the airport. The reason to avoid this is that you risk missing your flight or else being pick-pocketed.
