6 Tips for a Stress-Free Airport Experience
Airports. They're great places that take you to your holiday destinations. I, for one, love going to the airport and spending time there. Not just for the duty-free, but for the lounges and the atmosphere.
I also love the excitement and anticipation of knowing you're going to be flying somewhere amazing, or that you're going to go home and see family again after a few weeks away. But at the same time, it can be easy to become stressed out while using air travel.
So how can you make sure your airport experience is as stress-free as possible? As a seasoned traveller, I have learnt a few things about the airport process, together with timings. With this in mind, here are my top tips for a stress-free airport experience.
1. Get there in good time
I'm not saying to get there five hours before your flight, but you should get there in good time. Make sure you leave enough time to get to the airport, drop off your luggage, check-in and get through security. If there's any situation where there may be queue, leave extra time. This prevent rushing, which isn't fun for anyone. It also makes it far less likely that you're going to miss your flight - always a good thing, I think, haha.
2. Book yourself into the airport lounge
It's a common misconception that the airport lounges are just for first class or business class passengers. This isn't the case. There are airport lounges that you can book into as a regular passenger. You'll be able to use it a couple of hours before your flight, so you won't have to hang around departure lounges with everyone else.
Not only is there comfortable seating, which is guaranteed, but there's also a buffet of a range of food, drinks and even a bar where you can get a few cheeky drinks before you depart, all of which is included in the price (unless you want champagne, typically).
The airport lounge we like to use when we go our of Heathrow is the No.1 lounge. It's around £40 per person to access the lounge, but I'd say it was totally worth the money, especially if you have children. It just gets you away from the hustle and bustle of the departure lounges outside. I'd say it was also a good idea if you're a nervous flyer.
The other cool thing about the No.1 lounge in particular is that you get a remarkable view of the runway, where you can watch planes flying in and out of Heathrow airport - just amazing. Another advantage is that the toilets are always clean and tidy, they're modern and there's almost never a queue to use them.
I don't think I'd fly out again without using an airport lounge, if there is one. There are just too many advantages to be had by booking yourself in, trust me, and one of those benefits is achieving a stress-free airport experience. Read one of my latest blog posts about why we love to use the airport lounge.
3. Browse the duty-free shops
Some people love a bit of retail therapy. I myself love to look around the duty-free shops just to see if I can get my hands on a bottle of perfume or a new pair of sunglasses for the trip ahead of my. I adds a bit of excitement, but it's also something I love to do, generally. This is another reason why I like to leave enough time to get to the airport and to get through security, so I can meander around and take my time looking at things, even if it's just through the windows, haha.
4. Check-in the night before
There are loads of airlines these days that allow you to check-in and do a bag drop online the night before you travel. This is something that will save you time when you actually get to there airport, therefore taking the stress out of air travel.
5. Book everything in advance
From your flights to your parking and the airport lounge, you need to make sure that you're making these bookings well in advance of your travel day. This gives you peace of mind knowing that you're guaranteed spaces in car parks, lounges and even your seat on the aeroplane itself. Don't leave things till last minute.
6. Organise everything in good time before you travel
What you don't want to do is get up on your travel day and start rushing around trying to find things, or running around the shops in the airport looking for items you forgot to buy or misplaced before you got there. Not only does this add stress, but it's also more expensive in the airports than it is out in the general world.
Make sure you're organised, generally. Check that you have everything in your carry-on that you need, including your passport. Double check that you've packed everything you need in your suitcase (don't forget your toothbrush).
Reassure yourself that you have everything packed up and ready to go, and so all you need to do on your travel day is get to the airport, jump through the hoops there and then get on the plane. Don't give yourself more jobs or add more time to your already-tight schedule.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post and that you found it useful? Let me know in the comments how you like to make sure your airport experience is stress-free and I will see you all again soon with some brand new content!
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