As I write this, I’m sitting in Boston Logan Airport waiting for my flight to Seattle. It’s delayed. Big surprise, being that it’s the day after Christmas, one of the busiest travel days in the country.
To be honest, I’m quite enjoying the time, using it to catch up on emails, chat with friends and write blog posts :). But this is just another day in the airport for me, and as someone who spends quite a bit of time in airports, it’s nothing new or uncomfortable for that matter. But as I look around, I’m seeing full-size pillows, skin-tight jeans, people reaching new levels of boredom. These people don’t travel regularly. Here are a few tips to make holiday travel stress-free and painless-well, at least a little bit less I hope.
Do plan accordingly.
This means plan emotionally, mentally, and physically for your trip. Plan on being uncomfortable. Get extra sleep the night before your flight. Eat a proper meal. Visualize long lines and wailing babies, and practice quieting your mind before you have to deal with that reality. This kind of meditation can work wonders to calm your mind before the airport craze. Make sure you pack healthy snacks for the trip-think almonds, apples, granola bars. No one feels good after a whole bag of $7 Chex Mix. That’s a weeks worth of salt, no thank you.
Do your research.
Check the weather before you head to the airport. Are there already delays due to bad weather? Nowadays, there are a multitude of apps that you can use on your smartphone to check the status of your flight. My personal favorite is TripIt, which organizes all of your flight, car, hotel, and whatever other confirmation you need to keep track of.
Do bring something to read or keep yourself entertained.
I guarantee that you will wait for longer than you’d prefer to at the airport. You can’t let the airport gods take your time! It is YOURS! You simply have to be prepared to sit. The wonders (and nuisances) of iPads and iPhones are that you are always connected. And, don’t forget about that ancient thing called a book-those are always wonderful to actually enjoy time at the airport while you wait. As for me, I have my thank you cards to write after this.
Don’t wear your pajamas.
Or bring a full-size pillow for that matter. The plane is not your bedroom. Dress comfortable, yes, perhaps yoga pants, or even a hoody, but please, we we don’t want to see your fleece yellow duckie pants. Even the travel pillows that wrap around your neck-is it really more comfortable than the airplane pillow you’re provided with? If so, think about ExOfficio’s Storm Logic Jacket– it has all the travel pockets you could ever want, plus it folds into a travel pillow.
Don’t be rude to the airport employees or TSA
It seriously won’t get you anywhere. They’ve heard it all before. You’ll just end up raising your blood pressure and feeling bad about yelling. Even though there are times when I am convinced they are just typing random keys frantically and looking at a blank screen, I never lose my cool. They are doing the best job they can. At least that’s what I repeatedly tell myself. If you think traveling during the holidays is hard, try working at the airport. So the approach I took this year is that I stuck a few extra hershey’s kisses in my pocket, and proceeded to give one to each airport employee that helped me. And I felt much better about that than being angry about a delayed flight.
What are your do’s and don’t for holiday air travel?
Airport photo courtesy of ojbyrne
Airport reading photo courtesy of DG Jones
Pajama photo courtesy of Nuanc