If you are like most people, you truly enjoy traveling. Indeed, travel may be one the best aspects of your life. However, if you are also like most men and women, no matter how much you like traveling, you dread having to deal with airports.
You are not alone if you find spending time at airports dreadful, even in the best of circumstances. Moreover, rarely is an airport operating at peak efficiency or best form. With this in mind, there are five travel tips you can employ to survive your time at an airport.
Book Early Morning Flights Whenever Possible
One strategy you should try employing, whenever possible, is booking early morning flights. The reality is that the first flights of the day are rarely delayed. They nearly always board and depart on time.
In many cases, getting through the airport is easier early in the morning as well. For example, you are likely to be able to get through check-in for your flight, and deal with your luggage, if you have not previously done so online. In addition, the lines associated with TSA and security usually are smaller in the early morning at most airports.
Arrive (Really) Early at the Airport
Airports provide travelers with recommendations regarding how early they should arrive at an airport in order to deal with all matter associated with taking a flight. Oftentimes, an airport, or airline itself, recommends arriving at an airport about 90 minutes before a flight is scheduled to depart.
You need to keep in mind that the 90 minute suggestion is based on average wait times and associated data at a particular airport. In other works, arriving 90 minutes before a flight is suitable is most things go fairly well and smoothly when it comes to dealing with all aspects of check-in.
Unfortunately, in the final analysis, the 90 minute rule will not be enough time for you to comfortably deal with all aspects of checking in for your flight in almost 50 percent of the time. The better rule is to tack an additional 90 minutes onto your airport arrival time as a matter of routine. In other words, arrive at the airport about two hours before your flight is scheduled to depart.
Enroll in TSA Precheck or Global Entry
One of the biggest time-sucks, and proverbial “drags,” at the airport is the security screening process. If you are likely to get help up at an airport, if you are likely to experience a truly frustrating experience, that very well could happen at the TSA screening point.
One key travel tip to consider seriously is enrolling in an airport security pre-screening program like TSA Precheck of Global Entry. TSA Precheck provides you with an expedited security screening at nearly all airports. What this means is that you will endure shorter lines at an airport, many times significantly shorter.
In addition, through the TSA Precheck program, you are able to avoid some of the hassles associated with airport screening, including removing shoes and unpacking electronics like a laptop.
Global Entry is a great program in which to use if you travel internationally. Global Entry permits you the ability to skip the immigration line at international airports when you reenter the United States. Global Entry comprehensively incorporates TSA Precheck into the program. Rather than wait in the immigration line, you are able to quickly input your vital data at a kiosk.
Check Everything
Historically, more than a few people at any airport could be heard bragging about how they never check luggage and carry everything onboard a flight. More recently, there have been some pretty significant restrictions placed on the amount of luggage a passenger can carry on an airplane. Moreover, there are some significant reasons why not carrying on luggage is a better course of action.
Checking everything, or at least as much as humanly possible, provides you with an array of benefits. These include lessening the risk that you will leave anything behind as well as getting through security screening faster.
Checking all of your luggage also makes it easier for you to get through an airport when you have to make a connecting flight. This particularly is the case if you have little time to manoeuvre from one gate to another between flights.
Electing to check all of your luggage also allows you to avoid the boarding rat race. You do not need to be at the head of the line when boarding to try and glom onto limited overhead storage and other stowage space on an airplane. Checking everything can result in making your trip more enjoyable on many levels.
Bring Electronics and Appropriate Charging Gear
A final strategy to employ to survive airports is to bring electronics with you, including smartphones or tablets. Make sure you bring necessary charging gear as well, including a multi-outlet charger to accommodate all of your needs through one outlet.
Making certain you have your electronics can make downtime at the airport survivable. You can catch up on work or enjoy some type of entertainment while waiting on or between flights.
Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Faxage a leading company that provides Internet fax service for individuals and businesses.