Airports, Tickets and Passports: Strategies for a Stress-Free Flight

Strategies for a stress free flight

It’s stressful, isn’t it? You see the plane on the tarmac. You know you have to board soon. But, you can’t help but think you’ve forgotten something. At first, it started as a passing thought. Then, it grew into a curious kind of self-doubt. Did you actually forget to turn off the lights? Lock the door? Are you sure the oven was off before you locked up?

Here’s how to set your mind at ease and enjoy the flight

Make A Plan

Yes, even a good plan can fail. But, you’re almost guaranteed to forget something if you don’t make any kind of plan at all. Your plan should take the form of a checklist. Write down all of the things you intend to bring with you, both in checked luggage and as a carry-on item.

If you start one month in advance, then you’ll have time to check it over several times before you leave. And, making that first draft of a list will be really insightful. By the second or third time you go over it, you’ll think of things that you left off the list that need to be on there. That’s the key to making it work: make the list and review it periodically. The good news is that you probably can reuse this list for future traveling.

For example, you could put something like “buy airline tickets” down on your list. But, you might also want to add something like “check UpgradedPoints.com” so that you can get the best deal on those tickets or maximize frequent flyer miles. Over time, your list will become easier to manage, and you’ll be better at packing and planning because you won’t have to think so much about what you need to take with you.

Set Expectations

Setting expectations is important. If you go into the trip thinking about how awful it will be, guess what? It’s going to be awful. But, if you set proper expectations about what security will be like, what the wait times will be like, what your layover will be like, and so one, then there won’t be any real surprises, and you can plan for some downtime when it occurs. For example, if you know you have a 3-hour layover, and you’re expecting it and plan for it, then you can bring a book to read or something else to entertain yourself.

But, if you don’t really expect for the delay, then it can become a source of frustration. In fact, this is what happens to most people. In the back of their mind, they know they’ll be stuck in an airport for an hour or more, but they don’t really set themselves up to enjoy their downtime. So, they spend it sulking or being grumpy and stressed out.

Bring Something To Do With You

Bringing a game or a book, or something else with you is probably a good idea. When you can keep your mind active and busy, you’re less likely to stress out. And, you can’t really do anything to control when your flight arrives anyway, so bringing something with you gives you some measure of control over how you spend your time.

Don’t Joke With The TSA

The TSA is many things, but they’re not comedians, and they don’t have anything resembling a sense of humor – at least not ones us humans are familiar with. So, don’t joke around with them. You’re more likely to get delayed that way. Remember, they can arbitrarily keep you and detain you, preventing you from making your flight if they think you’re a threat to other passengers.

Get Enough Sleep

Make sure you get enough sleep the night before. A lot of people get stressed out because they’re operating on less than 8 hours of sleep. And, if you’re traveling through time zones, the effect is magnified.

You may be “tired and wired,” and emotionally erratic. Not much fun for you or anyone else. And, sleep deprivation can sometimes carry the same types of side-effects as being intoxicated. So, you won’t be able to safely drive once you get to your destination. Get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before, and if you’re still tired, don’t hesitate to take a nap on the plane. In general, more sleep is better than less. And, if you’re having trouble getting to sleep the night before, take a warm bath with Epsom salts, drink some chamomile tea, and read your favorite book before bed to help you settle in.

[info_box type=”pale_box”]Logan Clarke is able to see the world while running his consulting business at the same time. During his 18 months of full-time travel, he has learnt some useful tricks which he shares with readers on travel blogs to ensure better travel for everyone.[/info_box]

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