It’s the time of year that should be spent with your family. However, for many, getting to your family involves travel. In order to travel, many of us will have to endure the breeding ground for stupidity: the airport. Here are some tips to survive the airport during this oh-so-stressful time.
1. Bring Headphones
Nine out of 10 times you plan on having a relaxing flight, there is a baby screaming on the plane. Normally, babies dreaded wails can be escaped by going to another room, but in this case, you and the screamer are trapped on the same flying metal tube for who knows how long. Make sure you have headphones with you to drown out the tears with a nice playlist. If you forget them, I suggest you splurge on the $15 ones at the airport gift shop.
2. Eat Before You Leave
Airport food is quite pricey, and unless you have $20 to drop on trail mix and a water bottle, I recommend eating at home. There’s nothing worse than being on a delayed flight with an empty stomach and only one bag of complimentary honey roasted peanuts to hold you over for two more hours. This way, you can avoid long lines and empty wallets.
3. Don’t Forget Your ID and Boarding Pass
These are things you should be double, triple, and quadruple checking for. You don’t want to be that goof who waits in line at security for an hour only to realize you are missing the only pieces of paper/cardstock you needed for the day. If you’re tech savvy, text your boarding pass to yourself! In that case, have an extra phone charger to avoid dead phone batteries AND missing boarding passes.
4. Watch Your Water Intake
Avoid peeing at the airport as much as possible. The wait is always a long one, and it would be quite embarrassing to admit to yourself that you missed your flight because you were using the bathroom. Also, when you board the plane, it could be a very long time before the daunting “wear your seatbelt” light turns off. Plus, the flushing noise from an airplane toilet is quite frightening.
5. Wear Comfortable Shoes
Airports require a lot of walking and let me tell you from experience that flip-flops are not the best idea. Plus, when you take off your shoes at security, you don’t know what kind of germs lie on the floor. I suggest a comfortable sneaker or boot but make sure it’s something easy to get off and on so you don’t hold up the rest of the security line because you have to lace up your hi-top Converse.
6. Breathe
I know, this may seem like the most challenging task so far, but when you’re about to lose your marbles at the airport this holiday break, take deep breaths. Just think of how excited you are going to be when you get off of the plane and you get to see your family and share some valuable time with them this holiday season.
Wishing everyone a happy and safe journey home for the holidays!
