It’s fair say that spending time in an airport terminal isn’t the most relaxing part of any holiday, so what if there were a few ways to not only cut down the time you spend their, but also cut down the airport stress factor? Here are a few changes you can make to your travel preparation that could have a huge impact on how much time you waste waiting to get on your plane…
Time Saving Travel Hacks at the Airport
Organise Your Airport Car Parking in Advance
Even before you set foot in the terminal, there’s the small matter of how you’re going to get there, but this doesn’t have to mean getting up at the crack of dawn (no matter what time of day your flight leaves) and carting your luggage up and down tube station staircases. Sometimes the most obvious solution is the one that’s right in front of you, and in this case, it’s your car. Airport parking is nowhere near as costly as it used to be, and the further in advance you book your space with our cheap airport parking widget, the better value it becomes. Using an online airport parking promotional code can get you an even better price, which means much less time and money spent getting to the terminal (and less time wasting once you’re there).
Take a Picture of Your Parking Space
Talking of time, want to spend less of it looking for said car once you get back off the plane after your holiday? Just take a pic of the space and you’ll find it exactly where you left it.
Research Airport Layout Before You Leave
Another neat little hack is to familiarise yourself with the terminal before you get there. This will mean less aimless wandering trying to find the toilets/customs/exchange desks/departure gates and more time to relax before you board.
Weigh Your Bags at Home
There are many inconvenient things that can happen at an airport, some more serious than others, but perhaps one of the most annoying is finding out you’ve gone over your baggage weight allowance. If this happens at the check-in, you’ll be left with few options other than paying excess baggage charges, so put those suitcases on the bathroom scales before you leave, just to make doubly sure this doesn’t happen.
Take Pictures of Your Luggage
Yes, your phone camera should be getting ample practice before you even begin your holiday, because unfortunately lost luggage can still be a bit of an issue for many airlines. Many bags do get traced, but having a picture of yours to hand can make that job a lot easier for the airport staff if the worst does happen.
Check In Online Before You Leave
This is becoming more and more common. In fact, some budget airlines will now charge extra if you don’t do this, so there’s really no excuse. Unless you love queuing, that is.
Empty Your Pockets Before Security Gates
No one wants to be responsible for a hold up at security. Everyone starts tutting and staring and you end up having to go through all your pockets to find the offending item that set off the buzzer. Solve this problem by going through your pockets beforehand without everyone watching and put all metal items in your hand luggage.
Taking all these tips into account, we think you could save HOURS at the terminal, or at least give yourself the option to spend exactly the right amount of time you need to there. Because we all love a bit of duty free shopping, right?