9 Simple Ways to Make Flying Feel Less Stressful
Want to make flying less stressful? Flying should be the exciting beginning of a holiday. Yet somehow, between checking passports for the seventeenth time, wondering whether your bag is two centimetres too large and joining a security queue that appears to stretch to France, the excitement can disappear
Flying should be the exciting beginning of a holiday. Yet somehow, between checking passports for the seventeenth time, wondering whether your bag is two centimetres too large and joining a security queue that appears to stretch to France, the excitement can disappear remarkably quickly.
The good news is that making flying less stressful doesn’t require military-level organisation. A few simple preparations and small changes to how you approach your journey can make the whole experience feel much calmer.
So, before you contemplate spending your holiday money in the airport bar at 6 am, here are nine simple ways to make flying feel less stressful.
1. Get Everything Ready the Night Before
Even if your flight isn’t until later in the day, do yourself a favour and get organised the evening before.
Put your passport, boarding pass, wallet, phone and anything else you’ll need somewhere obvious and together. Charge your phone and other devices, check your flight details and make sure you know how you’re getting to the airport.
And yes, check your passport is actually in your bag.
Then check it again.
We all do it.
The aim is to wake up knowing that everything important is already dealt with rather than beginning your holiday by charging around the house shouting, “WHERE’S MY PASSPORT?”
2. Give Yourself More Time Than You Think You Need
Few things raise the blood pressure quite like watching the minutes tick by while you’re stuck in traffic on the way to the airport.
Leaving a little earlier gives you breathing space for traffic, queues, parking problems and all the other little surprises travel likes to throw at us.
If everything goes perfectly and you arrive early? Wonderful.
Have a coffee. Browse the shops. People-watch. Feel unbearably smug.
I’d much rather spend an extra half-hour relaxing at the airport than spend half an hour wondering whether I’m about to watch my plane disappear into the sky without me.
3. Make Security as Painless as Possible
Airport security isn’t anybody’s favourite part of travelling, but a little preparation makes it much easier.
Before you reach the front of the queue, know where your electronics and anything else you may need to remove are located. Check the “current rules for liquids” at your
departure airport too, as procedures can vary. Read the latest information here: GOV.UK – Hand luggage restrictions: liquids
Keep the things you’re likely to need somewhere accessible rather than buried underneath half your wardrobe.
Nobody wants to begin a holiday by emptying the entire contents of their handbag onto a security tray while 38 people silently judge them.
4. Keep Your Important Things Together
Your passport should not be playing hide-and-seek at an airport.
Keep your passport, boarding information and other essentials in one easy-to-reach place throughout the journey.
The same applies to any important booking information you might need when you arrive.
Having copies of useful travel information stored securely on your phone can also save an enormous amount of worry if something goes wrong.
The fewer things you have to hunt for, the calmer you’ll feel.
And if you’re carrying jewellery or anything irreplaceable, make sure it stays with you rather than disappearing into your checked suitcase — there are some things you
should never risk putting in the hold.
5. Dress for Comfort, Not the Catwalk
There is nothing wrong with looking lovely at the airport, but your waistband shouldn’t be cutting off your circulation somewhere over France.
Choose comfortable layers that are easy to add or remove because aircraft cabins seem capable of changing from tropical greenhouse to Arctic expedition without warning.
Comfortable shoes are sensible too, particularly if you’re navigating a large airport.
You can always restore yourself to glamour when you arrive.
6. Sort Out Your Entertainment Before You Leave Home
Don’t rely on airport Wi-Fi or the aircraft entertainment system to save you from boredom.
Download a few things before leaving home: a film, television programme, audiobook, podcast or book.
If you love reading on holiday, a Kindle is one travel gadget that really earns its place in your hand luggage. You can carry a whole holiday’s worth of books
without the weight, use it on the flight, then take it down to the pool or beach when you arrive. Much easier than discovering the three paperbacks you packed have used up
half your luggage allowance.
Even on a relatively short flight, having something you genuinely enjoy can make the journey feel much quicker.
And if there’s a delay, you’ll be particularly pleased with your unusually organised former self.
7. Don’t Forget Food and Water
Hunger has an extraordinary ability to turn a minor inconvenience into an international incident.
Eat something before travelling and, where permitted, take a few snacks with you.
Once you’ve passed security, pick up some water or refill a reusable bottle where facilities allow.
You don’t need to turn your hand luggage into a mobile picnic hamper. Just having something available when you’re hungry can make delays and long flights considerably more bearable.
8. Stop Watching the Clock Every Three Minutes
Once you’re at the gate and everything is under control, try to switch out of emergency mode.
Airports involve waiting. Flights sometimes involve delays. Constantly checking the departure board won’t make the aircraft arrive any faster.
Find somewhere comfortable, have a drink, read something or indulge in some first-class people-watching.
And once you’re on the aircraft, settle in.
You’ve done everything you can do.
Your only remaining responsibility is to sit there while somebody else flies the enormous metal object through the sky.
Best not to overthink that bit.
9. Let the Holiday Start Before You Land
This might be the most important one.
We often treat travelling as an unpleasant obstacle we have to endure before the holiday can begin.
Try changing that.
Once you’ve reached the airport with everything you need, you’re officially off duty.
Have that coffee. Wander around the shops. Read your book. Watch the world go by.
Not every part of travelling will go perfectly, but it doesn’t have to.
A holiday isn’t ruined because security took twenty minutes longer than expected or somebody in front of you took six attempts to put their suitcase into the overhead locker.
Take a breath, settle in and remember where you’re going.
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A Calmer Start to Your Holiday
You can’t control queues, delays, weather or the person reclining their seat approximately seven seconds after take-off.
But you can make flying less stressful by giving yourself plenty of time, keeping the important things organised and making yourself as comfortable as possible.
A little preparation before leaving home means less rushing, less rummaging and far fewer “WHERE’S MY PASSPORT?” moments.
And once you’re safely through the airport and sitting on the plane?
Put your headphones on, get comfortable and allow yourself to feel excited.
Your holiday has already begun. So don’t forget your Kindle – Click image for moe details
