You’ve looked at your flight confirmation email a hundred times in the last month, agonized over what neutral colors you can mix and match outfits with and told your coworkers a dozen times the dates you’ll be gone. You’re all set, right? Wrong. What you’re missing is some fool-proof ways to make your airport experience quicker and hassle-free. Wearing slip-on shoes and leaving the belt in your suitcase are fairly common knowledge to most travelers, but there are plenty of other tips to navigating the concourse you should be aware of.
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Bring an Empty Water Bottle
We’ve all encountered the disappointment of arriving at security with a freshly opened bottle of water, thirsty from the scramble to get to the airport on time, only to have it taken from us. Next time you’re traveling, bring an empty bottle of water. You’ll be able to take the bottle through to fill up in the terminal area. Not a game-changer by any means, but hey, it sure beats having to buy a $5 bottle of the same water you just threw out.
Know Who’s in Your Line
When you’re about to hit the security screening lines, take a look around. You probably see some families with small children, solo business people and random collections of adults and youths. If there’s one thing you should not do in this scenario, it’s get in the lines filled with large groups, families – and most of all – small children. You’re guaranteed to wait much longer than if you had gotten behind the quick-moving business folk who’ve done this airport thing a time or two before.
Line Your Pockets with Plastic Zip Bags
Before you get to the airport, make sure the contents of your pockets are lined with plastic zip bags. As you near security, you’ll be able to simply pull the plastic bags out of your pockets to place onto the trays. When your tray comes through, you easily grab your plastic bags and you’ll be on your way.
Flag Your Bag
You caved on a nifty piece of luggage from eBags, but after you’ve checked your bag you see eight other people with the same luggage model. “How frustrating!” you think as you play out the whole baggage carousel circus scenario upon arriving to your destination. Vow to not make the same mistake again and simply tie a ribbon around your baggage handle. You’ll save yourself the headache of pulling each piece of similar-looking luggage off the belt to look at the ID tag.
Bring a Portable USB Charger
You could be the unrivaled savior of your terminal by bringing a power strip to feed multiple phones, but for space concerns, a portable USB charger will do the job. Most airports have charging stations in their terminals, but it’s rare to see open outlets at most times of the day. Plus, leaving your phone at a recharging station means you either have to stay glued to your phone or risk someone taking it as you walk to hit the restroom or grab a bite. Relax anywhere before our flight as your phone recharges.
Following the above steps take little to no effort and will save you added headaches as you get ready to embark on the trip you’ve been waiting for.
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