How to Survive Air Travel - Second Installment

The flight itself can be stressful and trying enough, but getting to the airport, checking the luggage in, going through security, and waiting to board the plane, drains your energy as well. If you didn't have a good sleep the night before, you will be tired by the time the aircraft is ready to take off.

Before you leave home, there are the last minute checks to make, such as making sure all lights and appliances are turned off, plants have sufficient water, and all doors and windows are locked. It is always a good idea to have a friend or relative check on your home, and pick up mail or newspapers. A stack of newspapers at your front door, will encourage anybody, who is looking for a place to break in. Make sure you have everything you need to take along, including your passport, airline tickets, ID, and money or travelers checks. Also remember to bring your travel insurance. If you are on medication, make sure you have sufficient supplies with you.

When you arrive at airport parking, (I choose one with 24 hour security), make sure you get everything you need out of the car, then lock up, and put the slip they give you, by your travel documents. They usually have shuttles that take you, and your luggage to the departure area of the airport, as part of their service.

Keep in mind that it is a good idea to be at the airport at least two hours prior to your flight. I make it a point to check my luggage immediately, and to get my boarding pass as soon as possible. That way you will have a better choice of seats. If you are traveling with a companion, you can get your seats next to each other.

When you purchased your tickets, you had a choice of price range, depending on what your needs were.
A business person needing Internet access, would choose business class; a person valuing comfort on a long trip might choose first class. I chose to get the most economical tickets, so we were the last group that boarded.
However, having gone through security to the boarding area early, we escaped the pandemonium of several hundred people crowding together in warm temperatures, to get through security.

A good tip is not to wear more metallic objects than necessary. I wore a skirt with a metal button, and I was asked to lift my shirt. After that I was asked to sit down, remove my metal buckled sandals, and they ran a scanner around my bare feet.

I try to choose a seat near a bathroom, and by a window. I like looking out, my husband does not, so we don't argue about who gets the window seat. Once you get your carry-on and your coat into the overhead storage, you can sit down and rest. If you like comfort, you should definitely choose to pay extra for better seats and service.
We did not, and although we had DVD players on each seat, and lots of entertainment to keep us occupied, the seats were incredibly cramped. The flight crew also asks you to keep the seat belts on while seated, possibly due to a bit of turbulence, but neither my husband nor I are small people, and we felt pretty cramped after 8 hours of flight.

Another problem for us, was the distance between our seats, and the seats in front of us. When those seats were tilted back, while we were still trying to eat the meal we were served, there were no room for the trays, and we had to get the stewardess to ask the people in front of us, to straighten their seats till the dinner trays were collected.

The food served on board the plane was adequate, but from what I heard, first class food and service is better,
It should be, because the ticket prices are a lot higher. We got small pillows and a blanket, as we flew through the night, but I found it difficult to sleep.

After our initial flight, we had to catch a connecting flight, and fly for another hour and 15 minutes. We had just enough time to get to the gate, go through security and board the plane, before we had to take off again.

When we got to our destination, which was Copenhagen in Denmark, we had to collect our luggage and go through customs. There was a drug sniffing dog that took a special interest in our luggage, but the dogs handler showed no interest. The dog just kept sniffing. Finally the handler just pulled it away. We were later told that the dog would react differently, if there were illegal substances present. What it smelled was the scent of our dogs.

We had a two hour car ride from the airport to the home of my parents. Everything went smooth, but even so, we were exhausted. We stayed up and visited for a couple of hours, then went to bed and slept for 12 hours. Jet lag takes effect, and it took a day or two, before we were feeling ready to take in the sights, and make the rounds,to visit. I would suggest that when you go to a place with a time difference of more than a couple of hours, you take a day or two to rest up, or chances are that you will pay for it the rest of your stay.

Next,and last, installment of how to survive air travel will deal with destination issues, and the trip home.