Air Travel isn’t as glorious and exciting as it used to be. It has just become a means of getting to your desired destination and is quite frankly a dreaded journey for most, from the cramped-up seating to the beefed-up security protocols.

In reality, there are plenty of ways to improve your travel experience, despite the national safety regulations and confined quarters. After careful analysis we at Classic Travel have developed the following run-down, suggesting a few tweaks in your travel habits to help you have a stress-free and fairly comfortable flight journey.

 

01. Be an early bird flyer

When selecting flight-time and if the option is available choose the earlier flight. Early morning flights are more likely to depart on time. Why is that? Well, as the day advances some flights may have mechanical issues or flight staff might call in sick or weather delays occur at your airport or other airports are dealing with their own issues. This can set off a chain reaction and effect a region as a whole. Hence flights scheduled later in the day get pushed back. Start your trip early to avoid such drama.

TIP: Furthermore, if you get air-sick easily you might want to fly early in the morning, as Bumpy air and turbulence occurs mostly towards the afternoon (unless its monsoon season). Otherwise sit near the wings of the plane (its physics), if you sit in the middle you would feel less turbulence.

 

02. Getting the Best Seat

Not all seats are created the same. Some seats won’t recline, others are situated near the lavatories which for olfactory reasons are not favorable. Sometimes I have personally requested for a window seat and got allocated a seat where I a have a nice view of the wings of the plane, or even got assigned a misaligned seat with no window directly in my view.

TIP: Now the only battle is availability, this can be handled by your travel agent (the earlier you book the better) and your online check-In facilities.

 

03. Photo Copy or Screenshot Important Documents:

Print out your boarding pass ahead of time and Email yourself a scan of your passport, this would help your case in the event of theft or loss.
Screenshot any journey confirmations like travel itineraries, booked flights, hotels etc…while you have internet access so you can see them when you’re offline. It is also much easier than carrying around printouts.

 

04. Keep Track of your flight and set Alerts:

On the day of your travel, set-up alerts with the airline and third-party sites like FlightAware.com and FlightRadar.com to learn about flight status and delays. Many times delays are caused by weather condition or congestion at the airport. Before you go to the airport, check the airport’s official website, for any such delays.
Always check in ahead of time.
But keep in mind it’s always best to be a bit early and not fully be dependent on such apps/sites as a sudden emergency delay may arise or a flight can even depart earlier than scheduled and these sudden plans means that the tracking sites won’t be updated in time for you to be informed.

 

05. Dress Right and be prepared for security checks:

“Prep for Security” keep that in mind when your choosing your airport outfit. Keep the following in mind on your next travel:

• Firstly dress in layers as you know airports and planes can get pretty chilly as opposed to the weather outside. Opt to buy a hoodie you could hull it around when it’s too warm. Furthermore on the flight you could use the hoodie to gain a little privacy and shield yourself from the glare when you are trying to sleep.
• Wear comfy easy to wear slip on shoes. Ditch those heels and fidgety straps and lace
• Carry a shawl or stole with you, it can double up as a blanket
• Avoid outfits, accessories and big metal belts

TIP: Get a Ziploc/plastic bag and put anything metal―car keys, loose change, cell phone, pens, jewelry―into the bags and keep them in your carry-on.

 

06. Baggage hacks:

There are 3 things you have to keep in mind when luggage is concerned: It has to be light. small and easy to spot (pick a funky colored bag anything other than the common black or tie a bright colored ribbon on your bag).

TIP 1: Place a fragile sticker on your bag, it won’t guarantee that your bag will be handled with more care. But fragile articles are placed lastly on the plane, meaning at your destination it will be the first one off.
TIP 2: You want to know just where your bag is! Use a baggage tracker and keep tabs on your baggage via your phone.

 

07. Be a VIP for the day:

Grab a little RnR before you fly. Even if you’re not a frequent flyer, you can acquire day passes for airport lounges for a reasonable fee. (Lounge passes for BIA can be purchased from Classic travel. We even have tie ups with certain airports abroad). It may not be a good value in every situation, but there are a couple situations where we think the extra cost is an excellent value for the service. Like if unexpected delay arises and you are stuck at the airport instead of spending the same amount of horrid airport food, beverages and overpriced Wi-Fi, opt for a day pass at a lounge (but be mindful not all lounges offer such services to non-members at a reasonable rate)

 

08. Stay Hydrated:

Dehydration is the No:1 culprit on long flights for diminishing your health—it dries out your skin, makes you more vulnerable to jet-lag, and weakens your immune system. Research says you need to drink 200ml of water for every two hours of air travel.

TIP: Bring a reusable bottle water from home and fill it up at the water fountains in the airport. You can save money by refilling the water bottle rather than buying bottled water. Just make sure you empty out the bottle before going to the security line.

 

09. Back-up entertainment and gadgets:

For the most terms Airports are quite boring. So before you go on your journey don’t forget to load up your phone or laptop with appropriate entertainment (be it movies, music or even e-books). But don’t forget to invest in a good power bank charge it and bring it along this way when the battery is dying you won’t be left hanging. New airport regulations bans power banks with over 160WH or 3500mAh to be brought on flights. So be warned.

 

10. Make a care-package:

Here is a quick list of things that you need to have with you to help have a smooth flight journey. It isn’t must to carry most of these items, but it would certainly help you to have these stuff at hand.

• Wipes or Sanitizer (to disinfect your hands and flight trays)
• Moisturizer and lip balm (the In-Flight atmosphere dries up your skin, so lotion up to keep skin healthy)
• Meds of all sorts (ranging from prescribed medicine to basic painkillers and aspirins and even balms to relieve any pain or discomfort you might experience on the flight)
• Other miscellaneous items include Compression Socks (to help improve circulation, since you will be seated a long time), a packet of tissues and a pen (to fill up any important documentation)
• Don’t forget your entertainment system (like phones, tabs/ laptops and books/magazines) and sleeping aids.

 

11. In-flight Sleep Kits:

Most people like to make use of their AirTravel time to grab a few winks and sleep. To ensure you have a restful and undisturbed sleep invest in a good pair of Headphones or earplugs (to cancel out or reduce any noisy inflight disturbances), Eye mask (to cancel out any glare from the windows or light in the cabin) and neck-pillow (to eliminate a stiff neck and have a comfy sleeping position).
Remember, the primary aim of each of this list is to benefit you: the traveler. These tips would also make the whole in-flight experience a lot more comfortable and a bit less crazy. There are even a few easy ways to keep yourself healthy, rested and entertained during the course of your flight, which always makes for happier travel!

Okay, we admit we can’t possibly have all the answers, so this is where you come in! If you have any creative travel-hacks of your own, share them in the comments section.
Until then Happy Travels!