With summer breaks on in most parts of the world, the travel bug must be doing the rounds. Whether you’re a veteran jet-setter or a first-time flyer, there’s no denying that you feel a sense of excitement as you prepare to embark on travel via airplane.
Though the glamor of air travel has long lost its sheen, and today it’s regarded as just another way to get from A to B, air travel is still different and thrilling. It’s fast, efficient, and clean. You get to relax on board the plane, enjoy in-flight entertainment and meals, and get to view spectacular skyscapes.
However, it’s not as simple as a road trip where you can simply load (or overload) your bags, food and drinks, pets, and anything else you can think of, into your car and drive off whenever the mood takes you.
It’s not even like a train journey where you have to check schedules, timings, tickets, sturdiness, ease of handling of your luggage, and last-mile connectivity at the destination.
Airplane travel has its own protocols and safety regulations, especially if you’re traveling to a different country. The right strategy is to approach it in an organized manner. This way, you stay stress-free and arrive at your destination with everything that you need.
Do You Really Need An Airport Travel Checklist?
Nobody likes to arrive at Tullamarine airport and discover that they’ve forgotten an important document, medications, or their favorite moisturizer. Air travel does come with its own stress, especially if you have flight anxiety. But you can minimize the jitters by creating your own airport travel checklist.
Checklists help you to devote enough time and thinking to your travel plans as a whole. When you have your travel itinerary in front of you, you know exactly what you need for each day.
The list helps to prevent over-packing or under-packing, both of which are annoying. If you know the kind of events you will attend, the weather, terrain, transportation, and other facilities at your destination, you can organize your packing much better.
Organizing all your important paperwork helps to relieve you of unnecessary worry. Visas, passport, hotel and vehicle bookings, arrangements for finance and other important documents can be kept ready in a folder that you can easily check right up until the last minute. This allows you to go through check-in, security, immigration, or other barriers smoothly.
Quite often our needs change as we grow older, and we may need an extra layer of warm clothing, a neck pillow, spare glasses, comfortable footwear, and more. Making a check-list helps you to keep these items ready, along with your phone and laptop chargers.
Your travel check-list can be a generic one for all kinds of travel, be it to a friend’s place for a weekend, or across the world for an extended holiday. Based on the journey, you can add or take away from it as you see fit.
Airport Travel Checklist for A Big Trip
Create your travel checklist and print it. Have it with you when you begin packing, and tick off the items as you go.
Documents: For international travel, you will obviously have to get your tickets, accommodation and visa requirements firmed down well ahead of the trip. Start working on these as early as possible, so that you have everything in place. Check whether your documents are up-to-date and relevant.
Paperwork will include valid ID documents, passport and copies of your tickets. Though we do store some of these documents on digital devices, it’s always better to get a printout and carry it with you. Your phone may be out of charge, not connect immediately to WiFi, or worst-case, you may lose an important document. Having a copy handy helps you to stay calm in a strange destination. Add a copy of your doctor’s prescription for medications you’re carrying. Don’t forget travel insurance.
Luggage: When you start creating your checklist, ensure that you conform to the airline baggage restrictions. Many airlines have size and dimensions besides weight. This helps you to organize your packing accurately. Your carry-on bag can have essentials such as paperwork, wallet with your cards, toiletries and medications, along with a basic change of clothes. Invest in the right size of containers for liquids so that you’re not in violation of regulations.
Electronics: Pack a fully-charged power bank, update the apps on your phone, purchase international roaming data, get your own earbuds for in-flight entertainment, and an international power adapter.
Clothes: This section depends on your itinerary. Make sure that you carry lightweight, easy-wash-n-dry, comfortable stuff. Avoid valuable jewelry. Check whether your purse or cross-body bag is sturdy. Clear out old, unnecessary stuff from your purse such as your library card or credit cards that you can’t use at the destination. Footwear is a crucial aspect of travel, so ensure that you invest in good-quality, comfortable footwear that you can wear for multiple occasions.
Last-Minute Essentials: You may need to pick up toiletries, medications or get your hair and nails done before you travel. Organize these with the help of your check-list.
Booking Airport Parking In Melbourne
Plan how to get to the airport, and book your parking slots in advance if you need to avail of long-term parking. Book your car park here. Do this well in advance so that you can get the best deals, discounts, loyalty points, and convenient slots.
Your last-moment checklist should have items such as turn off the gas, lights and air-conditioning, how your plants and pets will be cared for, keeping your house keys safe, activate the burglar alarm, do a remote check-in before you get to the airport, and lock your home securely.
Airport Essentials: Double-check your travel and ID documents. Check your hand-baggage for banned, old or unnecessary items and remove them. Update yourself early on airline and airport regulations so that you don’t have to throw away an expensive Swiss Army knife or perfume because they don’t comply. Get an empty reusable water bottle that you can fill once you’re past security. Pack a few snacks that you can eat on the flight to save some money.
Pack and lock your bags the night before and keep them at the door. Plan what to wear on the flight and keep it ready down to inner-wear and shoes. Charge your phone.
Check your flight timings, and calm yourself with some breathing exercises. Take a loo break just before you leave.
