For a long time I found the physical journeys involved with travelling to new places a very stressful and un-enjoyable experience. There are so many different things to remember and therefore so many different things which can go wrong that I was, for a time unable to see the positive aspects of travel other than what happened once I had already arrived. It sounds like a cliché but that dreaded feeling of knowing you have forgotten to bring, and or do something can leave behind a feeling so terrible that it can spoil a full days worth of enjoyable experience.

 Most of us find something stressful about travelling. Even without the added complications of taking to the skies, there can be a huge variety of things to remember as well as a great deal of potential problems and issues to take into account.

So to help out a little, here is a list of simple but useful tips for reducing the stress of flying and travel in general. These little hints are based on the advice and help of some of my friends and acquaintances who have experience as seasoned travellers, and who came to my rescue in order to help me enjoy every aspect of my future journeys;

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation

Again, it sounds like a cliché but you can never be too careful when planning and preparing for a trip. Make sure to do any research you might need for it including; potential risks in the country or city you’re visiting, health issues and vaccination procedure, culture, dress code and the general dos and don’ts. Not everywhere requires a great deal of research though and beware spoiling pleasant surprises through over reading.

A Fool Proof Check List

There’s no harm in patronising yourself when it comes to writing a comprehensive check list of everything you need to pack, plan for and sort out before or on the day of your flight. Everything should go on here, from what clothes you need to pack to picking up your passport on the day or evening of your trip. Each item or action should checked off as you complete it so as to avoid confusion and in this way the worries of forgetting important things should simply vanish with each tick.
Plan Ahead

Don’t forget that by planning ahead you can save yourself crucial spending money. For example booking your car in at a long stay car park for example Manchester airport parking online, as opposed to a rushed booking taxi the day before your flight. You can even save money by planning your route from airport to hotel/hostel and avoid those high rate tourist taxis upon your arrival.

Sort Cash Before Travel

It normally makes sense to change your over currency before a trip. It means you’ll spend less cash during the build up to your flight and it ensures a far less stressful time at the airport.

With your research done, your check list completed, your planning over and your currency exchanged you can now sit back and enjoy the flight. Even the airport will seem like a more tranquil place with all those horrible little worries removed from the experience.

What tips do you have? Please share below by leaving a comment.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 26th, 2012 at 2:45 am and is filed under Travel Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.