With summer days here at last, travel opportunities are appearing again, which is great, unless you’re a last minute packer. If you are, it usually means you do a last minute frenzied pack the morning you’re supposed to leave, only to find out that the items you’ve picked don’t fit properly, your bag is suddenly overweight, and now you’re running late!
Why don’t you skip the packing madness, and get yourself organised the night before your flight.
Gadgets and Papers
- Charge Your Accessories
Before you start your packing spree, you should take a moment to plug in and start charging the electronic items you’ll be taking with you (phone, laptop, tablet, iPod, MP3 player, etc.) This way, your gadgets will be fully charged upon your arrival at the airport, and you don’t have to worry about them dying prematurely when you arrive at the waiting area, or more importantly, when you get to your destination!
- Double Check Your Plans
Head online and confirm your flight times for tomorrow. Double check that all your bookings have been confirmed (flights, tours, hotels, etc). Now is also a good time to call and remind your friend they’re dropping you off at the airport. If they’ve made other arrangements, you’ll have plenty of time to call and book a taxi to take you to the airport instead.
A smart tip to skip the long airport check-in queue is to do your check-in online, and ensure you print out your boarding pass. If you can’t check-in online, then keep your eye out for self-service check-in stations when you arrive at the airports.
- Easy Access
A travel wallet is a good investment if you’re a frequent flyer, so you can keep your ID and passport together, and switch out the flight information and tickets. Your boarding documents, important papers, and copies of your bookings and reservations should all be kept together in a folder that you can easily access at security checkpoints.
Clothing and Packing
- Neutral Numbers
Before your flight, ensure your washing has been done so all your clean clothes are available to choose from. Also, create a small ‘checklist’ of the items you want to bring with that suit the climate you’re heading to. No matter what season or country you’re packing for, you cannot go wrong with packing neutral clothing staples, and adding pops of colour with your accessories and bags.
Though this may sound like a really bland wardrobe, neutral items mix and match well together, and this makes your packed items so much easier to pair with each other. In fact, if you do it right, you can feasibly pack a carry-on bag for a two week trip! To find out how this is possible click here (link to ‘if you only read one packing list, read this one’ post).
- Bulky Baggage
If you’re travelling to a cooler climate, don’t pack the bulky items you’re bringing with you. Instead, wear them for the flight to keep your baggage light. What constitutes as bulky? Well, anything from boots, to puffy waterproof jackets, and thick knit jerseys. If the climate you’re leaving is warm, carry the heavier items onto the plane with you, and put them on, upon arrival at your destination.
- Take only a carry-on bag
If you’re travelling with only a carry-on bag, you get to skip the check-in luggage line that can take ages to clear, as well as skip the usual nightmare of waiting at the baggage carousel upon arrival.
As a handbag / sling bag and laptop bag aren’t regarded as extra baggage, any items you’d rather keep on you should be stowed in one of these, so you don’t have to try and get your carry-on out of the overhead lockers mid-flight. Items to consider in this category include a wrap or scarf in case it gets cold, headache tablets, facial wipes, and a book or tablet for entertainment.
Arrival Tips
- Water and snacks
Depending on what airline you’re flying on, it’s often smart to take an empty water bottle with you, to fill up from a drinking fountain once you’ve passed the boarding gates and are in the waiting area.
A small, pre-packed container filled with nuts, biltong, and sweets can also come in handy to snack on while you’re waiting, rather than be forced to pay the exorbitant prices charged by the shops located along the terminals.
- VIP Lounges
If you’ve arrived too early, or if your flight has been delayed, you should definitely consider paying for access to a VIP Lounge in South Africa, where you can relax in style. There are often complimentary beverage and snack stations here, along with power points to charge your gadgets, showers, and Wi-Fi.
The noise level is generally far lower in these lounges, and they’re also much less crowded than the waiting areas by the boarding gates.
If you’ll be travelling internationally, check out the travelling abroad packing list, and for some in-flight ideas, read how to survive long-haul flights.
What tips and tricks do you have to make packing and airport arrivals easier to bear?
Main image credited to Nick Harris (Flickr)
