The Purple Passport

Seasoned advice for British Travellers

flight

3 Ways to Take the Stress from Air Travel

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Does the mere thought of travelling to the airport, checking in, going through security, and waiting around for hours on end for your flight put you off the idea of travelling by air? Fear not, as there are things that you can do to take the stress out of air travel.

Put the three pieces of the advice laid out below into practice, and you’ll be sure to touch down in your holiday destination feeling rested, relaxed, and ready to have the time of your life.

Book your pre-airport arrangements in advance

Your travels begin as soon as you leave your home. If you want to keep your stress down from the moment you embark on your adventure, you need to ensure that you book your pre-airport arrangements well in advance of your departure date. This means organizing for somebody to look after your home or to at least check up on it while you’re gone, and it means pre-ordering transport to the airport.

If you are travelling to the airport in your own vehicle, you must book yourself a parking space in advance. The last thing you want to do is turn up at the airport to find that they do not have the room to accommodate your car, as this will cause you unnecessary headaches and could even result in you missing your flight. So, for the sake of your stress levels and your travel plans, make sure you book yourself a parking lot space on a trusted website like Parkon.com before you arrive at the airport.

Sail through security with ease

Security checks at the airport are necessary; there’s no denying it. They are designed to keep you and fellow air travelers safe, which is why you must undergo them every time you attempt to board a flight.

You’ll never be able to avoid airport security checks, but you can speed them up considerably and subsequently take the stress out of them. If you sign up for the TSA PreCheck program, you will be able to streamline the security process simply because you won’t be asked to take off your clothes or remove your electronic items from their bags. This will shave off a considerable number of minutes from the time you usually spend passing through security lines, which means that you’ll be able to spend more time relaxing in the departure lounge.

Have a sleep on the plane

The stress doesn’t magically disappear as soon as you’ve boarded your plane. Being confined to a small space is never particularly relaxing, and neither is turbulence! If you want to escape the stresses that are commonly encountered up in the air, simply find a way to drift off to sleep.

Easier said than done, right? True, sleeping on planes is not always the most straightforward experience. It can be achieved, however, if you put the following advice into practice:

  • Tweak your sleeping habits before you start travelling to ensure that you’ll be tired on the plane
  • Pre-book your seats to ensure that you aren’t sat in high-traffic areas (next to the toilet, near the galley, etc.)
  • Wear comfortable clothes that keep you warm when the onboard temperature drops
  • Alleviate your back pain by investing in any of the items listed here

The Weird, The Wonderful, The Unexpected Airline Flight Delays

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When it comes to your flight being delayed or cancelled, you tend to hear a lot of the tired old excuses again and again. ‘Exceptional circumstances’, ‘technical issues’, they’re all the same. However, sometimes flights are delayed for the oddest of reasons. We’re going to be looking at some of the most surreal and downright unbelievable reasons why people were unable to get on their flights.

Cat In The Cockpit

The first up on our list is the story of a cat inside the cockpit of the plane. And no, it wasn’t the cat of either of the pilots. Someone had brought their pet along for the ride and stowed him in the hold. However, the curious feline decided that being relegated to a travel cage wasn’t acceptable, and so he broke out and decided to have a little exploration. This all culminated in the cat finding his way into the cockpit and causing delays.

Homemade Astronaut

In a story which almost seems to come right out of a book, a man from LA bought himself a lot of balloons and helium. He planned to float around in his back garden for some time before using a pellet gun to shoot balloons, thus lowering his altitude. It was a good idea until he lost control and began to float up into the air, and eventually found himself 16,000 feet in the air, and in the middle of LA airspace. This, of course, caused a problem, and people on board the aircraft found a delay in getting to their destination, and obviously, those waiting for the plane were delayed as well.

Foam Catastrophe

We’ve all seen traditions being carried out in the streets, but there’s a high chance you’ve never seen something like this. The fire crew attempted to provide the vehicle with a water cannon burst as a form of salute, but it went sort of wrong. The button which was pressed instead expelled a large amount of foam onto the plane, which tampered with the engine and left a significant portion of the plane covered in foam. This delayed the flight for quite some time as it all had to be removed from the vehicle and everything had to be checked for signs of damage.

Overall, these are just a few of the strangest and most obscure reasons why a flight has been delayed or cancelled. Obviously, you’re going to be less likely to find these problems in an everyday setting, although you would be surprised at the frequency with which these things can happen. Every day, people are exposed to strange things, and they don’t stop to consider how unlikely it is that it’s happened to them. These are just a small handful of the odd reasons why a flight has been delayed or cancelled, and there are so many other possible explanations besides this for why a flight can be stopped. Who knows, you might hear about or even be a witness to one of the many strange phenomena which could prevent a flight one day.