No matter how much you enjoy travelling once you have arrived at your destination, getting there is not always free from stress. Your trip begins with making sure you have packed all the essentials, countless checks to ensure you have your passport (every few steps if you’re anything like me), leaving home at the right time but still fearing traffic and train timetables delays, crossing your fingers that the lines at check-in and security are not too long, and hoping your bags fit with the airline’s weight and dimension restrictions.
Finally, you board the flight and breathe a sigh of relief. You’re on your way! Get ready, Europe/Las Vegas/Thai beach villa! If you’re lucky you have one direct flight before you arrive at your destination, but more often than not, you have a stop to make which requires your travel IQ once more, as you navigate a foreign airport to continue your journey.
Many travel ‘horror’ stories are told by those who came close to or did miss a connection, so to make sure you do not end up telling a similar tale, here are a few tried-and-tested tips for a stress-free stopover.
- Pay attention to connection time when booking
I have personally made the mistake of failing to do this when finding my ideal flights. If you’re booking with one airline or on the same ticket, there is a legal requirement for the connection to be physically possible, so you are probably safe – but trust a girl who has sprinted through Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, where every transfer is a different experience, it is not always the case.
If you have the option of different length layovers, choose one that makes you feel comfortable knowing you may need to pass through security and passport control.
- Talk to airline staff
If you are worried about the connection time, talk to the flight attendants. They know a lot about the airport you are flying into or can easily source the information you need.
They can also help if they know you are in danger of missing the connection. I have been on flights where other passengers were instructed to let those in a hurry disembark first. In other cases, the flight attendants have made sure to inform a mysterious someone that I am on my way. Staff on the next flight know you are expected, but it cannot hurt for them to have a little reminder.
- Don’t assume you know the connection process
Every airport is different – security, immigration, distance between gates. All of these factors can influence how much time you need simply to complete all the necessary steps between flights.
My personal routine is to disembark the first plane and continue on to my second gate immediately, so I am assured that I have run through any additional security or controls, and know how long it takes to get to the gate. Only after that do I see how much time I have left and begin to decide how to fill it.
- Be aware of time differences
Now, your smartphone will likely adjust to the local time zone as soon as you connect to Wi-Fi, but I have been in situations where I thought I had an hour until boarding time only to walk past my gate and see that in fact the process had already started. Only then did I realise that I had been looking at the incorrect time.
If you wear a watch, pay attention when the flight attendants announce the local time over the speaker and adjust it.
- Be prepared for silent airports
In some airports, you will hear announcements that prompt you to proceed to your gate or start boarding. In others, no announcements are made so unfortunately, you need to adult and monitor everything yourself.
- Check for gate changes
Gate changes do happen, sometimes much closer to flight time than you would expect. Remember to check the information screens again as you begin to make your way to your gate – just in case.
Courtney Gahan is an Aussie serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC. Currently based in Amsterdam.
