It seems like the whole world is in a travel craze this year. There are pictures upon pictures of your college buddies and second cousins in places all over the world, and you’re looking at them through a computer screen. So you book a plane to a country you’ve always wanted to visit because why not? You’re young, you’re educated, you deserve to travel! More than three million people around the world fly on commercial planes every day, it’ll be a cinch. The only problem: you don’t know the first thing about actually traveling. You have questions! How do you find transportation to the airport? What do you do in an airport? But don’t worry, you have the internet.
On Getting to the Airport
The most stressful part of any trip is acquiring transportation to the airport. The rule of thumb here is to arrive at the airport at least two hours before your flight leaves. This accounts for time spent getting your ticket from the counter, checking baggage, and going through security. You don’t have a car, and you don’t trust a cab, so what can you do? Hire airport shuttle services. There are tons of services with dependable drivers who can get you where you need to go on time and for a reasonable price. Some services even offer vehicles like limousines for leisure travel. There are over 16,000 vans and shuttle buses working for transportation services, so why not take advantage of them?
On Surviving the Airport
The airport can be a scary place, especially if you’re traveling by yourself and for the very first time. But fear not the huge hallways and garbled announcements! When you arrive at the airport, you will be prepared for anything. First, make sure you’re adhering to all security protocols set forth by the airport. As long as you follow the guidelines for checked baggage and carry on bags, security won’t be an issue. (Helpful tip: make sure your bag is packed neatly! That way security won’t need to investigate any garbled images.) Once you’re through security, go straight to your gate. You may be two hours early, but if you don’t know where your gate is, then you’re not going anywhere soon. Don’t forget to bring something to do while you wait!
On The Journey
By the time you’ve finished exploring the airport shops and making fun of the grouches who can’t travel without giving at least one person a hard time, your flight is probably close to its boarding time. You made it this far, and it’s time to go forth and take that plane! You found transportation to the airport, things to do while in the airport, and now it’s time to travel to your heart’s content! There are over 19,000 airports in the U.S. alone, so don’t let anything stop you from getting on that plane and seeing a new place!
