Airport Travel Advice

Airport Travel Advice from Southampton Cruise Parking

Whether you’re a frequent flyer, or a first timer, it can be the quickest and easiest way to get to that holiday of a lifetime, that swift city break that European festival, or that business meeting which could make or break your career – IF it goes as planned, without any airport hitches. Many things can happen to hinder your trip that are out of your control such as delayed / cancelled flights and other issues that, without proper preparation, could cause those all too common Airport Hassles.

Whether it’s organizing documents, dealing with missed connections, incurring expensive airport parking charges or getting through security, this airport travel advice guide will provide you with top airport tips, to make your trip as stress-free as possible, so you can concentrate on what’s really important – getting to your destination.

Before you fly

As the scouts say – be prepared. Here’s a check list of things to prepare before your trip

  • As the scouts say – be prepared. Here’s a check list of things to prepare before your trip
  • Check you have correct /adequate travel insurance
  • Visa’s – Use the www.fco.gov.uk official website to check visa / entry requirements as well as any weather / safety warnings.
  • Check www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk for any jabs / medication required for your destination
  • Nearest British embassy details – Keep these in case you encounter any issues whilst away
  • Familiarise yourself with your destination with travel sites such as www.tripadvisor.co.uk or a lonely planet, so you can make the most of your time there.
  • Pack smart & light – proper packing preparation, & checking bagging restrictions with your airline, will ensure you don’t get charged hefty amounts for oversized baggage
  • Check Airport Traffic with Apps like Live traffic Info from the Highway Agency to avoid traffic jams en route to the airport
  • Familiarise yourself with the language with smartphone Apps such as Lonely Planet Translators
  • Check your destinations currency, familiarise yourself with it, and check current conversions on www.xe.com

Airport Parking

  • Drive your own car directly to the airport
  • No need to find us
  • No need to drag cases / children on airport transfers
  • No solo travellers searching huge car parks in the dark hours
  • Get off the plane, walk out the airport & jump straight into your pre-warmed car
  • Completely safe & secure parking, that is monitored around the clock
  • Professional, well-mannered valets
  • Reliable 24/7 Service
  • Cheap Airport Parking – Price match guarantee.

Organising Documents

  • Make copies of your documents & keep separately / with family in case something is lost.
  • Passport – make sure its valid, not damaged, and has any required visa’s to your destination
  • Visa’s – Use the www.fco.gov.uk official website to check visa requirements and any weather / safety warnings.
  • Itinerary – Check all personal / travel details correct.
  • Special needs – Be sure to arrange all special meals, extra legroom, wheelchairs.
  • Accumulate all your travel itineraries on sites like Tripit – ‘A handy all-in-one app that collates all your holiday and flight confirmation emails into one travel itinerary’

Travelling with children

  • There are many travel solutions for children – try sites like Hippy Chick to find great products to keep your little ones entertained
  • Make sure any food / bottles are 100ml or less to get through airport security
  • Prepare your children for your holiday with some fun tasks like exploring maps, reading books, watching films on the history, animals, food & plant-life of the destination. Or to get them excited, have a countdown chart to the departure day.

Boredom

  • It is essential to arrive at the airport early to avoid any airport hassles that may come up, but when things run smoothly, you may have at least a couple of hours to kill.
  • Airports usually have a whole host of things to do, eateries and places to shop.
  • Give yourself something to do – be it working on your laptop, reading with a Kindle, a book / magazine, or a good old fashion pack of cards!

Missed / Delayed / Cancelled flights

  • Check the status of your flight before you leave for the Airport – This can be on the airport website, or there are fab apps like Live traffic Info from the Highway Agency.
  • If you miss your flight, or it is cancelled – Search for a new one with the super Skyscanner app.
  • If your flight is delayed / cancelled – check with your airline for any food / hotel vouchers, and new flight bookings

Getting to the airport, Terminals & navigating around the airport

  • You will find all directions, airport maps, airport services and more travel information for each particular Airport on their individual pages.

Security

  • Security at airports has tightened significantly since the events that took place on 9/11. If you haven’t flown since then, or you’re a first time flyer, it is essential that you are aware of airport security procedures, so you can sail through, and not cause unnecessary delays for yourself and / or your family. We have dedicated a whole page to security at airports, offering dos and don’ts and general security tips.