Top tips to survive the airport

We’ve pulled together some expert airport survival tips to help make things run smoothly, wherever you’re taking off from. Happy flying!

Get to the airport in plenty of time – whatever time you think it will take and still be relaxed, add an hour onto this! Traffic jams happen, buses and taxi's can be delayed and last-minute things to do can pop up. Do all you can not to start the holiday with a crazy sprint to make the plane.

Weigh your bags at home before you depart for the airport – most airlines have different rules on the limit, so research this and stick to it to save making a scene and avoid sitting through a sweaty flight wearing ten layers of clothing

Consider if it’s actually cheaper and easier not to carry a bag for the cabin. Look into whether it’s worth checking a bag for ease and expense of replacing toiletries, make up and liquids.

Take a handbag/hand luggage with compartments – an airport is not the time for big handbags without compartments that open up into a black hole that constantly hides passports/ boarding pass/ phones, etc

Pack chargers for a laptop, phone, tablet, etc in hand luggage – sad but true, if delays hit, you many need the chargers to keep connected. Especially if using a digital boarding pass to board the plane.

Pre-book everything you can – from seats on the plane, transport to and from the airport (airportshuttlecapetown.co.za; airportshuttledurban.co.za) or parking place to even pre-booking shopping.

Know how family-friendly your airport is, and make the most of it! – travelling with children is stressful enough as it is, let alone at busy airports. So do your research to see how to make life easier, as some airports even have family assistance lanes through the security processes and kids’ entertainment zones.

Buy healthier, better food at the airport shops than on the plane – don’t give in to the trolleys that make their way around the plane, if you eat before you fly or take food on-board you get to choose what you eat, when you eat, and you'll get a meal that you know you'll enjoy. Drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids is important to avoid jet lag too.