Your Airport Survival Guide

Being stuck in an airport is a part of travel.  It’s inevitable that you will face delays, flight changes, layovers or worst of all – cancellations, all whilst stuck in the same set of clothes and without being able to take a shower! 

It can be a serious ordeal if you are not prepared for it.  Stuck for hours in dirty clothes, with nothing to do, sitting on the floor or an uncomfortable seat at the terminal.  Combine this with some fatigue and it is a recipe to set anyone’s nerves on edge.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! 

Make sure you pack your carry-on bag with the following five things when you are taking a long air journey to survive a possible ordeal.

1.    Something Interesting to Read

This is time-honoured and fail-proof.  Make sure that you have an entertaining novel, magazine, journal or whatever will keep you interested for a number of hours (and not minutes).

It’s important that this is a physical copy, not an e-book or digital reader because you never know if your technology will break, if the batteries go flat or one of the hundreds of things that can go wrong, probably will – right when you need it!

You simply can’t beat a good book to keep yourself entertained and your mind busy.  It is a great way to relax and while away the hours until your plane is ready to depart.

2.    Toiletries

Long flights in pressurized and air-conditioned planes can leave you sweaty, smelly and feeling yuck.  Long international flights may mean that you won’t be able to shower for 20+ hours, especially if you hit a delay or cancellation.  So it’s important to make sure that you bring the basics to stay fresh.

Bring some travel-sized deodorant, moisturiser (the plane’s air conditioning will dry your skin out), toothpaste and brush as well as some wet wipes to freshen up.  You will also need to check with the plane’s security regulations to make sure you can take everything on the plane  without being confiscated.

A few minutes freshening up in the change rooms will make you feel human again and ready to face the rest of your delay.

3.    Fresh Socks and Clothes

A close third after toiletries is making sure to pack some fresh socks and maybe undergarments.  If you can’t shower or change clothes for hours, something as simple as clean socks and a fresh t-shirt will make you feel brand spanking new. 

4.    An Inflatable Neck Pillow

You might have to spend hours waiting in hard and uncomfortable seats (or maybe even on the floor) if your flight is delayed or cancelled.  To avoid getting a stiff neck and to sneak in some much-needed rest, a nice inflatable neck pillow is a must-have companion in your traveller’s kit.

As a plus you may like to use it on the plane as well.  They are cheap and you can even just pick them up at the airport.  You will be waiting for the next flight in comfort.

5.    Some Cash Money

The most important of all, cash and some credit cards.  Don’t land empty handed.  You will want some pocket money to buy food, hot drinks and maybe some meals if it’s a long delay.  You will also need to refresh yourself with some bottled water.  Cash is king anywhere in the world.

So if you follow these five simple tips you will be able to endure any airport ordeal whilst being comfortable, entertained, satisfied and refreshed.

Let us know if you have any other ‘airport ordeal’ tips, we would love to hear them!

Visiting the Land Down-under

If you have ever fancied taking a vacation that is literally jam-packed full of variety, you might be wise to think along the lines of the country of Australia. This is by far the largest nation in the continental region known as Oceania, and is actually considered to be a separate continent in its own right. Stretching thousands of miles across and incorporating the large island of Tasmania, this is a land that will have something to appeal to everyone.

If you love city breaks, you will find some fantastic destinations at both ends of the country. In Western Australia, you have the large city of Perth, but when you are there, it feels difficult to believe that more than one million people live within the conurbation—Perth definitely has a rather small-town-feel about it. Nevertheless, everything you could ever need on vacation is here for you: from a good central shopping area, great parks and plenty of recreational facilities to keep you busy for the duration of your stay.

At the other end of the country, you have Australia’s largest city of Sydney and this truly is a cosmopolitan metropolis – which is very rare in this country. All the world-famous tourist attractions are waiting to be enjoyed here: including The Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach and Taronga Zoo. Shopaholics will be in their complete element here and the choice of restaurants and cuisine is probably the very best in the Southern Hemisphere. Some other cities you might like to bear in mind include Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

Moving away from the cities, Australia offers even more when you venture out into the bush and rural areas. For a start, if you want pristine and honey-hued sandy beaches, you are falling over them in this vast country. However, just one word of warning, you would always need to be vigilant of sharks at many Australian beaches and saltwater crocodiles can pose problems in the far north of the country.

Much of the interior of the country consists of deserted bush-lands with little or no real features. Nevertheless, you will still find that some of the hardiest Australians make their homes in these rather inhospitable regions. One popular inland tourist destination that you should definitely set time aside to visit is Uluru Rock (formerly known as Ayers Rock). This natural topographical feature is known to have connections with the Aborigines for many thousands of years and this is perhaps the best place to visit in Australia if you are keen to learn more about this country’s original people.

One state of the country people tend to overlook, when booking a vacation to Australia, is the island of Tasmania which can be found to the south-east of the nation. If you thought the flora and fauna of the mainland were different in Australia, you will be filled with even more wonder and awe at the unique land mass that is Tasmania. From duck-billed platypuses to the infamous Tasmanian devils, the animals here are absolutely awesome and proof of the fact that these areas of land have been separated from other main continents for many millions of years—allowing such weird and diverse species to evolve independently over time.