Planning Ahead When You Have To Leave For The Airport Long Before Dawn
Posted on: 9 May 2016
Early flights have their upsides and downsides. There's not usually a long line at security at 5 or 6 am, but getting up and ready to fly that early can be a struggle! It really helps to plan ahead and make sure you have everything set for the morning of your flight so you can basically roll out of bed and go. Here are some tips for doing so.
Arrange for an airport shuttle.
In the middle of the day, driving yourself to the airport may not be such a big deal. But at 3, 4 or 5 am when you're not functional, doing so presents a number of issues. It's far too easy to roll over in bed and think you'll just leave a little later. And are you really a safe driver when you're sleep deprived and stressed about your trip? Cut yourself a break and call for an airport shuttle service to pick you up. This way, you will have to be out the door at a certain time (this is motivation not to press the snooze alarm) and you don't have to worry about safe driving -- so you can focus on other important aspects of your upcoming trip.
Tell the shuttle service what time your flight leaves and what airline you're taking, and they'll figure out the best time to pick you up to ensure you reach the airport on time. This eliminates the hassle of trying to figure out whether you should leave an hour, two hours, or three hours before your flight.
Pack snacks in your carry-on bag the night before.
You don't want to get up extra early to make breakfast, but surely you'll be hungry later if you don't eat something. This is easily solved. The night before your flight, pack a basic breakfast or some snacks -- like granola bars, fresh fruit, or even a peanut butter sandwich -- in your carry-on bag. You can eat while waiting at the gate.
Download all of your flight information onto your smartphone.
If everything goes well, you should be able to access your flight info via the airline's website or through your email on your smartphone. But what if there are problems with your WiFi connectivity, your email server, or the airline's app? You don't want to find this out at 5 am and have to scramble to print off boarding passes or other information. So, the night before your early flight, download copies of all of your boarding passes and save them as in your phone's physical memory. Don't forget to charge your phone to ensure plenty of battery life. That way, unless your phone itself breaks, you'll have them handy.
By downloading your information, arranging for a Raleigh Durham airport shuttle, and packing snacks the night before, you can make your early morning flight plans more bearable.
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