TravelWeird Travel

How to beat boredom from the dreaded travel delay

posted by Chris Valentine

So, your flight is delayed.

Stay calm!

Yes, it’s frustrating, yes, it’s boring, and yes, you want to scream, but none of these things are going to help you, so the best advice is to stay balanced, stay calm, and think positive thoughts. You are going to get to your destination, just a little later than originally planned.

If you start your day stressed out from a nightmare journey to the airport, this little hiccup combined isn’t going to help, so to ease any possible bumps in the road with my onward travel, I put Airparks Gatwick Parking at the top of my travel to-do list, and at least that way I know that I won’t arrive stressed out, before the whole shebang even starts. I can’t rate this service highly enough, and you’ll find a service for you wherever you travel from, with ParkBCP offering great rates. This really does start your day off in the least stressed out fashion, because if there is an unforeseen circumstance, like a delay, then you won’t be on the back foot before you even leave the house.

Delays do happen, and they’re usually for very good reasons, even safety, so it’s no good shouting at the airport staff, because they’re doing all they can! The last time I was delayed, I had to watch one of my fellow passengers shout at one of the airport staff, who had only come over to update everyone on the situation, and inform us that we would be given food vouchers to tide us over. It was a rather unpleasant thing to watch, and did it get us on the plane and away any quicker? No! Quite frankly, there was no need.

If your delay is only a small one, you generally won’t be given any compensation for food and drinks, and you will simply be kept up to date and advised to keep an eye on the screens. Once you see any updated information, get to your gate as soon as possible, because in situations like these, you’ll find boarding and getting away is done super quick, to catch up on time lost.

If however you’re looking at hours and hours delay, then your airline may choose to give out vouchers for beverages and food, so take advantage of that, as not only will it pass the time, but it’s important to stay hydrated and to eat regularly when travelling. Again, keep your eye on the boards as things can change quickly and you won’t want to miss it!

The main problem is going to be boredom through waiting, especially if you’re travelling with children, and when you’re not sure what’s going on, you are going to get a bit stressed out. Again, I know it’s hard, but try and stay as calm and Zen about it as possible; you can’t do anything about it, so just try and take advantage of the airport facilities as much as possible. If you’ve got an iPad, tablet or Kindle, stocking it up and charging it up before you travel will mean you have something to do in the event of a wait.

Remember, if you are delayed, it’s simply a bump in the road and shouldn’t define your holiday.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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