by Do the same repeated and expect different results … is it the classic definition of madness, or is it exactly what we always seem to do when we travel? Here are some of my worst mistakes mixed with others that I know too well.
1. Too early to the airport …
Guilty. It is a big weakness of mine. I instinctively calculate the worst-case scenario for a delayed trip to the airport and add this to a two-hour check-in. The result? I am almost always two and a half hours before starting through security. Add an inevitable delay in departure … you can make mathematics.
The healing: I wish I knew. However, this departure -lounge secrets could change your airport experience.
2. or too late
This is really a sign of madness. But we all know these eternal (and deeply doomed) optimists who calculate the fastest possible travel time to the airport and accept the arrival an hour before the start. The result? Eternal stress and occasionally missed flight.
The healing: It is obvious, isn’t it? Leave at home an hour earlier when your instinct tells you. Read more about what to do when you run too late for a flight in our guide, according to an insider in our guide
3. Fridays in the early morning …
It’s so tempting. This departure from 7 a.m. with Easyjet is not only £ 30 cheaper, but brings it there in the morning so that you can enjoy half a day in your destination. The reality is that you have to get up at 3:30 a.m. You will probably hardly sleep. Your first evening on vacation will be a depreciation. And you have children? What about the world did you think?
The healing: Train when you have to be out of bed before booking the flight.
4.… or late in the evening
It’s so tempting. This return at 9:30 p.m. with Ryanair is not only £ 30 cheaper, but also that you can develop or lie on the beach on your last day until 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. The reality is that you will return to Stansted at 11:45 p.m. (if it is on time) and will not be home until 2 a.m. – even later when you miss the last Stansted Express.
The healing: Be happy to make the best of your last morning and always fly home in the afternoon.
5. Drive with the roach
Two things are guaranteed when they fly overnight: they will hardly sleep and hate at any moment. And you will either be exhausted when you arrive on vacation or when you return home.
The healing: Sometimes flight plans make it inevitable, but there is often a problem bypass. For example, if you fly back to London from New York, both British Airways (at 7:50 a.m. and 9.45 a.m.) and Virgin (08.10) have flights from JFK that leave on Sunday morning and arrive in Heathrow in the early evening. While United has a departure of 08.20 from Newark (times can vary depending on the date and day of the week). When it comes to other long -distance routes, the only solution to avoid night flights can be made by a well thought -out stopover.
6. Pulse purchase in freedom of emergency
You have an hour at Manchester Airport. You will discover a bottle of Piper-Heidsick Cuvée brood champagne for £ 33.29 (current price) in the Duty-Free shop. It has to be a bargain, it is duty -free. You grab it and drag it in your hand luggage. And then appear in wait rose when you come home and find that it is offered for £ 28.99 (current price). Even if it would have been a few pounds at the airport, is the rescue really worth the effort?
The healing: Google and compare prices before buying. Better still, just don’t bother to buy free of service.
7. Pack too much
Too many clothes, too many books, too much utensils. The instinct to take care of every contingency while you are on vacation often means that you have difficulty doing the suitcase zip.
The healing: Place everything on the bed. Then put 10 things back in the drawer. And take a tiny bag of the detergent; You can always rinse things and dry them on the hotel cloth. Or, when the worst comes to the worst, you have business abroad …
8. Assuming your travel route
Cultural overload kills the joy of discovery. There is a limit for how much we can take on a visit, but somehow the fear of missing it so often overwrites.
The healing: Remember, less is really more. Our target leaders are the best place to help your curated travel route for every trip.
9. Assign the wrong roles
Map reading. Negotiation. Solve conflicts or complaints. Usually, a person in every couple (or a group) is better suited for the role than the other. But somehow this person often ends.
The healing: Take a long look at yourself and either step back or put yourself on.
10. Take your laptop on vacation
What are you doing? Are you crazy
The healing: See a psychologist. I have already booked my appointment.
This article was first published and revised and updated in April 2024.
