The plane is considered one of the most popular modes of transport. As of 2022, there were 22.2 million flights worldwide. Of course, not everyone likes this way of moving. At the same time, its positive aspects cannot be ignored. 

 

Recommendations for novice tourists who are at the airport and are about to fly.

 

We at Bemorepanda have compiled tips that will be useful for people who prefer air travel. Thanks to them, any trip will be as easy and interesting as possible. And at the end you will find a bonus that will be useful to those who are stuck at the airport for a long time.

 

Life hack 1: Correct actions at the baggage conveyor

When receiving luggage, you should not stand close to the conveyor belt all the time. It is better to take a few steps back and when the right bag appears, just take it and move on.

 

— sandypassage/reddit.com

 

Life hack 2: Arrive at the airport before check-in and boarding

Arriving early and being bored a couple of hours before departure is much better than arriving 5 minutes before check-in closes and feeling stressed out.

 

— anon/reddit.com

 

Life hack 3: Don't be silent

For example, if a passenger at Copenhagen Airport has some kind of problem that is invisible to others (disability, eating disorder, or something else), then he can go to the service desk and receive a sunflower badge. The staff will know that this person has some kind of problem (without asking what it is) and will be more accommodating to him.

 

Other airports may also have this option. Check it out ahead of time online.

 

— crazymissdaisy87 / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 4: If a person put on headphones, then he does not want to talk

Some people don't even listen to music while wearing headphones. They just use them to drown out sounds that are too loud. You should treat it like sunglasses on a blind person and don't get offended.

 

— jabs1042 / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 5: Be good on the plane

You should not stretch your legs towards another person, lean on and sleep on strangers. Men or women with long hair should not throw it over the back of the seat. This will cause inconvenience to the passenger sitting in the back.

 

— alieshasavage / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 6: Get everything you need done before landing

Before landing, you must go to the restroom and satisfy other similar needs.

 

mikedashe/reddit.com

 

Life hack 7: Don't lean on someone else's seat

A person sitting in the middle of the aircraft cabin has access to two armrests. Therefore, do not encroach on what belongs to another.

 

obligatoryclevername / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 8: Keep your distance

The passenger should not engage other people on the plane in small talk. Especially if they do not want this and continue to do their own thing (read, sleep or listen to music).

 

Also, before flying, children should be taught not to kick the seat of the person in front of them.

 

— anon/reddit.com

 

Life hack 9: Don't make everyone wait

After the security check, when the X-ray conveyor belt brings the tray with outerwear, wallet, belt, shoes, bag, laptop, etc., you should not stand in front of the queue, dressing slowly and making everyone else nervous and waiting. You need to take your things and take them to the benches and tables set aside specifically for this purpose.

 

— anon/reddit.com

 

Life hack 10: Children are the responsibility of parents

Passengers with children should bring something to keep them entertained during a long flight. If this something has sound, you should make sure that they are wearing headphones. Parents may have become accustomed to the PAW Patrol's cartoon talk and toy cries, but the rest of the plane doesn't have to listen.

 

Life hack 11: Do not neglect the rules of personal hygiene

When preparing for a flight, passengers should choose appropriate clothing. It is better to refuse shoes under which you will not put on a sock. Especially if you like to take off your shoes on an airplane. For example, agree that you will look silly with bare feet. The attention of other passengers to your feet will be ensured.

 

Also, barefoot passengers look ridiculous before boarding a flight, when they take off their shoes during the inspection. — icanbeafrick / Reddit.com

 

Also, travelers are reminded to remember to use deodorant before the flight. — DianneQuinn / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 12: Pay attention to the scoreboard

You should not just trust the number of the passage through which you board the plane indicated in the phone application. Always double check airport screens. In the application or on the site, the information about the place of boarding the aircraft may be incorrect.

 

— googooachu / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 13: Passengers are responsible for their belongings

Passengers are not recommended to leave their bags unattended, as well as instruct strangers to watch them. Of course, it's good to be a kind and helpful person, but you should never take responsibility for someone else's luggage - who knows what's in it? Therefore, it is easy to get into a difficult situation.

 

— kevinokai / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 14: Don't lean on adjacent seat backs

Passengers should never put their feet on the adjacent armrest. Also, do not use the head restraint in front of you for support to help you get up from your seat. This action turns the seat of the people in front into a catapult.

 

— CareerMicDro / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 15: You should take at least two bags on a trip

The backpack must contain all the things that passengers would like to have on hand at all times during the flight. A large suitcase should only be opened after the plane has landed.

 

— satya314 / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 16: Stay away from the queue of old people, children and families

Experienced travelers recommend standing in line for business people. There's a great scene in Up in the Air where Clooney talks about the different types of people who use planes to travel. Everything he said was true.

 

— satya314 / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 17: Control yourself

Flight attendants have heard a thousand times from passengers requests to transfer them to business class, naming hundreds of reasons why it is they who need to transfer from economy. However, changing from cheap seats to business class is not so easy. If you still managed to achieve what you wanted, you should not brag about it at every step. This can bring trouble to the flight attendants who transplanted you in good faith.

 

— satya314 / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 18: This can come in handy during the flight

If a person flies frequently, then he should purchase a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

 

A small powerbank can make all the difference if your gadgets run out of battery.

 

On board the aircraft, you should carry a small bag containing the usual over-the-counter medicines that you may need on the journey.

 

— satya314 / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 19: Don't sit by the window

If a person knows that he will constantly visit the restroom, it is better for him not to sit in the window seat.

 

— Vegas_Keys / Reddit.com

 

Life hack 20: Take an empty water bottle with you

An empty container can be refilled in a bar, cafe, and in case of emergency in the toilet, although it is not recommended to use tap water in the latrines. Air travel dehydrates the body, and most passengers still do not drink enough fluids during the flight. Plus be aware that airport water is very expensive

 

Airports are a place where people can forget the basic rules of courtesy. However, in order to catch your flight, you need to be able to quickly navigate and behave more decisively than usual.

 

Don't skip meals on long-haul flights, even if it's pizza and beer for breakfast.

 

If there are no empty seats in the waiting rooms, then you can safely sit on the floor - it's better than standing for several hours before the announcement of registration for the desired flight.

 

Life Hack 21: Use Useful Websites Before Your Flight

SeatGuru.com is a site for choosing the best seats on an airplane. Here you can read tips on where to sit in the cabin, find out where there are seats with extra legroom, considering the shape of the airliner, read the details of a particular flight, get a description of your aircraft, and read traveler reviews.

 

By the way, novice aviation tourists should know that engine vibrations are most felt in places near the wings. On long flights in such places, you may feel noticeably more tired.

 

Bonus: If you don’t know what to do at the airport after being stuck in it for a long time, here is what one traveler advises:

 

If you have a lot of time before your flight and you do not know what to do with yourself, go to the baggage claim area, to the place where passengers are given their arriving animals. You can get stuck for a long time watching dogs, cats and other beloved pets run out of their carriers and rush to their owners. According to the author of the advice, all animals behave differently, which was a discovery for him.

 

— Scrappy_Larue / Reddit.com

 

 

Traveling now is difficult, and in many places it is impossible. But the borders have begun to slowly open - and this year's vacation already sounds like a plan, not just a dream. But how risky is it and is it even possible to protect yourself from coronavirus on vacation? Weigh the pros and cons together.

Over the past year, everyone has grown tired of worries, confusion and prohibitions. This article was written to help you decide whether or not to go on vacation in 2021. Bemorepanda explains you how it is going.

Tourism in the era of coronavirus: where can you go abroad now? And whether to go at all?

Some countries are opening borders and easing quarantine measures, but this does not add confidence. The question of whether it is safe to travel now is even more worrisome after the resumption of international traffic.

The answer depends on many factors: the way of travel (by plane, train, car, or something else), direction, fresh statistics on cases of coronavirus infection in a certain place, quarantine measures and current prevention methods.

Should I book a flight this year?

Long queues at the check-in counters, security checks at the airport, waiting for departure side by side with a crowd of strangers, several hours in an airplane seat in the same cabin with other passengers - all this raises doubts about the safety of flights during a pandemic.

But the good news is that airports and airlines have already adjusted to the new reality.

For example, carriers have introduced flexible rules for canceling and postponing flight bookings, and large air hubs are closing some terminals to ensure more effective security measures in a pandemic. There are also far fewer cafes and shops at airports. Some sell only takeaway.

The temperature is measured at anyone who enters the airport building: passengers, greeters, crew members, airport staff and everyone else. In some cases, non-contact thermometers and thermal imagers are used again - just before boarding a flight.

In public transport, taxis, in terminal terminals and during the entire flight, masks are required, and sometimes other personal protective equipment (face screens, for example) are required.

Social distancing rules are widely followed. Airlines are changing seating positions in aircraft cabins whenever possible, offering self-check-in instead of check-in at counters, and redesigning the queuing system so that passengers are at a safe distance from each other. The cabins of the largest carriers are equipped with HEPA air filters. Some air terminals have introduced one-way traffic through terminals to reduce the number of personal contacts between people.

The approach of airlines to in-flight meals has also changed: some carriers no longer serve food on their flights, others have cut down on the menu and offer only individually packaged snacks and drinks in cans. It's safer to take a snack with you from home - just check the airlines' requirements for food in hand luggage.

Isn't it dangerous to stay in hotels during the coronavirus?

Major hotel chains and small family hotels are well aware that in the era of the coronavirus, guests' demands on the hygiene and safety of vacation homes have increased.

To reduce the risks for guests, many hotels offer contactless check-in and check-out and virtual reception, but almost everywhere they abandoned the buffet and free use of pools and other public areas. In the hotels of large world chains, even the room service has been replaced with an application: you place an order through your smartphone - and it is left under the room door.

Social markings and machines with sanitizers at every turn are a new reality in the hotel world. Many good hotels use disinfectant mats, air ionizers and electrostatic filters, and offer guests free masks. Cleanliness in rooms is now more closely monitored than before the pandemic: in many hotels, tables with a schedule for the latest and planned cleaning have appeared, and the cleaning protocols themselves have become more stringent.

Most hotels around the world now allow free cancellation or modification of reservations up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled check-in date. And to make you even more relaxed, the cleanliness rating is immediately visible in the search results for hotels on Skyscanner. It shows you the hotel's hygiene standards and helps you make an informed booking decision.

Is it safe now to travel by car and is it worth renting a car on vacation from a hygiene point of view?

Analysts predict an increase in demand for car rental and car sharing during the pandemic, as these are safer alternatives to public transport. If you rent a car on a trip or drive a car sharing car, do not forget about safety measures: gloves, ventilation and treatment of contact surfaces with an antiseptic will never hurt.

Car rental offices are doing everything to ensure that their service meets safety requirements during the coronavirus period. The giants are investing in the development of machines that unlock automatically, that is, without keys walking from hand to hand. But that's not all: many measures to protect against COVID-19 have already been implemented.

For example, a car from Sixt can now be ordered, picked up and returned without personal contact with managers and agents. The keys are left in the locker, which you can access through the mobile application. Another car rental company, Zipcar, has already introduced a mobile car unlocking system: they have an app that replaces keys. Read about other travel contactless technologies.

Is it dangerous to travel by train until the COVID-19 pandemic is over?

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, railways strictly follows the recommendations.

Measures to ensure the sanitary safety of train passengers in our country are divided into two types:

Disinfection of trains. Before leaving the route, each train is thoroughly disinfected. Bed linen, which is given to passengers for rest and spending the night on the train, also undergoes additional sanitation.

Staff at train stations and on trains must wear masks and undergo a body temperature check before going on shift. All railway workers have received special training - they know how to take care of a passenger who has symptoms of SARS on the way, and of those around them.

Comprehensive disinfection is carried out at railway stations with the participation of specialists. A safe distance between passengers is also respected. The most walk-through places, checkout rooms, sanitary rooms, platforms, walkways and office premises are treated with special disinfectants. There are markings everywhere, and there are vending machines with sanitizers at the entrance, at the ticket office and in the waiting rooms. In some places, personal protective equipment (PPE) is issued.

Do they measure the temperature on the train and how is the railway being treated now?

On the way, train passengers are measured twice a day. If someone has a high rate, the conductors will exclude contact between the passenger and others and call an ambulance to the nearest station.

At least four times a day during the journey, the personnel must sanitize all surfaces of the rolling stock using means that prevent the spread of bacteria.

In addition to disinfecting bed linen and carriage surfaces,railways ensures safety in restaurant carriages. They use sanitization and checkerboard seating to maintain social distance, and all service personnel wear masks. If you do not want to visit the restaurant car, you can order any dish from the menu from the conductor with delivery to your place.

Similar rules apply at train stations and on trains abroad. Thorough multiple disinfection, social markup, checkerboard seating, thermometry, sanitizers, masks and contactless payment for services are used.