5 Ways to Miss Your Flight
Step 1: Don't.
Missing a flight is the worsttttt, it can cost you a shit ton of money or worse, a night in an airport where you'll end up watching 8 episodes of Fargo and Tindering the shit out of the Charlotte male population for no reason. Some cute dudes there though, gotta say.
Sometimes it is out of your control but if you plan ahead I hear the likelihood reduces. Yes I take my own advice (sometimes).
Here are 5 sure fire steps to miss your flight (so don't do these things) duh.
1. Do not have a plan B
Some people think that the metro is the best form of transit- I happen to agree though that doesn't mean you shouldn't research your arrival city and decide for yourself.
A metro system especially in Europe is quite easy and usually is clear about delays - BUT they DO have delays and they will fuck your travel plans up if you don't have a plan B.
Use the magical internet to search out two ways to arrive to the airport . Best are; Bus and metro if you're not trying to light your money on fire by using a taxi. With either form - write down or screenshot your walk route as well as names of stops and travel time.
2. Budget tightly with no leeway
I know as well as anyone that having a budget is important. But it's also important to give yourself some wiggle room if you're one that loves a well organized budget. Things to take into consideration while traveling are things like flight changes, currency exchange rates, international fees and travel costs - metro, bus etc. Do your research and you'll be golden.
You will likely spend more than you think you will. Mistakes happen and they cost money - if you give yourself a couple hundred bucks for those aw fuck moments you will be much less pissed off when you accidentally purchase the wrong train ticket or (if you're reading this you better not) you miss your flight.**
3.Don't take advantage of pre-check ins and electronic boarding passes
Technology has come a long way - for you iPhone-ers , use Apple wallet to access your boarding pass without having to connect to internet. Most airlines will allow you to check in less than 30 hours before your flight. If not, I'd suggest arriving at least 1.5 hours before boarding time. In my experience within Europe, gates aren't announced until about 15 minutes before boarding time but you want to go through security well before then. Checking in and saving your boarding pass the night before your flight will save you a good 45 mins or more at the airport.
4.Plan your arrival based on flight time as opposed to boarding time
Flight time means OUT. The plane is taxiing and about to gtfo. Do not make the mistake of planning your arrival based on flight time - yes sometimes a plane will wait for its missing passenger but that's quite rare and expecting that kind of treatment is plain silly. Here's my best advice on this one: plan to arrive at the airport, that means in the door, at least an hour (or more if you're traveling with children) before your BOARDING TIME. This is only if you've checked in and got your boarding pass printed/electronic. If not, add another 45 mins to an hour depending on the size of your airport.
5.Don't ask anyone any questions or learn the language of your specific outbound country.
Listen. People like feeling helpful - more so they like when you speak their language when asking questions. If you're standing in the Paris underground and the same French message keeps replaying while you're awaiting your train - fucking. Ask. Someone. What. The. Fuck. It's. Saying. (Specifically reprimanding myself). Asking questions will save you an incredible amount of time and will likely save you from missing your damned flight.
** if you do miss your flight - don't make an impulse purchase. The counter will likely try to "help you" by recommending the next flight out but you're not married to that specific airline. Take a seat- use your extra aw fuck money to get a glass of vino and Google around what options you have for outbound same-day. Doing this saved me about 200 euro and a night in the Paris Airport. You've already missed your flight - sit down (be humble) and research your best option.
