Looking to bring the spirit of the holiday season to the airport with you? Follow these 12 practices for the holidays during your twelve days of holiday travel and enjoy the stress they release and the peace they bring to otherwise stressful travels. (They actually work well any time of the year.)
1. Say “Thank You” before you enter the airport – be grateful for the opportunity to travel.
2. Wish the airline employee, who is herding cats all day long at the ticketing counter and boarding gate, “Happy holidays!”
3. Grab a good cup of coffee and savor it.
4. Find a spot to enjoy 5 minutes of silence.
5. Let someone enter the security line ahead of you.
6. Find a crowded area and take a seat on a bench to do some people watching. Appreciate uniqueness.
7. Don’t contribute to the “Human Wall of Boarding” by standing too close to the gate before your “zone” is called to board (Thank you, Janice Hough)
8. Help someone on your airplane load their carry-on into the overhead storage bin.
9. On your flight, write a letter to someone in your life that you want to remind how important they are to you.
10. Sit still at the “ding” when your airplane lands. Don’t contribute to the madness – everyone has places to go.
11. Step back from the baggage claim so that everyone can see the bags when they begin moving down the carousel.
12. Hug your family members and friends and tell them you love them
Jason Barger is author of Step Back from the Baggage Claim: Change the World, Start at the Airport.
Jason Barger spent seven straight days flying 6,458 miles to seven different cities – without leaving the airports the entire time. He studied 10,000 minutes of observations at all four corners of the U.S. and reflected on how our airport experiences can teach us about our lives TODAY. The funny and inspiring stories remind us how to change our daily world in our personal lives, businesses, schools, and faith communities! Join the movement. All four editions of Step Back from the Baggage Claim are motivational books perfect for anyone looking to impact change in their life and work.
