Ask a pilot: how to have a stress-free summer

Interviews: Harriet Cooper
Illustrations: Telegramme 

July is prime travel-to-Europe time, which often means busy terminals, queuing at attractions, overcrowded restaurants, exhausted families and a general sense of swimming against the tide rather than embracing that holiday-by-the-sea spirit. And who wants to return home wearier than when they left?

Having flown around the world many times over, pilots know something most travellers don’t – how to navigate the ebb and flow of the summer season. They understand airport dynamics, destination timings and insider tricks for moving through the continent more smoothly. Here, three pilots, who have seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t, share their tips on how to experience the hottest European destinations while keeping your cool. 

Chris Brehm, Training Captain

Be the family that ‘does lunch’
On holiday, we’re more lunch-people than dinner-people. Restaurants are quieter and you’re not keeping the kids up late. Also, there’s a swathe of Europe that shuts down mid-afternoon, so you can have your lunch and then go and relax because that’s what everyone else is doing. Menus can be better value and you don’t have to organise taxis or worry about where you are after dark. 

Get the best out of the beach
We find it’s best to go to the beach early – we’ll take our breakfast. When it starts getting busy and too hot around 11am, we clear off, returning at about 4pm when people are packing up, which helps with parking. If you’re after a quieter beach, find one where you have to do a bit of walking to get there – it puts so many people off. In Madeira, we discovered one 20 minutes from the car park and there was hardly anybody there.

Don’t worry, be ’appy
As a pilot, I have 13 weather apps. Anything with a weather radar is really handy (the Meteoblue and Windy apps are particularly great). Heavy rain can be very localised, so it means you can see exactly where the showers are and then go the other way. I’ll say to the family: “We’re going to have to be ready to get indoors in one hour because that’s when the rain is.” The other app I use is Duolingo for picking up bits of the local language. 

Hit the brakes
Why rush? At the airport, if you see people standing at the gate before boarding’s even begun, don’t think, “Is that something I should do?” I feel you have a nicer time if you wait rather than trying to be first. Also, why does everybody get up when we’re disembarking? You’re going to be there for a little while, so just stay seated. In fact, we recently left some souvenirs we bought on the plane because we were flustered by everybody leaving. We should have just waited.

Amy Millar, Senior First Officer

Up your security savvy
Go online to check security requirements for where you’re flying from, in terms of liquids or what to take out of your bag. Everyone presumes London is the same as a little airport in Italy but they often aren’t. Some airports, such as Gatwick, also have family security lanes. At Amsterdam, you can book a security time slot, which is free to do – just download the Schiphol app, say, “I’m going to be there at 3pm” and they’ll give you access to a dedicated queue.

Early bird catches the ride
With children, we’re up early. I have no qualms about being the first one to get to an attraction. If a place opens at 7am, we’ll try to get there then. It’s cooler at that time of day and it’s often empty. If you can do the whole thing and be finished by just after lunchtime, you’ll be going back to your hotel or rental while other people are still streaming in. It means you can rest and the kids can have some time out of the sun.

Pack it in
I find suitcases can be black holes, so I’ll use packing cubes in my large suitcase, with a cube for each person. In my hand luggage, I carry a smaller set of travel pouches in bright colours – containing charging cables in the purple one, toiletries in blue, etc – so it’s easy to grab the correct one. And I have a spare outfit for everybody in our carry-on. Take the trousers, put the T-shirt in the middle, then pants and socks in the middle of that, and you just roll it up into a ball. I always have that at the bottom of my bag for the kids.

James Boyce, Senior First Officer

Go with a game plan
The biggest thing for me is building flexibility into plans. I find that by leaving a bit of extra time between activities and by planning an efficient route between locations, I have a far better overall experience, especially in a new city with lots of things I want to see. It sometimes means getting up a bit earlier or staying out a bit later than normal. This can completely transform the excursion compared to the middle of the day when everyone arrives at once.

Hit the books 
Doing a bit of research before you visit a country is always good, especially about the different customs. I remember the first time I went to Tokyo – I hadn’t appreciated that tipping is a no-no. Knowing those nuances means you can make the most of the experience culturally. And I like to have a to-do list. Sometimes it’s nice not to make it through the entire itinerary, though. It gives you a reason to go back.

Bag it up
At the airport, by the time I get to the front of the queue in security, I’m ready to go. I’ve got my laptop, iPad and liquids out (if that’s needed). My belt, phone, wallet and keys are also in my bag. This way, it’s efficient and quick. When I get to my destination, I always carry a backpack with me, even if it’s just a drawstring bag – it’s so useful. It gives you somewhere to store extra water and means that if you pick up souvenirs during the day, you don’t have to carry them around in a plastic shopping bag. 

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