Brandstaetter Images/Getty Images Bustling airports filled with screaming children, muffled gate change announcements, and inevitably the largest crowd of spatially inept people you could possibly encounter can be a stressful experience depending on your disposition. At the airport, odds are you're either leaving your home to fly somewhere else with a few days worth of rations, or you're heading home after an exhausting trip with bags full of dirty laundry, and there are a million other variables to worry about all at the same time. How do we cope with stress? Say it together everyone: drink! Or at least that's one option for coping with the stress of flying at most airports. Regardless of which maladaptive coping mechanism you choose, or even the healthy ones, we want to know what your airport ritual is. Do you arrive three-hours early just in case, or do you try to cut it as close as possible? Do you pass security and head straight for the bar, or do you find the sensory room and pretend you're not in public? Sound off in the comments below. My airport routine is arrive early, eat, drink, and find the lounge if that's an option Smith Collection/gado/Getty Images I am generally terrified of being unprepared even when I'm just spending the night at a friend's place, let alone something with as much logistics as travel requires, so first off, I arrive at the airport at least two hours before boarding time if it's a major airport like LAX. You never know what horrors could be awaiting you in the security line. Then I do the whole song and dance of walking to my gate to make sure I have visual confirmation that it exists, and then immediately turn around and find somewhere to eat. I'm big and usually hungry, so I make sure to get a good meal before a long flight. Maybe a beer or four to take the edge off, or start the vacation if that's my reason for travel. And if I'm flying in a fancy boy class like I often do for work, I find the nearest lounge and see what goodies await inside. So what about you? What's your airport ritual?
