Airport travel can be tricky to navigate, especially when you are departing on an early morning flight after an amazing vacation. At the end of our recent Danube river cruise we departed from the Munich Airport with a direct flight to Detroit, MI where we would connect.

It had been several years since I had been to the Munich airport, and I honestly had not given much thought on what to expect. I thought I had it covered – I had packed clear ziplock bags for my toiletries and even carried along a separate lightweight bag to put said toiletries in, along with my laptop and iPad so that I could quickly place these items into the bin to go through security. We arrived about 2 hours early, just in case! And while all of these things helped, there were still some unknowns that we would encounter.

SO, in a nutshell, here is some advice for you to have in your back pocket for when you are departing from the Munich Airport~

• Get there early.  There will be several lines to wait in. Yep, I did say several, keep reading for details…
• Use the Airport App: to get the lay of the land. The Munich Airport app provides real-time flight information, navigation assistance, and updates on facilities and services.
• Check in at the airline – and get a paper boarding pass.  Now, you might not even have the option to check in on-line 24 hours in advance. For whatever reason, my husband was able to, but I was not. Regardless, you will want a paper ticket. The paper boarding pass is much easier to use than the barcode on your phone.  
• Why? There will be several times you will need to show both your ticket and your passport, so keep your ticket tucked in between the pages of your passport that have your photo and look like a pro to customs and airline staff.
• There is no Clear or Pre-Check like in the states.  Be prepared to remove liquids, laptops and tablets to place in a designated bin for security.  Pack spare clear ziplock bags for toiletries, even if you had Clear and TSA Pre-Check back in the states. As I stated earlier, I also found it handy to put all these items into a lightweight bag (a plastic grocery bag would work) so that I could easily pull them out for security. Once we were through the X-ray scans, I just opened up my carry-on and popped it all back where it would stay (so I thought…) until we were home.
• Upon exiting security you will be routed through passport control.  Yes, another line! There is a program you can pre-sign up for in order to use the computer kiosks for passport control that is much like the Global Re-entry program here in the states.  But if you have not done this, then you need to wait in line, again, to show your passport and ticket in person to the customs agent. The customs agent will also ask questions pertaining to your travels – “how long have you been in country? What type of travel were you here for?” are some common examples.
• Finally – you’ve made it! Follow the signs to your gate.  Signage is both in German and English. If you have time, enjoy some duty free shopping in the many shops the airport has to offer.
• Key Takeaway Alert:  Be sure to use the bathroom and purchase snacks before entering the gate area BECAUSE the gate does not have vending machines nor bathrooms, and you may be there for a while waiting. There is however a smoking area and seating, but NO BATHROOM. Prepare accordingly!
• Another reason you have kept your boarding pass tucked into your passport – You will need to show your passport and ticket again before entering the gate area.  At this point you might also be randomly selected to go through a security screening again (yep, happened to myself).  If so, you must again pull out all liquids, laptops, and tablets similar to the process at the initial screening. All of my careful planning and prep went out the window at this point since I had to dig all of my stuff back out of my carry-on roller bag… also another reason to arrive at the airport early!
• Be aware of the outside weather – Once your boarding zone is announced, more than likely a bus will arrive to take you to your plane.  Be sure to be aware of the weather since there will be moments when you are exposed to the elements.
• Finally 🙂 tuck into your seat, sit back and relax. You’ve got a few hours to kill before you’re back home and reality sets back in…

When in doubt – go directly to the source! The Munich Airport website has a wealth of information to prepare you to have a successful end to your memorable vacation.

We know how important vacations are to you.  From the excitement and anticipation before you leave to the memorable experiences you have with friends and family, we are with you the whole way.  Whether you have a bucket list ready or PTO you want to figure out how to use, we invite you to schedule a call with us to get the planning started.