mikewot

E Gate card?

Millhouse

I would never use the towel.

scrubbedexpat141

Going to get one, it's only down the road from me. Never queued before....that 45 minute wait was in the Business queue too.

mikewot

Shocking! They are introding a new system utilising E Passports early this year, no little man to interrogate and stamp your passport in future, unless (like me) you have an old style passport. Luckily my olde passport runs out before my egate card

scrubbedexpat141

In Dubai it will be great, won't waste pages for stamps for no reason.

In the UK, I got through a reasonable size passport queue much quicker than the folk using the new passport scanning laser eyeball testicle recognition booth things.

kittycat1

silversilver, I am a fellow insomniac and it sucks!

My tips would be, have some lavender under your pillow, a warm/hot bath half an hour before bed, don't drink any caffeine after 3pm, doing some exercise in the evening- even just a walk to clear your head and calm you down, enough to give a glow to your cheeks, also eating better helps, cut out any crap in your diet or as much as possible, don't smoke before bed, reading but read a boring book (not a kindle) that sends you to sleep not one that you get engrossed in, switch off all gadgets, so no computers, iphoney things for at least 2 hours before bed, earlier if possible. At my worst I count up to 100 then back down then back up then back down etc stops me over thinking and allows me to nod off. I've also started keeping a notebook next to my bed so when I wake up thinking about work etc I make a note so I don't forget and find it easier to drift back off.

silversilver

Thanks everybody for the good advice. Will never take a night flight again! My problem started because I didn't sleep on the flight or the next day then fell into the pattern of going to bed extremely late and then waking mid afternoon. Still not sleeping properly as you can see but then I don't help myself - I had a coffee tonight, am on the internet just now and of course am thinking about how many hours sleep I have before I get up!! I'm going to follow everybody's advice ... well apart from Millhouse's three M's theory at the weekend!

Cypselos

Mine never bloody works, the fingerprint scan never registers. Have to go through the whole charade and then go and see the chap sitting next to the booth anyway. Still quicker than the queue though.