Travelling is one of the most rewarding and outstanding experiences that you can have in life. It allows us to explore new places, make new friendships, explore ourselves, try different and bizarre foods, and learn about different cultures and traditions. Travelling can also help us to relax, de-stress, and release our minds from any negative thoughts. Sometimes travelling would be a great chance to start a new white paper in our lives and start to write down new adventures with a clear soul and mind. But before that, we have to face reality and wait inside an airport for a while, or maybe for long hours, so we need to know exactly what to do at the airport!
That’s why you are reading this blog right now. A long layover at the airport may seem boring and a waste of time, but believe me, you will change your mind after reading, because on the contrary, there are a lot of interesting airport activities that you can do and entertain your time with. We will show you what to do at an airport and how to take advantage of your time to make it worthwhile and more enjoyable.
Things to Do in an Airport
Waiting is the hardest part of life. We live our lives waiting for something to happen. We wait for trains, test results, job offers, happiness, and love. But the nicest waiting ever is waiting for your airplane to travel to your favourite country excitingly with your loved ones or even alone. So here’s a list of things to do while waiting for a flight at the airport to make the time fly.
What to do during a long layover?
Escape The Hustle of The Airport by Reading
Reading at the airport is the best way to prepare yourself for any vacations or trips. A good book can help you forget about the flight delay and not be mad about it. Waiting at the airport is the perfect opportunity to switch off your brain from all other surroundings, such as people hurrying up, kids crying, and the noisy sound of sirens at the airport.
And in case you forget your book, you will be able to buy a new one from the book stores at the airport. Additionally, you may find some airports provide reading areas, local libraries, and e-book libraries for people while waiting for their flights with no charge at all. Examples of these airports are:
- Manhattan Regional Airport in Kansas, sending QR codes to people at the airport of the Kansas State Library’s Digital Book eLending page.
- Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania is offering free Wi-Fi and connecting users to the full network of the Philadelphia library in case you have a library card.
- Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania is also providing free access to the HIA eBook library there, which allows people to download what they want from a huge selection of books.
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, people have the chance to enjoy the book collection of the Broward County Library through QR codes that are sent to them.
Airport shopping, where the options are endless
Shopping is the only guilty pleasure. It is what to do at the airport, happily but with a little guilt for spending your money. Especially shopping at the airport because stores there are relatively expensive and fancy. Airports usually have a great variety of famous stores and brands for perfumes, clothes, travel accessories, makeup, and kids gifts.
Even if you are just window shopping and decide not to purchase anything, it is an entertaining way to pass time and get distracted in case you have a plane phobia. Shopping at the airport is also a great opportunity to buy gifts and souvenirs for your friends and family if you are heading back home after a long trip abroad.
Overcome a long layover and take a nap!
What are the best things to do at the airport? Let’s take a quick nap while waiting for the flight, but first we have to prepare some sleeping accessories to enjoy a comfortable sleep, such as noise-canceling earbuds, a cushy pillow, and an eye mask to block out all ambient light.
And of course, it’s better to wear comfy clothes like sweatshirts and sweatpants. But please don’t forget to set your alarm; sleeping will make you dream, but travelling will turn your dreams into reality.
Pre-flight meal: the best way to start a vacation
It’s always known that food at airports wouldn’t be your best meal, but that was in the past. Now you can have the best fine dining at the airport ever. Airports have improved their services and include famous and international restaurants that provide various options and types of tasty food for people before and after their flights.
Despite that, it’s preferable to eat something light and easy to digest before boarding, especially if you have a long-haul flight, and that’s because your anxiety and stress may negatively impact the digestion process, which will bother you during your flight.
And here is a list of some airport restaurants that are ranked among the top 10 restaurants around the world that you have to try at the airport during your next travel trip:
- One Flew South restaurant at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in the United States; it’s a Japanese food restaurant and considered the first fine dining restaurant in the world’s busiest airport.
- Root Down restaurant at Denver International Airport in the United States.
- Sushi Kyotatsu restaurant at Narita International Airport in Japan.
- All Bar One restaurant at Birmingham Airport in England.
- Bamee restaurants at Munich International Airport in Germany.
Discover the Best Strange Activities of International Airports!
Airports will not be boring places anymore! Airports used to be a pretty stressful affair. We suffer there from the noise and standing for hours in long lines. But airports now are creative enough to make people enjoy the time by doing a lot of different activities that you never thought to do at an airport, but believe me, you will!
Airports now tend to be luxurious and contain all the comfort, pleasure, and entertainment that will make you never want to leave. There is no time to feel bored. These airports are just designed and created to impress travellers and keep them busy and entertained while waiting for their flights, not just to shuttle them around the world. So we will continue to answer the question, “What to do when you get to the airport?”
Airport delays will get you swimming
Did you ever think about swimming at the airport before your flight? I don’t think so, but why not? Hamad International Airport in Qatar features a 25-meter, temperature-controlled indoor lap pool. You can enter it for only $35, including the gym and Jacuzzi, to relax and chill.
Fly among the butterflies before you travel
What to do at the airport, especially Changi Airport in Singapore? Before catching your flight, you can enjoy your time in the first butterfly garden in an airport in the world. The garden contains a six-meter waterfall, beautiful plants, and, of course, more than one thousand gorgeous and attractive butterflies. So it will be a very enjoyable experience before a flight with free access.
For movie lovers: The airport theater will be your happy place
When you are at the Portland International Airport in Oregon, you will totally forget the idea of watching a movie on your small screens, like your mobile phone or even your laptop, because you will have the chance to watch nice short movies on a big screen at the Hollywood theatre without spending any money. So, that is what to do at the airport. But don’t get too engrossed in watching the movies, so you don’t miss the plane!
Handling kids at the airport is not a hard adventure anymore!
Airports are the ultimate test of a parent’s patience, where the kids are hyper and bored of waiting for the flights. That’s why Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates has solved that problem by designating an interactive kids zone to keep them distracted and happy for a long time until the flight time. Kids will have a lot of games to play in the airport, which will also enable them to make new friendships with other kids.
Yoga at the airport is a way of preparing yourself for a long journey
It may seem bizarre, but yoga is what to do at airport to manage stress and inevitable anxiety before travel. San Francisco International Airport in the USA features a yoga room to offer travellers a calm atmosphere to relax, destress, and reduce muscle tension before their flights.
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