The Best Ways to Kill Time at the Airport

When I was a kid, I remember there being a huge fuss about getting to the airport on time. As a general rule of thumb, it was always best to be there two hours before take off however, my own family (and most of those I knew) would often play if safe and add an extra hour to that.

I suppose back then it was because flying was newer to us and not something we took for granted. These days I’m far more relaxed on travel days (as are my parents after many more flights) and I’ll usually push the airport arrival time as close to take-off as possible. While this relaxed method works wonders for helping me enjoy my flying experience it does the opposite for Kirsty, who tends to get herself in a panic about these things.

Despite this more casual approach, there is inevitably still plenty of down-time involved with every flight, even more so if you’re unlucky enough to be caught up in a delay.  So what can you do to make the most of your free-time at the airport?

Things to do while waiting for your flight

Creative Commons Flickr Credit: João Sá Leão – Photography

Read

This is probably the most obvious suggestion but for good reason. If you’re like me, who loves reading, you probably feel guilty about sitting down on the couch during the day and spending a couple of hours with your head in a good book. It always feels like there is more important things to be done whether it be work, chores around the house or even worse, exercise.

For these reasons, reading is usually only bedtime time entertainment in my house and it’s rare I’ll last more than 30 minutes before nodding off into a deep sleep. The airport gives you some free time to really get stuck into that new book you’ve been wanting to read for ages, you’ll not only have your time in departures but the entire flight too.

Learn a Language

For the majority of people flying means one thing, you’re going on holiday. So that’s sea, sunshine, and… Spanish?

Make the most of your time on those uncomfortable airport seats by learning a few of the basic phrases in the language of your destination. You don’t need to be fluent by the time you arrive but a few polite words like please, thank you, and good evening can go a long way with the locals.

You don’t even need to invest in expensive dictionaries or other books these days, there are plenty of language apps available for your smartphone that’ll have you talking in no time.

Play a Game

If you’re travelling with kids then chances are they’ll not be that interested in the two suggestions above and as parents your happiness is no doubt strongly linked to theirs. As a kid, I used to love flying but the waiting could send me mad, it wasn’t common at the time but now most airports have wifi that can be put to great use.

Once you’ve found a quiet spot near the departure gate, grab your computer and search out some online games to have fun. With so many games available the kids will be kept quiet for hours so you can focus on how to say “two beers please” in Spanish.

Creative Commons Flickr Credit: marco.giumelli

Sleep

This is everyones favourite way of passing time, who doesn’t love a good nap.

It’s not quite as easy as just falling asleep unfortunately, first you have to be lucky and find a secluded spot. Chances are your departure gate will be very crowded so finding somewhere comfortable and nearby is the challenge. The last thing you want to be doing is waking up in a fright and have to run to the plane.

Secondly, you need to drown out that horrible airport noise, whether it’s the endless chatter, kids screaming or the regular baggage announcements . And while slipping your headphones in and drifting off to some of your favourite tunes is the best idea, it’s a dangerous game. You either need to make sure you have someone with you to keep an eye on the time or a tried and tested (before the day) alarm set that you know you won’t sleep through.

Hit the Bar

Ah the airport, the only place where drinking at 6am isn’t frowned upon.

“It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” is a popular saying to explain early drinking but, in the airport there is no time restrictions. With people flying in and out from all around the world, who’s to say you haven’t been up for hours and are due a drink.

After all, it’s the start of your holiday, go enjoy that first drink!

What’s your favourite thing to do at the airport to kill time?