Whether you’ve just rocked up at the airport a few hours before your flight leaves, or you’re touching down at an airport for the purpose of a transfer, finding entertainment at the airport can pose a little challenge at the best of times.
While you might not have much of a wait, it can sometimes be difficult to pass the time when you don’t have anything to do. It can be even more challenging when you’re traveling with little ones that need entertaining.
If you’re looking to keep yourself entertained when at the airport, here are a few tips that might help you pass those minutes or hours to make them feel quicker.
Read a book
When you’re looking to keep yourself entertained, a great way to do it at the airport is by reading a book. Sometimes reading a book can be just what you need to escape the environment of the airport and lose yourself in a world of make-believe.
There are plenty of books that you can get stuck into, and if you’re waiting for three hours or have a hefty long airport transfer, then you could always look at trying to get through a new book from start to finish?
While it might be nice to have a physical book to read, some people prefer to read a book via a Kindle or tablet device. That also means you don’t need to carry around any hefty books in the meantime.
Watch a television show or movie
Have a television show that you’re currently watching? Perhaps you’ve been looking to find a television show to binge watch, but you’ve just not had the time in general day-to-day life. When at an airport, time tends to stand still while you wait for your transfer or flight to arrive at the gate.
That means you’ve got ample time to go through numerous television shows if you’re in need of some entertainment for a while. Watching a television show or movie is a great way to spend your time wisely in the airport. Movies are great because you can time however many movies you need to watch so that once you reach the end of it, your next flight will be ready.
Play some games online
Playing some games online is a great way to keep yourself entertained and thankfully, online games are now much more accessible. Whether that be games on the internet or via your mobile phone, you have a lot more games to choose from versus when you may have had the original Nokia phones that had the game ‘snake’ on it – and that was it!
The current generations truly don’t know how good they’ve got it when it comes to the availability of games.
There are lots of genres to wet your appetite when you need something to play. What about a bit of brainpower action and memory training with mahjong? Or maybe you prefer to play more action games where you’re battling mystical creatures?
The beauty of today’s gaming is that you can play pretty much anything and most of it is freely accessible. Thus making your airport experience a lot less boring and more entertaining.
Listen to some music
Music is a wonderful way to relax and unwind in the airport environment. While the airport can often be a busy and bustling space, zoning out with a bit of music can definitely make a big difference to how you feel.
When it comes to music, you might want to create a playlist that is specific to that trip so that when you listen to it again, you can get nostalgic about your adventures. Otherwise, you might want to enjoy music that makes you feel less anxious if you do get travel anxiety when you travel on planes, for example.
Again, there are many genres of music available and picking which ones bring you the most joy is important when selecting the songs for the journey ahead.
Eat and drink at a restaurant
Airports end up being a little bit like an all-inclusive space in that you have everything you’d need to keep yourself alive. Whether that’s a bed to lie in at the airport’s selection of hotels to eating and drinking your way through a delicious menu at the airport restaurants available.
It’s the ideal way to pass the time for pretty much anyone who loves food and that’s to take a trip to the restaurant. If you have a bit of time to kill and you’ve not eaten yet, then it might be worth walking into one of the restaurants and treating yourself to a meal or two depending on how many courses you’re hungry for.
Eating and drinking at a restaurant is certainly a good way to enjoy the airport lifestyle as you await news of your flight’s arrival.
Do a bit of retail therapy
Who doesn’t like to go shopping? Well, there’s probably some people who’d prefer to sit in a bar over shopping for clothes, but if you’re somewhat of a fashion lover, then doing a bit of retail therapy is a good use of time.
It’s important to be mindful about how much you can carry, so think about that when you go shopping. You might find that you have plenty of space in your carry on, but be mindful of what’s available in your case, otherwise you might need to carry the extra weight on you.
Retail therapy is definitely something that’s enjoyable when you’re at the airport and what makes it even more appealing is that it often comes with duty-free benefits.
People-watch
People-watching is a great way of keeping yourself entertained, especially when it comes to airport travel. You’ll find that there are plenty of people from all walks of life in the airport, making it a great place to watch people come and go. Whether it’s sitting by the terminal or the gates, to enjoying a coffee and seeing the flurry of people come and go.
You can quite literally spend hours people-watching and it’s something that’s forever entertaining. With that in mind, pull up a pew somewhere and watch the world go by one person at a time.
Pay for the airport lounge
While it might not always be available, the airport lounge is a great place to go if you’re looking to enjoy a few luxuries before you fly. Airport lounges tend to be a great way to spend those few hours before your flight, enjoying a little drink or a bite to eat.
Some airport lounges also have showers and even rooms with beds so that you can have a little cat nap before you fly.
Having this luxury might not be for everyone, but it can certainly make the difference if you’re looking to utilise your stay at the airport to the fullest.
Do some work
Finally, if you’re someone who is traveling for the purpose of work, or you feel as though you can get some work done and be productive in the airport, then it’s certainly worthwhile doing where you can.
Being able to get work done in the airport is definitely important and something that can be easy to do once you get onto the WiFi. Look at setting yourself up at the nearest available WiFi hotspot or consider doing the work while you’re enjoying a glass of wine or eating your evening meal before the gates open.
These tips will be sure to keep you entertained, so make sure to use them next time you’re at an airport.