We all know that waiting and inevitable delays are all part of the travelling experience but they don’t necessarily have to be a burden or an inconvenience. Shine published some tips on what to do at an airport when delays do occur and we’ve thrown in our favourite time-users (not wasters) too:
1) The most important thing is having a positive frame of mind. How often is it when you’re at home or school that you actually have 5 hours to spare? How often do you wish that you just had a little time to get those extra jobs done or just relax? Well now you do, so savour it! You’ll get there eventually so try not to stress about it!
2) Check and respond to emails: There’s always those emails that are put in the ‘too hard to deal with’ pile or the ones from friends that you keep meaning to reply to but you know because there is so much to say you need a good chunk of time to reply? Well now here is your time and with most airports offering free internet there is nothing stopping you.
3) Enjoy a meal. Airport food has improved significantly in recent years with many restaurant/cafe chains now operating in the airport as well as the individually owned sites. So sit and enjoy a meal, knowing you don’t have to rush off anywhere.
4) Call a friend, you will have plenty of time to catch up with that friend you haven’t spoken to in a while!
5) Play games. Watch people; guess where they come from and where they are going. Guess which people are the ones that are being repeatedly paged over the loudspeaker. Check out the departures screen and see if you can correctly identify the countries for each of the destination cities listed. If you’re geography major, then the additional options are guessing the time zone and longitude/latitude of the destination cities.
6) Explore. It’s amazing what you can find in an airport, from outdoor viewing decks where you can soak up some rays to interesting exhibits and displays.
If all else fails, read a book, play a game on your phone or shop. Those big blocks of duty free chocolate can make any situation better!
