How to Entertain Yourself in an Airport

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By Angela DeFini
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Article Rating: (34 Ratings)

Flight delayed? Have a long layover? Think you’re going to go crazy? Fear not. There are ways to keep sane and entertained.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Get to know the terminal you’re stuck in. There’s no point in sitting at the gate for the entire time; eventually, you’re going to be sitting on a plane for a few hours and you don’t want to be sick of sitting by the time you board. Take a walk and check out the stores and food options available to you. Be cautious not to stray too far and have to go through the security checkpoint again; this is generally a process no one wants to repeat twice.
Step 2

Explore every store for possible boredom solutions. While travel marts may only seem to sell last-minute toiletries and magazines, take the time to browse around the entire store. Many of them often have hidden treasures such as Word Search or Sudoku puzzle books, coloring books, travel-size games, Mad Libs and jigsaw puzzles.
Step 3

Figure out the cheapest food options. While most food in airports seems over-priced and you’re often in too much of a rush to care, take the time to check out what kind of food you can snack on for a reasonable fee. Compare how much a hot pretzel will cost you at the Edy’s Ice Cream Stand versus the Haagen Dazs Stand a few gates down. Once you get on the plane you know your food options will be limited anyway, so stock up on what you really want to be eating for the best price.
Step 4

Look for a location with the TV hookup. Many times, you can locate a restaurant/bar that will either be showing whatever sporting event is in season or whatever CNN broadcast is currently on-air. If the volume on the TV is too low for you to hear what is being said, or there is too much noise around you, ask an employee if the closed-captioning can be turned on so you can still follow along.
Step 5

If you’re stuck alone with a cell phone, laptop or blackberry, call or email friends and family you’ve been meaning to catch up with (be sure to stop before you wear your battery out). Now is a good a time as any to check in with these people, since you have minimal outside distractions around you.

Comments

whiteanvil said

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on 6/1/2008 Business class lounges are usually located after security check points. If you have a longer lay over these places can hook you up with a day pass between $25-$45 dollars, you get a comfy leather chair, a TV that you can turn the volume up on. free coffee and nibbles and more importantly a place to plugin your laptop and chill, great for those occasions where your flight is late getting into LAX and you are staring down the barrel at a four hour wait till the next flight.

on 6/1/2008 Business class lounges are usually located after security check points. if you have a longer lay over these places can hook you up with a day pass between $25-$45 dollars, you get a comfy leather chair, a TV that you can turn the volume up on. free coffee and nibbles and more importantly a place to plugin your laptop and chill