Travelling to a foreign country is a life-changing activity that everyone should experience at least once. It exposes you to new cultures, allows you to meet strangers, and see sights unlike anything else in your home town. It widens your world, makes you more empathetic, and allows you to push your own boundaries. At the end of the trip, you will feel like a renewed person.
However, the journey to get to your destination is, often, not as fun. The process of boarding a plane, even if you are in luxurious seats, can be taxing mentally and physically. It gets worse when your flight has been delayed several hours and you are stuck in the airport.
Being stuck in the airport can feel excruciatingly boring. The time you should be spending on your adventure in a foreign place is being wasted in the one facility people only visit to leave.
Here is how to make the most of your day at the airport.
Explore the Facilities
Most airports have interesting facilities for travellers to wile the time away. There often are restaurants, shopping stores, indoor gyms, cinemas, and other amenities that are open to all passengers.
If you are stuck in Changi Airport, you are in luck. It is one of the best transportation hubs in the world, known for its many features you will not be able to find anywhere else. Because it also serves as a lifestyle mall, there are plenty of things to do in Singapore airport. There are nature parks, art installations (check out the massive indoor waterfall), its own hotel, and other amenities that you can access whether your flight is delayed or you just want to explore one of the world’s best airports.
Learn About the Airport
You are spending more hours than you like at the airport. Might as well begin your adventure there.
Airports are very interesting. It is a massive transportation hub where people from around the world all converge. If you are in a major airport, the place will always be busy as troves of people stream in and out regularly.
When you have time to kill, you will begin to notice things that people ignore because they are in a hurry. You may end up appreciating the hard work, the technological marvel, and intricate processes that happen to send you to the skies toward your destination.
Better yet, see if there are tours being offered within the airport. Some open their doors to travellers who are curious to see what goes on behind the scenes. It will take only a few minutes to an hour, but you will get to learn a lot about the processes and procedures that take place inside an airport every day.
Film a Viral Video
If there are not a lot of things to do at the airport, you can create your own entertainment. Many people have found fame after they filmed a funny video while waiting for their next flight.
One college student was stuck for four hours in Atlanta Airport. While waiting, she filmed herself dancing to Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams.”
The video was a hit online. It was viewed by millions of people on Twitter. It was so popular that it received positive comments from Hall & Oates and actor Joseph Gordon Levitt.
However, make sure that, when you film a viral video, you are not in anyone’s way. Do not disrupt your fellow passengers who may not want to participate in your video or want to take a nap before their flight. Definitely do not cause damage to the equipment within the airport. Unless they consented, do not force personnel to be in your video, either.
Plan for Your Next Holiday
Nothing will get you more excited than thinking about where you can go next. Use the sudden free time that you have to identify which part of the world you want to explore next. Booking a plane ticket, hotels, and rental vehicles will, of course, be expensive. You may also not have the time to schedule a trip on a specific day. Planning, however, will be tons of fun.
Research and create an itinerary of all the tourist attractions you want to see, the food you want to eat, etc. As soon as you have free time, planning the trip will be easy.
Being stuck in an airport is not the worst thing in the world, but it can be stressful. Instead of being angry at ground staff who do not have control of whatever is happening, use your time to do some of these activities.
