Tips for Making Layovers Less Annoying

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            Layovers. They are awful. They can be way too long when you just want to get on your next plane to be one step closer to you destination, but not long enough to allow you to leave. These are the times when you fall into a weird airport daze and collapse on some remotely comfortable chair and sort of sleep. This usually just results in light dozing and possibly embarrassing drool, and then maybe waking up just in time to run to your terminal. They can be too short and have you sprinting to catch your flight, without any “benefit” of an airport nap. They can be extremely long, but at odd hours of the night limiting and disbanding your entertainment or sightseeing options. Or they can be just long enough to allow you to allow you to grab a bite to eat and gaze wistfully out the window, wishing you could explore whatever city you are briefly in. I think being in a city, essentially trapped in an airport, without being able to experience it is one of the biggest temptations in travel. I was in the Heathrow airport for about 45 minutes and I wanted so much to just blow off my flight and experience London! Instead I just bought a Toblerone bar to snack on, even though it would be so easy to just walk out those doors and set off to see the world. But instead you have to kill time, rush around, or daydream about adventures you could have.

This doesn't have to be you!
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So, I thought I would include tips, some courtesy of Venere Travel blog, on how to make layovers slightly more bearable:

1.                    Find entertainment in the airport, such as Internet cafes, cinemas, bookshops, or sleep pods.

2.                    Write out your postcards that you know you’ll neglect doing when you actually have exciting things to see.

3.                    Use the time to study up on the culture and language of your destination – it’s important to know customs and key phrases!

4.                    Meet interesting people also on layovers. They are just as bored as you and might have crazy stories, travel tips, or interesting souvenirs to share. And you might just make a new friend.

5.                    Sit back with a cup of coffee and people watch. Observing people is human nature, and can be relaxing and is surprisingly good at passing time.

6.                    If you feel like shopping, explore the duty-free shop.

There you have it! But if you’re looking for city-specific layover time-passing ideas, check out http://www.layoverguide.com/.