Traveling sure can be a lot of fun — but that doesn’t mean that it’s a non-stop adventure. If you travel enough, then eventually you’ll come up against the dreaded long layover, which can test the patience of even the most committed travelers.
But as they say: if life gives you lemons, then make lemonade. There are plenty of fun activities you can do that’ll ensure the time passes in no time. We’ve put together a bunch of ideas below, so make sure to bookmark this site before your next trip: you’ll hope you won’t need our ideas, but they might just keep your spirits high should you see that you’re going to have a long delay.
Go Through Your Photographs
Having hours to kill in an airport is a great opportunity to begin sifting through your travel photos. We’re all prone to taking thousands of photos when we’re on the road, but when it actually comes down to it, only a small percentage become photos that we enjoy looking at again and again. With time on your hands, you can begin organizing the photos that you do want to keep into their own special folder.
And don’t forget: the airport itself presents an opportunity to take interesting photographs, too. Photoshoot in the departures terminal, anyone?
Journaling During the Layover
You’ll have seen and done things that you’ll want to remember for a lifetime, so why not use your layover as an opportunity to make sure that you can remember them? Photographs are a good way to record the visual memories of your trip, but journaling is the best way to record your thoughts, feelings, and observations.
If you didn’t pack a journal before your trip, then fear not — you’ll almost certainly be able to find one at the airport. Journaling can take a little bit of effort, but you’ll be happy you took the time to do so many years in the future when you can look back on what you’ve written with fondness.
Play Games
Looking for a quick, easy, and fun way to pass the time? Playing games is the answer. In this day and age, there are an endless number of games you can play online, from the single-player spider solitaire to multiplayer pool. Whether you’re traveling by yourself or with others, games can be the lifesaver you need to make it through a few boring hours.
People Watching
The airport is a fascinating place to observe the world. Alas, many of us don’t get the chance to do so — we’re too busy walking to our gate and getting on our flight to notice. Now that getting on the flight isn’t an option for you (yet!), you’ll have the perfect opportunity to sit down and take a good old look at other passengers.
Who are they? Where are they going? And why are they going there? You’ll never know the answers to these questions (well, unless you ask/look at their ticket), but you’ll have fun coming up with your own theories. If nothing else, taking the time to really observe your fellow travelers will remind you of something that we all tend to forget from time to time: deep down, we’re all human.
Start a Conversation
And you don’t only have to observe your fellow passengers from afar, either — you can also speak to them! Striking up a conversation is a good way not only to pass the time but to have a shared experience. No one likes layovers, but they’re much easier to manage when you know that other people are just as frustrated as you are.
Explore the Airport
In an ideal world, you’d have your layover at one of the world’s best airports. If you do, then you’ll have the perfect way to kill your time: explore! You’ve been exploring the world on your travels, and now you’ve been given one last chance to do it again. The fact that it’s in the airport shouldn’t detract you from all the possibilities! Most airports are pretty interesting when you really look closely enough, and if they’re not, well at least you can hit the stores and get yourself one final souvenir.
Read a Book
Remember how you said you were going to read X amount of books when you were traveling? Yeah, that didn’t quite happen, did it? We don’t blame you — it’s all too easy to become sidetracked by all the excitement that traveling has to offer!
Now that you’ve got nothing to explore other than the airport, it’s time to crack open those books and see what they’re all about. Even if you’re unable to finish the book — or even get a fraction of the way through — you’ll still be able to hold on to the fact that you, at least, tried to read while you were away from home.
Call Home
It’s fine to take a trip, yes, but there’s also no place like home. Experiencing a long layover is a great opportunity to pick up the phone and call your friends and family back home. They’ll be interested to hear about everything that you’ve been up to when you’ve been traveling, and you’ll be excited to be reminded of all the home comforts that await you once you finally get back home.
Move Your Body
Your body probably has been receiving the TLC it deserves when you’ve been traveling. We’re all prone to eating unhealthy foods and lying around more than usual. Add a long flight into the mix, in which your body just stiffens up, and you have a body that needs some love.
Now that you’ve got some time on your hands, look at engaging in a bit of light stretching. You’ll ideally have comfortable clothing on for flying, so you’ll practically be wearing yoga clothing anyway. For ideas, check out how to exercise in airports.
Conclusion
There we go — it turns out that living through a layover isn’t as bad as everyone says. It’s just that you need to know how to make it through first. Take our tips, and the time will fly by.