How do you wait at the airport?

Snooze
Eat junk food

Hi Zoe,

If I'm traveling with someone, we usually talk, play cards, read, or look at the photos on our camera or phones.
If there's time, we'll eat a meal or just get a snack.

When flying by myself, I usually read or walk around the airport, go into the shops & buy a snack or an interesting magazine.

What about you Zoe?

Crossword puzzles, and the latest issue of The Economist.

And if I still have more time, booze.

If I'm traveling with someone, we alternate between talking and reading or looking at phones. A 2- or 3-hour layover is fine, but if there are delays, I get antsy and irritable.

An additional question might be: How do people deal with delays? Are you able to stay calm, or do you get increasingly annoyed the longer it takes?

On two different trips I was at the gate for about 6 hours. My flight from Phoenix to St. Louis was late; we didn't get into St. Louis until 3:30am. And on the other trip, I was leaving Buffalo where I have family. My flight was delayed, supposedly because of weather, and rerouted first to Cleveland, then Minneapolis, and then Atlanta. All reroutes were canceled for various reasons. After about 6 hours, there were no more flights leaving that day and they put me on a flight for the next day. I had to call my cousin and tell her I was still at the airport and ask if I could stay with her for one more night.

Knitting and reading, interspersed with bouts of people-watching--airports are great for that.

Singapore's Changi Airport has curvy individual recliner seats where it's very easy to lie back and relax during the often 4-5 hour connection when heading to Europe from Brisbane. I always fear I'll doze off and miss my flight, so I get up and browse the shops.

Go have a nice drink together and go over our upcoming trip or reminisce about our just completed trip.

Lots of people watching on my part too...I try to spot the RS travelers.

On our most recent trip, we had a layover of several hours after an overnight flight, so we stayed at a Yotel where we had a nap and freshened up.

Walk, read, people watch, watch TV, eat at a sit down restaurant.

After decades spent flying on business trips (and some for pleasure too) I can attest that the most relaxing way to spend your layover at the airport between flights is sitting on a toilet. When I have some time I'm going to write a post on the best and crappiest (no pun intended) airport restrooms. I'm on a weeklong business trip, so I Think I know where I will be sitting when I write that post.

How do I wait? Usually, resignedly, once in a while impatiently. . . . at the luggage carousel, anxiously.

Although I love Roberto's take on this, I can't say I completely agree - although I will admit that a spacious stall (relative to the small toilets in planes) are a nice place to spend at least a few minutes after a long flight. But not for an extended period.

There are some pretty nice lounges that you can get into depending on circumstances - typically with free food and drink, comfy seating, plenty of outlets and wifi. Some with showers, too. I had a 3 hour layover in Seoul last winter on the way to Micronesia, and a nice hot shower felt wonderful. For longer layovers, I try to find a nice place to sleep.

Even without a fancy lounge, I agree that Singapore's Changi Airport is one of the best in the world and a pleasure to pass a few hours in.

Reading has been a major part of my life since early childhood . Now with a tablet , I carry a half dozen books , without the bulk and weight of the books ( although I prefer the books when not traveling ) . In Spain now and with several rail trips over the next several months , I am well prepared .

We usually find a restaurant, grab a drink & bite and chill. If it is a very long wait I will get access to a lounge - usually quiet and comfortable seating,

People-watching, definitely, and I do find myself looking for people carrying RS books or luggage. I also am always looking for the perfect messenger bag that someone might be carrying.

If I am done with airport security, I will find a bench and repack my suitcase/daybag for train travel - 3-1-1 bag goes into the general population, messenger bag gets the essential daytrip materials and nothing else (helpful if I have to just drop luggage at the hotel if my room isn't ready).

Lots of window shopping, a coffee between flights, the caviar bar at CDG if I am connecting to another flight, read an e-guidebook.

Interesting that no one has mentioned talking to strangers.

I always reorganize when I have down time, throw away things I no longer need. Delete things out of my phone, repack things that are bulky, etc. When I'm done with that, I people watch.

Usually if I am alone, I use that time walking, looking at shops, lingering over a meal if it's time for one, and playing with my phone. I also often use that time to make some phone calls when I am in the US. If I am traveling with someone we usually talk and go to a restaurant for some food and drink depending on the time. Last year I arrived in Rome 2.5 hours before a friend, and I used the time to study my Italian phrase book.

I have books/magazines on my iPad so I'll read...or walk around...have a snack...people watch...window shop...listen to music on the ipad...

It's nice when it's a big airport like Heathrow where there is lots to do. The absolute worst was when our flight was cancelled from Halifax to Toronto - we spent 8 blessed hours waiting until we could get put on another flight - they had probably 200 people to get on more flights. We couldn't leave the airport as we didn't know if they may be able to squeeze us on an earlier flight, and our car was in the long term parking at the hotel, so we couldn't zip into Halifax. There is about 30 min of interesting things to do at that airport (we didn't want to leave the secured area)...if that. Only a few shops and food places. We watched some tv shows on the ipad, wandered around like zombies, did crosswords, snoozed in the Adirondack chairs, read books, paced...ugh...

I don't mind longish layovers (5 hours or less). I'd choose that over the stress of a tight connection. A tight connection means every minor delay can derail a carefully planned schedule, and it means a lot of worrying in the airport, with no time to get a snack or just decompress. I worry pretty heavily about delays if it means I am risking missing a connection or if it is such a long delay that I miss a day of my trip. A couple hours with no connection to worry about is no problem.

I just sit and read, talk to my family, go to an airport restaurant, or walk around. Last trip, I had 4+ hours at Heathrow. After landing from Barcelona, I had to change terminals and go through security again. Took about an hour, hour and a half. Not sure. Once I got into the departure terminal, I went to a sit-down restaurant for another hour. Now we are at 2 hours. Took my kids to the play area, husband and I took turns going and buying a magazine and coffee. Sat and read while the kids played. Boarding is usually 40 minutes before the flight, so at 45 minutes before the flight we headed to the gate and boarded on time. No issue whatsoever.

If I ever had a very long layover in an airport where this was an option, I would consider buying lounge access. Haven't done this, but it is always an option.

At airport, I do much the same as everyone else. Sit and read, window shop, text and surf the web, and people watch. Occasionally, I have struck up conversation with people that have sat down next to me. However, just like seatmate on a plane, most folks don't seem to want to have extended visits.

At the train station, I have had many conversations. Maybe folks aren't as stressed about travel/connections?

I want to say that I hang from the ceiling singing show tunes in Welsh.

However I am British so the real answer is read, drink over priced coffee and glower at anyone who comes within a metre of me to whom I am not related.

Oh and visit the one interesting shop at least five times on the off chance they have changed their stock in the meantime!

Interesting that no one has mentioned talking to strangers.

We do that too! And people watch.

Once we met a woman who meeting her son she had given up for adoption 23 years earlier. They had been on the phone almost nonstop for 4 days until he could a flight to meet her. Watching that joyful moment is something I will never forget.

I try to do a lot of walking when at a connecting airport.
Flying to/from the West coast to Europe, I might have a 2-4 hour wait between flights, and the flights themselves are many hours of mostly sitting. So I walk around as much as I can (dragging the carry on bag, of course!) just to get some exercise and the blood flowing in my legs again.
Depending on the time of day, I might sit down for a coffee and a snack or small meal, and I might peruse the shops or bookstore if there is one, for a little diversion, but I really do try to keep moving as much as possible.
Oh, and, like Roberto, I take advantage of the real toilet ...

emma and MC-Glasgow, I am following in your footsteps! I could do an inventory for some of the duty-free stores.

I unfortunately have a big fear of flying which has gotten better over the years. My wait depends where I'm traveling to or from and who(m) I'm traveling with. Also for some strange reason, I am calmer when I travel overseas.

Traveling to or from anywhere in the continental US, arrival at the airport usually 2-3 hours early. Stop at one of the food kiosk and pick up a salad or a sandwich and a snack for the flight. Check the location of the restrooms, and then establish my space at the departure gate. I'l break out my electronic devices and prepare for my flight.

Traveling to or from Europe is about the same except arrival time will be at least 3 hours prior to departure and I'll/we'll find a restaurant at the airport and have a meal and drinks before the flight.

I love to read.. in fact I am always excited going on any vacation as I build reading time as part of my holiday.. lol On beach vacations I have already selected 2 or 3 books to bring.. looking forward to the hours of afternoon reading on the beach ( inbetween swimming and snorkeling) and on Europeon holidays I look forward to the no tv evenings where I can lay in bed reading or .. reading on long train trips.

So.. reading is number one.

Eating is number two.. ( but even with hubby I do read and eat sometimes..lol )

And last resort is browsing the stores.. but often.. I browse for books..

So, you see a pattern here.. lol

If I'm feeling grumpy, I like to be judgmental- of people's behavior and clothes, or how they pack. Also, how they raise their children. That's fun and you can spend hours doing it. Usually no lack of material.

Does no one else obsessively check the boards to make sure the flight is still on time? Or that you really are at the right gate?

Other than that, I buy Lifesavers and a bottle of water, and then I read.

Hit the bathroom because I hate using the dirty, cramped ones on the plane. Look for a place to grab a beer, cocktail or something better to eat than prepackaged crap sold out of a vending machine or from a newsstand. Try to avoid being near screaming or crying children and pray they aren't on the same flight. Hit the airport shops to look for the tackiest, ugliest fridge magnet possible to add to my collection of tacky, ugly travel magnets. Browse through magazines and books at the newsstand. Stretch and move around as much as possible before I have to board the plane. Buy a bottle of water. Use iPad Mini and free WiFi. Hit the bathroom again before they start the boarding process.

I do some of what appears to be the usual.. read (I have many, many , many books on my iPhone) or play a game on my phone. Hubby will listen to music on his phone or play a game or read news sites, or answer business emails, texts or calls (we own our own business, so can't just cut it off). And we will walk around some- one at a time while the other sits with the carry-ons. But often I take a small (3"x5 or maybe up to 6"x8") sketch book and a few drawing pencils or pens. Now that I take ceramic courses, I will plan out projects as well as just sketch. When we were going to Europe (I really miss those trips....), I'd take a slightly larger sketch book, colored pencils, pens, etc. On trains, especially, I'd do pics of places we'd visited.

In the airline club.

Seriously. The club day pass cost is not that much and by the time you buy a couple drinks, a snack or two and WiFi (in those airports not offering it for free), you can easily exceed the cost of the pass. So I just buy the pass and sit in a relatively quiet environment enjoy a few drinks and all the snacks I can eat while catching up on email. The added benefit is if there is any issue with your flight, the customer service agents in the clubs seem to have more power to do things to get your issue resolved quickly so you are happily on your way.

@Mrs EB, I bring the WSJ and the Economist too! They both take a while to read and I can leave them behind when done. At the rail station, I usually pace back and forth and study the posted arrival and departure schedules until the train comes.

Reading a book, and people-watching. This past May, during a 3-hour wait at Heathrow, (much to my surprise) my husband and I struck up a conversation with a couple (man and wife) from Aberdeen, Scotland sitting across the aisle from us in the waiting area. Quite interesting. The conversation got started because the woman from Aberdeen and I were both sneezing and coughing. "Allergies." I said. She said many people are allergic to the Rapeseed plant which blooms in England in May. I said, "The little yellow flowers in the fields? We went to Stonehenge, and they were all around us." And this started the whole conversation. We had about a two-hour conversation, about travel and Scotland. Turns out they were going to be on our plane. They were going to Las Vegas and then on to Hawaii! Who knew that people from Scotland would want to go to Vegas!! I can see Hawaii; it's so beautiful. But Vegas...I was amazed.

Anyone use the massage facilities at many airports?

Sometimes I snooze, carry-on in front of me, under-seat bag on top of that, neck pillow on top of that, I can lean forward and sleep, deeply. I have made a myself little bag that can hang right around my neck for my travel alarm, so that it wakes me up even if there is a lot of noise right around me. Also I have had some of the best conversations, at airports in non-busy hours....a Czech woman who had immigrated to Canada from the Czech Republic, when it was still communist...their main reason for leaving was that in that society, her teenage children had no motivation to try hard in school, just wanted to get drunk with their friends. (Once in Canada, their kids did very well in school). Also when she got to Canada, she couldn't believe that they didn't have to keep watch that the plumber they hired didn't steal anything! Another time in the Dallas airport, I ended up talking with a famous Egyptian archaeologist, the one who was on the Discovery channel often. And with an Egyptian woman who now lives in Cleveland, comparing the two cultures. In my experience, traveling alone is much better for getting into conversations with people...

Sometimes I snooze, carry-on in front of me, under-seat bag on top of that, neck pillow on top of that, I can lean forward and sleep, deeply. I have made a myself little bag that can hang right around my neck for my travel alarm, so that it wakes me up even if there is a lot of noise right around me. Also I have had some of the best conversations, at airports in non-busy hours....a Czech woman who had immigrated to Canada from the Czech Republic, when it was still communist...their main reason for leaving was that in that society, her teenage children had no motivation to try hard in school, just wanted to get drunk with their friends. (Once in Canada, their kids did very well in school). Also when she got to Canada, she couldn't believe that they didn't have to keep watch that the plumber they hired didn't steal anything! Another time in the Dallas airport, I ended up talking with a famous Egyptian archaeologist, the one who was on the Discovery channel often. And with an Egyptian woman who now lives in Cleveland, comparing the two cultures. In my experience, traveling alone is much better for getting into conversations with people...

Exactly, Mrs.EB, although I am sometimes tempted during a long layover.

I walk around and see what kind of stores are there. What cities like to sell as their souvenirs. Trying to decide where and what to eat can take up a good chunk of time. Reading and playing Candy Crush are good time users, though it is hard to read with so many interesting people walking by.

Sometimes I look for Karen from Ft. Wayne to see what she might be wearing for her flight. Hoping it isn't jammies and flip flops.

Grace i think you are right, when i travel solo i do find i have more frequent and interesting interactions with locals and other tourists. I aslo find i bkend better into crowds( likely as i am not walking along speaking english to a travel companion )

Ms. Jo, I have to wear flip flops. How else would I clip my toenails and apply polish during the flight?

First, I limit the lengths of the layovers.

First stop on the way over is breakfast (US airport)

Second stop on the way over is a shower and change of clothes (European Airport) time and location permitting.

First stop on the way back is generally tight enough where if we do anything it's me worrying why my significant other has been in the duty free shop for 30 minutes.

US arrival stop is generally used up with customs and immigration

If there's WiFi available, I probably get on this forum and see what everyone else is doing.

Anyone use the massage facilities at many airports?

Heck yeah. A great way to lose some of the stress of getting to the airport and through all the hoops. In fact, I've started to make it a routine practice to give myself 30 minutes extra pre-departure from my home airport to get in a massage before departing. It's a great way to start a trip and well worth the small cost IMHO.

During a lengthy layover at Schiphol Airport, we secured a "room" in the Yotel facility. Despite only four hours booked, it felt wonderful to take a shower and nap in a clean, very modern petite quarters. Would do so again without hesitation. It's a little tricky to find...go to Lounge 2 and see the McDonald's Restaurant one level above you, with a Starbucks to your back. Go up to McDonald's and bear left a bit. The signage is VERY limited.

Bruce, loved your description of Yotel's "petite" quarters. I stayed there once, I didn't need a key so much as a can opener.

A shower is a wonderful thing. When I have a layover in an airport with a Delta Skyclub, I buy a day pass so I can clean up between flight legs (on my way home, especially).

Club lounges especially the specialized arrival lounges. Showers, great breakfasts, etc.

I try to have at least two hours left after passing through the TSA types, which means getting to the airport 2.5 to 3.5 hours prior to actual take-off. With two hours or more after security, I get a hot leisurely meal, coffee, no beer, then wander around to check out the shops, esp the news and books, and people watch. Buy the water, hit the WC before boarding.

@Zoe: Agreed. My description of a Yotel room being "petite" is rather generous. A room suited for two people (one bed) is very cramped at 110 square feet (10 square meters). However, the bathroom was large enough. I wish Yotels based in the secure area of airports were more widely available.

Love to talk to people but rarely do people talk to strangers in airports, I have noticed. I do people watch and like to make up little stories of why they are traveling or the reason one person is with another. Sometimes I share these with the people I am traveling with. When my kids were young we'd play this game of making up stories of those traveling.
If I will be on a long haul flight then I walk the airport. My biggest pet peeve is those airports that rush you to a gate and then you are in a secure area that is over crowded with no options for food/shopping or walking. And to the person who loves toilets... I always post on fb my favorite toilet pics from my travels.

If you have a long layover, many airports have tours of the airport you can go on and there may also be layover tours in the near-by cities. Google can help you find them. I know Paris, London, Amsterdam, and many other cities have them.

The topic of this thread revealed another aspect of airports that I had never considered. I just discovered a program called Hello Goodbye on CBC and watched it for the first time yesterday. The program showed that there may also be some very interesting human stories taking place among the throngs of people that we all encounter in airports.

I've only seen one episode so far, but I found these three stories especially touching (hopefully the videos are accessible from all areas - each one is about six minutes long)......

• http://www.cbc.ca/hellogoodbye/videos/season2/father-and-daughter-patch-things-up-after-20-years-apart

• http://www.cbc.ca/hellogoodbye/videos/season2/202-Claude-Jessica-Sidney

• http://www.cbc.ca/hellogoodbye/videos/season2/202-Anna

Next time I'm waiting, I'll spend a bit more time "people watching".

@ Ken. Thanks for the links! It reminded me of this adorable story from a year or two ago. Give it a watch. http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/airport-takes-boys-lost-stuffed-animal-tiger-great/story?id=31803188

We generally don't have a ton of time to wait but maybe an hour or so. We'll generally grab a bite to eat, maybe shop a little (me), charge our devices and by then, its time to board the plane.

We usually arrive early to reduce stress. Once past security, we find a place to eat & drink. Then on to the departure gate where hubby sits with carry ons and I walk around browsing shops & buy water. At gate we people watch, work crosswords, & I crochet. I never travel without yarn!

Not much different than other responses if it is less than a couple hours. If it is longer, then I usually buy a day pass for the nearest Delta Club. Excellent wi-fi, comfortable seats, snacks, drinks, TVs you can hear, sometimes a shower. Well worth the $30 or so I have to pay.

$29 for entry to a Delta lounge with the Delta AMEX credit card.

Going from home airport:
Walk around and look in all the shops after security; almost buy magazines for the flight then think spending $7.95 on one is a stupid idea so don't.
Have something to eat ,then fill up water bottle.
People watch, and hope that loud guy and his half dressed girlfriend is not on my flight.
Try and find a seat in the boarding gate lounge area.
Put on my flight socks .

Coming home:
Always have a last cappuccino or café con leche, and a pastry, at the airport; as coffee never tastes so good at home.
Have a look at the shops, and wish I could find an English language book or magazine.
I did find some this last trip, but wasn't going to spend 22Euro on a book I can get from the library at home.
People watch, and hope that the family with 8 badly behaved kids is not on my flight.
Put on my flight socks.

I sound like a curmudgeon, don't I!?

S Jackson... you sound too funny! I do about the same.

big thumbs up for Karen

I'm usually reading on my Kindle. On my last trip to Europe with my husband we had a 6 hour layover in Minneapolis so I splurged for the Delta club using my Delta credit card ($29 each). We ate a couple small meals and had plenty of beverages in a comfortable environment. It was very nice!

On the way back from Europe I usually try to use up my leftover change in the airport shops buying candy and trinkets.

It's fun to rush up to passengers and offer to help them with their bags, then watch them grab their bags and rush away. Once in a great while someone says "yes, thanks" and I'm stuck helping out. (:->)))