"In transit" diversions...what do you do to pass the time ?

I like to pack my sketching pad and some chalk pencils. I will "play" with my art stuff for hours. I like to sketch, draw flowers or sunsets, etc. and on the way home I try to capture my impressions of the trip. My hubby is a techno geek- his phone is more like a ramped up computer. He will peruse the internet, play games, listen to music and watch videos.

I guess I am very " common" . I read and eat. I love reading, and always pack a few good books( well, I should confess, this is actually a problem for me, I tend to overpack books, not clothes!) .

I never drink at airports.

There are only two ways to pass the time for me. Read a book or walk. Reading is the best; I can get lost in a book. In fact, it's a luxury because I don't have that much time to read when I'm at home. If I'm stuck in an airport for more than an hour, I like to walk. Some airports are so large you can get a pretty good workout walking all over them.

I don't travel with a laptop, but if I did, I might get online and start planning my next trip.

One word- it begins with "b" and rhymes with "ear".

Usually I read a book or walk around and check out the shops--often to purchase a bottle of water or some essential I forgot such as chapstick.

Another thing you could do is start writing in your travel journal if writing one. I like to jot down all my pre-trip ideas, hopes, nerves, etc.

I've also spent some time texting my family when we were on two separate flights (mine left earlier).

I usually spend my waiting time either reading, doing sudoku puzzles, or catching up on my trip journal (particularly if I'm on the way home -- I always get behind by the last day).

When I was a kid I used to people-watch at my gate and make up each person's "story" -- who they were, who they were with, why they were traveling. (I wanted to edit this onto my previous comment but the system wouldn't let me, sorry.)

When traveling internationally and where available I take a shower at the airport and/or get a mini-massage. Pampering myself as it were. Afterwards (and not infrequently I have 5 hours between flights) I treat myself to a good light meal (oysters and a salad in Boston) etc. Then I read a junk novel and some junk magazines. It's like a little mini vacation in and of itself. Sure don't have time for it in my normal life (except for the shower part).

I am good at killing time, therefore waiting in an airport for 5 hours for my next flight is not a problem for me. In my trip to England I was at the St. Louis Missouri airport for 5 hours and 30 minutes before the time for beginning boarding in the airplane. I had my shoes polished by a shoe-shine man in the airport. (I was wearing old shoes that had scuffed toes). In the departure gate area I talked with a person who had been born and raised in England : she recommended that I visit the sailing ship the H.M.S. Victory at Portsmouth in England. She said she was on that ship for two weeks when she was a girl, with her uncle who was a carpentar doing repair work on that ship. And she said she likes the Isle of Wyte which is near Portsmouth. In England, I re-arranged my itinerary so I could go to Portsmouth : I liked the tour of that ship, and I liked being on the nearby Isle of Wyte. That ship the H.M.S. Victory was not mentioned in any of Rick Steves' books that year. The Isle of Wyte was not ever mentioned in any of Rick Steves' books. In the year 2007, at the Atlanta Georgia airport, waiting for my flight to Copenhagen, I started conversation with a jovial and delightful man from Kuwait who was waiting for his flight toward Kuwait, when both of us were in the Chinese food eatery in that airport. Yeah, I know -- you are thinking : "If I were as rich as people of Kuwait are, I would be jovial too". But that is what I like to do in airports : talk with people from other countries. (And they like to talk with me).

I move around...I explore. The plane/train ride means hours of sitting so I use my "in-between" time to get moving. Check out the shops. See what the locals buy. See what the locals pay for it.

I'm one of those people that needs to know what's around corner; where does this road take me, what will I see if I go in this direction. I prefer backroads over highways.

A train station or airline terminal can be an interesting place to explore, or bland and boring. When the latter, I usually have a puzzle book, novel or PDA with games to help pass the time. If I can connect to the net, I'll check out the news and weather.

And sometimes it's just grabbing a cup of coffee and people watching.

But the first thing I do, is find out from which gate/track my connecting flight or train will be leaving.

When I have a layover, after I have explored the terminal, bought a local newpaper(if there is one in english)looked at the local candy options, I pull out my knitting and relax.

I find that I meet a lot of people when I pull out the knitting. People approach me and ask what I am knitting, I meet people who are knitters, whose mom's were knitters, etc. The conversation changes to where we are from and where we are going. It is a great way to start conversations. Plus I end up with a sweater or pair of socks that when I wear later remind me of the trip and who I met.

After finding the terminal and gate, explore the shops (especially the ones with local foods), catch up on journal, read, watch people, nap, chat with people, and eat. I love Heathrow for the shops.

I believe that Ron means the Isle of Wight. Not Wyte.

I like to work on my journal when I'm killing time.

On my way home I like to pull out my camera and look at all of the photos I've taken. I find it pleasant to relive the trip that way before heading back to reality.

Barabra. that is so neat, ending up with a knit garmet to remember your trip with,, you must be a very good knitter!!

When faced with the inevitable too long but not long enough transfer stop, I try to research the airport ahead of time and find out if they have any unusual or interesting amenities. Amsterdam Schiphol has a branch of the Rijksmuseum and also a list of "fun at Schiphol" activities, including a topic titled "surprising toilets" (see here). Some airports, like my home base in Portland, Oregon, have fantastic shopping (three outlets of Powells books alone) and places to eat.

When the layover is unexpected, I commiserate with other passengers, catch up on my journal, buy a local paper (even if I don't understand it), read a book, people watch, or take a good long hike around the place to get some exercise.

I'm the same - give me a notebook and a pen and I years could pass...diary entries, poems, stuff i'd seen, how I feel about stuff - absolutely anything!