What is one of the worst things that could happen when you’re about to go on a holiday? DELAYS. This is most especially when you’re alone. With family or mates, at least you have someone familiar to talk to.
Some delays can be as short as 20 minutes, others can be as long as 10 hours. When you’re alone in the airport and don’t have the will or extra money to go out and explore the city or book a hotel room nearby, what do you do to keep yourself busy? Here are a few ideas:
Write
No, you don’t have to be a novelist to do so. It can be as simple as how are you feeling today? You can describe people you see or little events that are happening around the airport. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur and have a few business ideas or New Year’s resolutions that you haven’t quite put on paper or to action yet. Now you have an opportunity to do so. Write everything, plan it out, and who knows, with that short time of planning (and of course the follow-through), you might actually learn how to speak French this year.
Organise
You know those little things that you put on hold until you forget about them? I mean things like organising your contacts, your emails, and even your mobile and cloud files. Maybe you were meaning to set up audio playlists for travel, work, or exercise. The best time to do these things is when you literally have nothing else to do. It’s a productive way to spend your time and it’s always good to take baby steps to decluttering your life.
Work
You may not have brought your laptop, but surely you can access some of your files and even your emails from your phone. Even if you’ve accomplished all of your tasks, it doesn’t hurt to be a bit ahead, right? This is most especially when you’re bored out of your mind during a delay. I know you’re on holiday, but at least you’re sure that you have nothing else to worry about once you get on that plane.
Read
Although there’s nothing quite like the feel of a book in your hands, the crisp sounds that each turn of a page makes, the woody smell of a hardbound book… Okay, I’m getting distracted.
Anyway, you might not have enough space in your luggage for a book or 3 but you can always download ebooks into your phone or tablet so you can lose yourself in a magical world, or live the life of a crazy lawyer, or be a soldier in a war for the next few hours. If you don’t finish it by the time you need to board your plane, you can always read in the plane or while sipping on piña coladas by the beach.
Exercise
Believe it or not, some people actually do this. ‘mind you, this doesn’t always happen in an airport gym. If you don’t mind being a little sweaty in the plane or if you have access to a shower in the airport. Go for it. Put a little more definition in those cuts before you have to rock your swimwear.
Sleep
If all else fails, take a quick snooze! Just make sure to set your alarm or, if you feel that people around you are nice enough, wear a sign that says to wake you up at a certain time.
No matter how long your delay is, there’s always something to do with a little preparation and a lot of creativity. What’s your favourite way to beat boredom in the airport?
Your flights may be delayed at times but your airport arrival will never be with the free airport transfers from Alpha Airport Parking.
