Flight delayed due to weather or maintenance or any variety of reasons? It can be extremely frustrating waiting at the airport for a delayed or worse, cancelled/rescheduled flight. Thankfully, with programs like Here2There from Lifestyle Benefits Club, you know you can be reimbursed for your troubles, but while you wait for the next flight, how do you keep your cool and find things to help pass the time? Below is a list of some of our favorite ideas that have helped us to see the joy in an often stressful situation…hopefully, they will assist you on your next delay as well!
Take a walk. Explore every area of the terminal and if it’s fairly easy to do, take the tram or walkway to other terminals as well, why not? Make it into a game for your children: try and touch every gate check-in desk (if it isn’t busy!) or get creative on the moving walkways: one of our personal favorite activites!
Read a book or magazine. Don’t have your own? Not a problem! Many of the airport bookstores offer a rental program for books or purchase a magazine, read it and leave it in the seat back for the next traveler.
Get some food. With the sheer number of restaurant options available in most airports these days, it is impossible not to find something yummy to eat. Find a place serving food you enjoy, sit down and savor the meal. While most of the restaurants are super efficient and you can easily eat a meal in less than 20 minutes, many of them have options that cater to the stranded traveler, such as tasting menus, wine/beer flights (be cautious of how much you drink – intoxicated passengers will not be allowed on flights, so keep the amount of alcohol you consume to a minimum), or indulge with an appetizer, main, AND dessert…maybe make the experience into your own personal Airport restaurant crawl and do a different course at 3 different restaurants in the terminal!
Shop, shop, and shop some more! Airport shopping has come a long way since its inception. Enjoy duty-free, apparel, accessories, bookstores, perfume counters and more. When else do you have the time to truly browse through every piece in a store?
Visit the Airport Spa for a Massage. One of our personal favorite activities when stuck at the airport is enjoying the Spa, if they have one. Get a massage, a facial, your nails done, you name it, many of the airports throughout the country and internationally now feature award winning Spas. It’s a great way to spend your time and helps you to relax during a sometimes-stressful situation. So put your feet up, close your eyes and enjoy!
Surf the web. With free Wi-Fi available at nearly every airport hub, never is there a better time to fall down the Facebook/YouTube/Instagram rabbit hole we all know as the social-media time wasting web! Enjoy celebrity gossip, your friends videos you never have time to watch, watch a movie (easy to download for a small fee from a load of sites), play solitaire or Plants vs. Zombies.
Enjoy a Club lounge! As part of the Here2There protection program, you have the opportunity to join Priority Pass™ offering you entrance at a reduced cost into most airport lounges. Why consider using a lounge? Lounges provide an oasis away from the hub-bub of the airport with comfortable seating usually provide complimentary and often quite luxurious amenities. Our founding member Ron can attest to the benefits of joining Priority Pass™; read about his experiences with airport lounges.
Write a diary entry – even better, blog for us! What a great way to make use of your time when waiting on a delayed flight: writing a blog about your experience or the trip you are returning home from. We would love to hear your stories, see your pictures and list your recommendations on our blog as part of our Member Memoirs series. Share your anecdotes with us by emailing them to marketing@lifestylebenefits.com for a chance to be featured on our blog. We would love to hear about your experiences when traveling. We will be rewarding our fellow member authors with extra goodies, like gift cards for restaurants and entertainment!
Find the kids’ area/ art exhibit: it never ceases to amaze us how many airports have unique Art Exhibits, children play areas, interior botanical gardens, Zen meditation areas, you name it, its often available, particularly in the larger hubs. Go in search of your airport's hidden gems.
Plan out the details of your trip. Haven’t taken the time to really plan our the itinerary of your trip? Use your delay to research and plan for the things you want to do while on vacation.
Call your parents/siblings/friends you haven’t been in touch with for a while. Find a quiet corner and call family and friends that you have lost touch with or meant to call when time got away from you. It is a great opportunity to reconnect. We all often feel we don’t have the time to enjoy a conversation with the ones we love, so use your delayed time as connection time!
In conclusion, we know that waiting for hours at an airport can be wearisome, particularly if you’re already feeling stressed out and tired. Hopefully these little tips listed can help you turn your time stuck at the airport into something enjoyable instead!
Do you have some suggestions you would like to add to our list of things to do while waiting for a delayed flight at the airport? We would love to hear your ideas as well!
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