Fun Things To Do at The Airport To Kill Time

[Off2Spain]

So tomorrow I'm flying to Spain, it isnt at all a long flight-just 3 hours, but as Iberia is on strike I have to be there well in advance in order to save me a seat! This basically means I will be killing around 5 hours at the airport! I'm used to long layovers, the longest being 12 hours. However I never know how to kill the time.
So I'm asking you for tips to kill some time at the airport and maybe this could turn into a fun thread of fun things to do at the airport!
I'm sure many of you are familiar with long layovers so this could help all of us!

What I normally do:

- visit ALL the shops
- rub amost every single perfum on me I can find in a way too expensive shop. (probably smothering my fellow passengers having to sit next to me on the plane)
- Walk from one end to the other using the escalator thingies
- get a spanish magazine in an attempt to improve my slang spanish
- get some food of international brands that are only sold passed security check
- at the very end of my wait I just stare like a zombie at the fish in one of the huge aquariums we have at the aiport

[snow_girl]

I usually have a book or magazine and my music. I make sure I book flights where there won't be long layovers so the most I have to wait is an hour or so. I hate looking in the shops, I don't leave room in my backpack to buy anything and they usually always have the same things. If I have my laptop I'll sit on there for a while too.

[mllebamako]

Oh yes...I always have long layovers. I normally do the same things you do.

-I visit most of the shops.
-If there is a bookstore, I kill some time in there reading magazines/books.
-I check out the menu at each restaurant and then choose the best one for a nice, long meal.
-If there is free wifi, I take full advantage of that!
-If there are plugs (which luckily there usually are), I watch a movie on my laptop.
-I do crosswords/sudoku/ken-ken.
-Spend some time looking at art, most airports have art installations throughout.
-I people watch and/or make friends with strangers.

[Engel]

-I first find a bookshop, and look around to see if I find a book I like. I take my own good time to chose it slowly and carefully. I usually find something that catches my attention, so i read it. if I don't find anything, I read another book I brought with me (probably one I read many times already, and know I love, so I read it again. like Sherlock Holmes for example.)

-Go find a pin of the country I'm visiting, if I've not been there before, for Augusto (Augusto is my stuffed animal that travels with me and every place we go I buy a pin from the country to put on his shirt)

-Sit somewhere in a restaurant and read while eating something good. Have a dessert afterwards.(anything to kill time. haha)

-If there is a hair stylist, I go get my eyebrows done, or nails done, or, my favorite: get a massage! (depends from place to place, but i always try to find the ones that have massage! )

-Find a cyber cafe if possible, buy half an hour or one hour. check forums, e-mail and Facebook. Send an email to my SO if he isn't with me.

-Find a public phone and call my mother and/or my SO.

-Daydream while sitting somewhere staring at something (like you with the fishes)

-I also make friends with strangers

-Lay down on a bench with my neck pillow and take a nap, if the wait is too long.

[Kiara]

I usually spend time with my laptop, which had 5h of autonomy. If it's possible, however, I plug it, so I can use it in the plane too. I have never bought the 24h Internet in the airport, as I think they are overpriced (like 10€ for a day or so). I always have things to do at the computer. Reading, writing, watching a movie, playing a game, making some list, studying German with a nice software... A couple of weekes ago I had to wait a loooooong time in Rome because I was afraid of not reaching the airport, because of the snow in Italy. I really wanted to catch my plane, so I went to Rome the day before. It was not so bad waiting though, as I had my thesis to write, and a lot of time to dedicate to it!

[Off2Spain]

Haha good tips!

I love using the internet whenever I get a chance, however most european airports don't offer free wifi. When I went to Australia and New Zealand last year I had several layovers in Asian aiports and all of them had free wifi + computers! Loved it!!! It killed so much of my time!

@ Engel, My mother gave me a stuffed animal to accompany me on my first flight alone to Canada, I think I was about 7 years old, I always bring this same stuffed animal with me whenever I travel! It's got so many memories to it!

One thing I also love is to just sit back and do some people watching. I always make it a game to try and identify where people are from!

[Bethypoo]

I always have my computer, a book and a stack of magazines (ones that i bought at the store because the airport stands kill you. But i usually attempt to eat before getting on the plane to because that kills time and is better than plane food.

[digitalfever]

I'm a mess whenever I'm at the airport. I'm so disorganized I have no clue as to why they let me past security but here is what I do once I've passed security:

It really depends what side of the air port I'm on. If I'm going international then there is so much more to do if it's on the Canadian side it's usually a bit dull.

- Go to the lounge area/bar and have a few drinks
- Read at the Timmie's and get in as much coffee before I leave Canada. =D
- Buy snacks for on the plane
- Make friends with unsuspecting travelers
- Walk around aimlessly
- Go through all the shops, listen at the music stations, charge my phone at the charge up locations, read books, try on clothing etc..
- Buy my shot glass for the place I'm going.
- Watch the planes take off/land
- If I have a long lay over I'll leave the airport and go to a sight seeing destination and have lunch.
- Play SIMS
- Ask every hour or so if the plane is here yet.

[enemey96]

I was recently stuck at the airport for just over 4 hours as I had stupidly booked a train ticket that I couldn't change (not going to happen again!) So I wandered aimlessly from the plane to the Swedish border and then slowly to the loo and then finally the place where I was to collect my suitcase from. I was hoping that there would be a huge delay with getting the suitcases out, just like there was when I flew over to see my SO, but there wasn't and my suitcase was there first *sigh* Then I went to Macdonalds, ate super slow, bought and read a magazine, then wandered up and down the terminal a few times and even to the terminal next to mine because I had so much time. Then I went to go get a Mcflurry just before I needed to leave to go to the train station, and then ended up making sure that I was 20 minutes early for the train so I would have plenty of time to find my carriage and then my seat. Next time I'm definitely planning on paying for the internet though, it's not too bad, only about €3 per hour!

[Sora1101]

Read books, listen to music and daydream, get something to eat, talk to strangers that look equally bored, people watch, play games on some sort of device be it laptop gameboy DS or whatever, text/call SO, use the bathroom, find a welcome gift for your SO or window shop.