Traveling is fun, everybody knows that! However sometimes, during the trip, one can find himself/herself facing difficulties getting to a particular destination. This happens when we arrive late for the scheduled transport, lose the tickets or when we even plan the flights/rides with a time gap between them on purpose.
To get to the point, when deciding to travel somewhere by plane, people sometimes have a problem with shuttle buses when the flight is early in the morning or with a scheduled second flight few hours or the day after the previous flight. Also, other reasons may appear, but mainly these are causing the decision for tourists to be spending the night at the airport.
Just the very thought of you is spending the night in a huge, cold room, on a not so comfortable chair, surrounded by tons of strangers passing by or having the same issue as you have, can be kind of scary – I admit! However, it’s not always as bad as your darkest scenarios. Remember, it’s just a few hours until you get to your desired destination.
Let’s start off with something you seem to be forgetting:
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Airports have good conditions
Toilets, chairs, stores, Wi-Fi, electricity, information desk. Well, okay, not all of them have Wi-Fi and stores working nonstop, but you get my point. You can find everything for your basic needs at an average airport. And yes, I know that Wi-Fi has become one of the basic needs, that’s why I mentioned it in the first place.
Have you Wi-Fi at the airport? Lucky you, time will pass so quickly!
With a working Wi-Fi and a mobile phone, tablet or laptop, you won’t even feel bored or sleepy at the airport. The significant amount of activities you can do on the internet, like reading articles, talking with your friends, playing a game or even watching a movie, will help you get through your night easily. And the best part is: whenever your battery goes flat, you can charge it at the airport (often for no fee). Just think about the next situation, where, for example, you’re waiting for your flight to New York and, instead of just thinking about the hours left to the flight or falling asleep, you`re reading and exploring the 7 Weirdest Attractions in New York City.
No functioning Wi-Fi? Cheer up; it’s not the end of the world.
Let’s be real – there are plenty of stuff you can do that do not include using the internet. If you have already done a little research about the airport or you have heard something like: there’s no Wi-Fi, then you have time to prepare. For example, you can download your favorite music albums and listen to them all night (avoid the slow and calming songs, in order not to fall asleep). Or you can even download many movies to watch during your stay at the airport. Better yet, download one or two seasons of some exciting TV series because they are quite addictive, making time fly when you watch them.
Get back to the basics, grab a book!
If you enjoy reading, then it’s an excellent idea to spend your time diving in the paragraphs of a book, rising your fantasies. Take a book recommended to you as something that you can barely get your hands off. Give the bestsellers a chance to play with your free time at the airport. For the students, this is an excellent way to focus on their study material and learn something more since they have the time they need to study and rarely something that can deconcentrate them.
Talk to people around you.
No, I’m not telling you to be that annoying person who walks up to everybody, at first scaring them with the crazy curiosity and enthusiasm to communicate, using small talk and asking individual questions. On the contrary, make sure to avoid those people, they can be kind of annoying. Just sit down for a while, observe the surrounding and if you are that kind of person that needs to talk and be with other people. Then spot on a person that you feel comfortable to talk to, make an approach asking or commenting something politely and see if that person is up to talking or not. If you feel like the communication has clicked, then you just found your company to spend a safer and more satisfying night at the airport. If there’s no adequate “victim,” then it’s time to bother your friends over the phone if you can afford your phone bill.
Your eyes are almost closed, and the need to sleep is overruling? Prepare for a nap!
Traveling is fun but can be quite tiring. Especially when you’re returning from your trip. All your energy you had was probably spent exploring the new cities, and now, when everything is over, you feel like your body is close to collapsing. If all those cups of coffee and red bulls are not helping, then you know – it`s time for a nap!
Prepare yourself for sleep, don’t fall right into it.
When you travel, you tend to carry a lot of valuable stuff, starting from your identification documents and money up to jewelry, technical devices and expensive pieces of clothing. It’s a well-known rule that whenever you travel, you should keep the most valuable stuff close to you, making them as secure as possible. This rule is not excluded when being at the airport. In fact, many people pass through the halls of the airports, making it easy for robbers to hunt and steal, even though there are security and police officers on duty. This way you have to pack your stuff and put them in safe places where you will quickly notice if somebody is trying to take them away from you, especially when you are sleeping. If you have a smaller bag apart from the luggage, put it under your shirt or lay down on her and have the rest of the luggage locked up at the airport or simply covered with your legs.
Don`t be late for your flight!
If you find a good spot and you feel comfortable sleeping, make sure not to enjoy it too much because you might oversleep your boarding time and miss your flight. Even if you don’t feel like sleeping, always set the alarm clock on your phone just to be sure that you won’t miss the flight. I suggest you even put several alarm clocks, in case you don’t get to hear and react on the first one. Plus, take some time after the nap to freshen up a bit and don’t be unsatisfied that you didn’t sleep enough – you can always continue sleeping after you enter the plane and find your sit.
In general, decide wisely and do a research previously
Collect recommendations but never take a decision on a single experience. Even if your best friend says that spending the night at a particular airport is dangerous and unpleasant, don’t just give up on it if it’s your best solution, but research on the internet, because there are a lot of reviews available for people like you, desperate for the right information. Deciding the opposite of what your friend suggested doesn’t mean that you didn’t take what he/she said into consideration. You respect the opinion, but sometimes people can exaggerate with their stories and adventures. On the other side, if you have other solutions apart from spending the night at the airport, then think about them wisely. Maybe you will spend more money to go from the airport to the city, sleep there and get back again, but it might be more fun and quite safer. You can always sleep in a nice, comfy bed at an arranged accommodation or try couch surfing, but that’s another topic.
Whatever you decide to do – just remember that safety comes first!
