If Mehran Nasseri could spend 18 years in Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle, then you can suck it up and use that 8 hour flight delay to your advantage.
Relax:
- Catch up on sleep. If you’re on the tail end of a trip, you probably need it. You seem a bit cranky.
- Get a jump on your reading. All the books, magazines and newspapers you brought to keep busy on the flight are better used now to keep your mind off the shorter vacation you’ll have when you finally get to your tropical paradise.
- Pamper yourself. $50 may seem like a lot for a one day pass to an airline lounge but if you’re in a well-equipped lounge for the better part of a day, you can get free wifi, shower, nap, drink and eat. That’s far more than you can get out of a hotel room for that price.
Be productive:
- Fix problems yet to come. If your other travel arrangements are screwed up by the delay, take action now rather than wait until you arrive at your destination. Change dinner plans, re-book connecting flights and notify your friend so he’s not idling in the airport pick-up lane for six hours.
- Catch up. If you have a computer or mobile device, it’s the perfect opportunity to handle blog updates, e-mails and thank you letters to the people you visited.
- Organize your album collection. Like most travelers, you haphazardly took hundreds of photos. This is your chance to edit, organize and add tags to your pictures, something most people never get around to doing.
- Call your mom. You know she’s complaining to your brother that you haven’t called to tell her about your trip yet.
Have fun:
- People watch. There are few places that offer as wide a variety of people and emotions than an airport.
- Make friends. Strike up a conversation and use the opportunity to bridge cultures (author’s note: if I’m wearing sunglasses and an ipod, I’m not in the mood to talk to you)
- Hook up. There’s nothing wrong with joining the mile high club, but airport bathrooms are a bit less cramped.
- Browse the stores. Marvel at who would actually buy that snow globe with the dead piranha in it.
- Check out expectdelays.com for a listing of health clubs, restaurants and other activities in various airports.
