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airport-rome

Ways to Kill Time at Airports

Posted on December 23, 2014April 13, 2021

I quite enjoy being at airports. Given the traffic situation in many places like Bengluru, NCR etc. I like to arrive early rather than risk missing my flight. In other countries that I visit, because of unfamiliarity with the immigration norms I try to reach before time. But the best was when we were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We were asked what would we like to do for three hours in the interim and one of us said; let us go to the airport, we will have fun there! All three of us agreed to spend the extra hours at the KL Airport! We have done a similar thing in Bangalore too.

In my traveling I have had long transit times as well. Recently I had 8 hours at Munich while going to Finland and it was such a nice airport with a free supply of tea and coffee. I have had 23 hour layover too which was not so much fun.

So, here are five ways to kill time at airports.

5. Go for a Walk

Go for a Walk!
Go for a Walk!

I know this sounds a bit bizarre but if you travel frequently your fitness goes completely for a toss. Time zones, lack of sleep and lots food all add to the lack of fitness. I find airports entirely conducive to go for a good long walk. It works even better if someone can watch my hand luggage. But if I am traveling alone I simply lug my back pack and think of it as extra exercise!

4. Free Wifi

Work Anyone?
Work Anyone?

There was a time when I would never work at airports. I would either browse through the shops or read a book. Sadly those days didn’t last long. I do not always work at airports but with free wifi becoming more and more common, I do end up writing posts, editing pictures or simply catching up on mails. Ideally, I still do not like to work at the airports, but there have been times when I have been forced to do so. Finding free wifi is a great way to get the work done or simply browse.

3. Food

Food
Food

There was a time when I found all the food at the airports to be overpriced. I still find a lot of it to be overpriced but on scanning I do end up finding something which is reasonably priced as far as the airports go. Usually I settle for tea/coffee. But if I am catching an early morning flight, I have looked for breakfast too. Searching for food and something familiar in a foreign land also made me realize how food is such a integral part of our cultures and how varied it can be!

2. Shopping

Bengaluru Duty Free
Bengaluru Duty Free

I know this one is going to be on everyone’s list! Airports have literally become shopping malls. I usually only shop to finish the remaining foreign currency in my wallet on my return journey. But, sometimes, I find exciting offers that are hard to resist.

I recently discovered that our own Bengaluru Duty Free is an exciting shopping destination for international travelers. A chance to win a Harley Davidson bike, a Gibson guitar, a Volkswagen Polo car, a visit to Jack Daniels Distillery in USA are just a few of the free giveaways that make shopping at Bengaluru Duty Free a fun, exciting and memorable experience. This year during the holiday season shoppers stand a chance to win a trip to any destination on the world map on buying any Pernod Ricard brand of spirits.

In addition to this, Bengaluru Duty Free always has on offer one of the widest varieties of top international brands from all over the world – Liquor, Perfumes, Cosmetics, Chocolates and Electronics at 5%-15% less than popular duty free shopping destinations – Dubai and Singapore. At the moment they have 30% off on selected brands of perfumes and $15 off on cameras.

The fun doesn’t end here. Many a times frequent fliers may not have sufficient time during transit to go through the entire collection and shop. For them, the store offers a chance to pre-order their favorites online at www.bengalurudutyfree.in as per their convenience. A special 5% discount is offered to shoppers booking online. Not just that, the order will be ready for travelers to pick up whenever they are flying. The pre-booked order stays valid for an entire month giving travelers sufficient time to plan.

The Nuance Group that operates the Bengaluru Duty stores is a leading travel retailer with more than 60 locations in 19 countries and territories across the globe. In addition to an extensive portfolio of duty and tax-free stores, brand boutiques and concept stores, the Group also provides in-flight services and operates a wholesale and distribution business, supporting the travel retail sector. For more information visit www.thenuancegroup.com. In India, Nuance Group operates in partnership with Shoppers Stop Limited.

Sometimes shopping can bring in other rewards too!

1. Check if You Can Get Out!

See if you can go out!
See if you can go out!

When I was at Munich and I had 8 hours. But the fool that I can be sometimes, it never occurred to me that I was through with immigration and I could have gone out in the city instead of waiting at the airport for my connecting flight to Helsinki. To a traveler nothing compares to exploring a new place. So, when at an airport check out if there is a provision for getting out. That way you get to see a new city as a bonus.

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16 thoughts on “Ways to Kill Time at Airports”

  1. Anusia says:
    December 23, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    Thanks for sharing such tips. They are really helpful. Keep posting more such tips.

    Reply
  2. Antonina says:
    December 23, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Thanks for the useful article, I’ll show it to my mom. She regularly visits us in India, flying from Ukraine. She has to change flights in Istanbul, and although it would be great to wonder around this fascinating city for a few hours, I prefer her to stay in the airport as she’s a very experienced traveler. And language barrier is a problem too.

    Reply
    1. Ankita Sinha says:
      December 24, 2014 at 11:36 am

      It all depends what Airport does your mom arrive in.If she is arriving in Sabiha airport in Istanbul,the travel time to the city is 1hour 15 minutes.If she is arriving at Ataturk,it would take around 35 minutes.So depending on that decide whether you should leave the airport or stay in πŸ™‚

      Reply
      1. Antonina says:
        December 28, 2014 at 11:58 am

        Ankita, she arrives at Ataturk, and if there were some Russian speaking group to explore the city with her, I wouldn’t think twice. Otherwise, I’m afraid she would lose her way in the city, get late for the flight, and so on, and so on :))

        Reply
  3. Niranjan says:
    December 23, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    This is a wonderful and an interesting read, Mridula. I would only want to do point 1.

    Reply
  4. thetalesofatraveler says:
    December 23, 2014 at 8:00 pm

    We visited Srilanka coastal town Negombo when we were coming back to India from Thailand via Srilanka, we had just 6 hours πŸ˜‰ and yes apart from eating , i do shop a lot …. can’t think of working in that chaos πŸ˜€

    Reply
  5. Hemendra says:
    December 24, 2014 at 8:04 am

    its overpriced because they know you want it, you want it so you will buy it. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  6. Mahesh Semwal says:
    December 24, 2014 at 10:05 am

    I prefer window shopping or use the facility of free wifi.

    Reply
  7. Deepankar Das says:
    December 24, 2014 at 11:14 am

    Reading this, i still remember my night long stays at MUmbai Airport for the early morning flight. I used to communicate with new people, talk about books, their places. it also gives u a lot to know.. and kills the time too.

    Reply
  8. Ankita Sinha says:
    December 24, 2014 at 11:40 am

    I usually do shopping or wander.The worst I have experienced is 12 hour transit at the Sharjah Airport.Can’t go out because UAE transit visa is super costly.And the lounges are expensive πŸ™‚ phew but met pakistanis and made instant friends with them to cut time,that was great !

    Reply
  9. Ratna says:
    December 24, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    Very nice post! I too like walking in the airport to kill time. Though I don’t shop much in the airport, I like window shopping.

    Reply
  10. Hitesh says:
    December 24, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    thanks for the tips…., my smartphone and whatsapp are the best friend when i get stuck in this type of situation

    Reply
  11. MP UPPAL says:
    December 24, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    GREAT TIPS FOR FREQUENT FLIERS!

    Reply
  12. sindhoooo says:
    December 24, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    Wonderful tips Mridula πŸ™‚ How about having an interesting book to read? I think you might do this but have skipped to mention!

    TC! Keep smiling πŸ™‚

    Reply
  13. Ragini Puri says:
    December 24, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Interesting tips! I generally kills time observing other travellers and browsing the duty free shops.

    Reply
  14. Avinash says:
    December 26, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    2 books and Kindle is enough to kill time in any airport πŸ˜›

    Reply

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About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

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