Long layovers are the worst things ever! Already anticipating to arrival at your destination, layovers make the whole traveling process harder. So, what does one do when they are waiting at the airport? Yes, taking a book along is the solution to any journey, road or air, but too much reading also gets boring after a while. And to think that reading is the only way to curb your boredom – well, that’s a myth! Here at Jovago, we took a quick survey to understand what people like doing while they are waiting at the airport. Some of our top responses were:
1. People-watching
This seems to be a favorite amongst most Jovago employees! Clearly, airports are the best place to sit back and just watch people – it’s also fun coming up with their life stories and trying to figure out the dynamics between individuals. Make sure you don’t stare though, that will make this exercise really awkward!
2. Shopping and walking around
I would be shocked if this wasn’t on the list! Surprisingly, the men at Jovago seem to be as fond of duty-free shopping as women – but the priorities are different. Men go towards the electronic and gadgets whereas women go towards the perfumes and make-up. Regardless, duty-free ‘window shopping’ (it’s never really window because the temptation to buy supersedes the will to control) is one of the top favorite ways to kill time at the airport.
3. Find a café with WiFi!
Right after exiting the plane, this is the first thing everyone looks for. Got to check the whatsapps and emails we missed while up in the air. Once you find a café with WiFi, you can expect to spend some time there, while sipping on some coffee or eating some food, or even surfing “how to book hot hotel deals in Lahore”? But good cafés are essential for airports to have! Also, cafés are a really good place to people-watch so and just chill while listening to music or just surfing the internet on your phone.
4. Staring at the planes
When the layover is really long, sometimes we find ourselves just staring at the planes – the different types of new Boeings out there, the different sizes of planes and the logos used on them. Also, while gazing on, we are also waiting to see our plane out there in hopes of the flight being on time. This is an activity which is very popular amongst children as well, as they enjoy counting the planes and waiting for theirs to depart!
5. Exploring the airport
There are always renovations being done to airports, and new places to explore. After a long flight, it’s nice to stretch your legs and walk around exploring the airport. If you are visiting Pakistan for the first time, then you might search for list of Hotels in Islamabad or something of interest to you. Our walking around often leads towards taking us to the duty free stores, but it’s still fun exploring new airports. Some airports actually provide massage facilities, so you can relax after a flight and enjoy a massage!
The list of things to do at the airport varies from person to person, some would like to live in the moment and explore the surroundings while others may find fun in procrastinating about the stay such as looking for cheap hotels in Pakistan. Nevertheless, the above 5 points really do summarize a good layover stay. Before traveling we usually dread the stopovers, however somehow time passes and our each airport stay is memorable in its own way!
Article By : Fatima Naqvi, Head of Public Relations @ Jovago Pakistan
Fahad is an entrepreneur and a marketing enthusiast who loves to write on trending topics. He loves travelling & playing tennis is what he does in his leisure time. He tweets @fahad164.
Email:- fahad164@gmail.com , fahad@themediaparadigm.com