Ten Reasons to Actually Love Hanging Out in Airports. Seriously.
I know we all hate the dreaded layover or flight delay; Sitting all cramped in an a way-less-comfortable-than-it-looks chair unsure of whether its ok to sort-of graze your neighbor's elbow with your elbow on the armrest in an attempt to get comfortable, or if they will awkwardly view it as commandeering their space and pull away annoyingly ( Just me? no? ).
No one wants that.
But I'm not here to focus on the negative. The power of positivity has compelled me to make this listicle: Ten Reasons to Actually Love Hanging Out in Airports.
10. No dress code. Sweatpants, heels, baseball cap, ripped-up jeans? NO ONE CARES. Unless you combine all of those into one outfit, then maybe you'll get some looks. Otherwise, wear whatever the heck you want to be comfortable for coach.
9. Bathrooms a' plenty! Unlike other public arenas, airports have what feels like a bathroom on every corner and (for the most part) there aren't many lines! Granted, if you are flying to a tiny city in a remote area there is probably one crowded bathroom but let's focus on major airports or at least first world country airports for right now. PEE AWAY!
8. Charging stations, plugs, and no judgement for sitting on the floor charging your phone. Granted, the fancy charging stations are always full but I bet you can find a plug in an airport SOMEWHERE and even if you have to sit on the ground to enjoy it, you won't get weird looks. Try that in a bar, however, and the cops might get called to haul you to the drunk tank.
7. HEADPHONES ARE THE NORM. There is no need in an airport to be social with anyone. You can sit, alone, in a restaurant with headphones in and not acknowledge a soul except your server (Who is way too busy to talk anyway) and it is completely acceptable. In fact, it probably makes you look important... or something.
6. On the same note... sitting alone at the bar is no longer creepy! It's completely acceptable to be alone at the bar... on your laptop... with headphones... not being social. (that's kind of what I'm doing right now but not in an airport and it just isn't the same).
5. Time does not exist. I love this one. No one has an concept of time except for when to board your plane. You can have breakfast at midnight, a beer at 9am or dinner at 4am. No one cares, no one judges. If someone does (screw 'em) or just say "it's 5 o'clock where I'm from!" and then avoid them before they can question your timezone math.
4. EVERY GENRE OF FOOD AVAILABLE. Now I won't comment on whether or not the food will be GOOD, but there is pretty much guaranteed to be every major genre of food available in an airport. Mexican, Pub Faire, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Seafood, Cajun... nomnomnom. Plus, if you have a layover in an area with a food specialty (I always have layovers in Baltimore and I LOVE me some crab cakes) you can definitely get a decent version of it in the airport. Bon Appetit!
3. BEER AND WINE TO-GO. I don't believe this one requires an explanation. Moving on...
2. Fancy business people in suites who are always recruiting. Want a new job? Spruce up your resume and head to the airport. I'm serious. Sit in an area where strangers are socializing (the bar is a good choice) and do some ear hustling until you hear something you can relate to and then *politely* jump in. Just have a friendly conversation until the "what do you do?" question comes up. Let the conversation happen naturally and you never know what could happen. The traditional way of looking over resumes on job sites is old news. People love recruiting on the fly (pun very much intended), when they can have a conversation with someone and see how they interact in public.
1. Meeting new people! I know I talk a big game about wanting to be anti-social but in reality I love having meaningful conversation with cool new people. The thing is, when you get to know something new about a city, a culture, a person... it changes your worldview and I think we all need a bit of that open-mindedness these days.
So next time you are in an airport, don't dread it! Grab a wine to go, plug in your phone, try some local faire and meet a new person!
