Understanding the Layover Blues

In the pursuit of a cheaper plane ticket, you decided to do what a lot of people have: jump; on the multi-stop bandwagon. This is great in theory…until you realize that your ticket has a lot of layovers. It’s something that’s part of air travel. Before you envy those jet setting businesspeople, you need to stop and think about how a layover is going to affect your trip. There are a few things that you should definitely do, and a few things that you shouldn’t.

First and foremost, if you can help it — don’t get tempted to leave the airport. The only time you should want to leave the airport and wander around is when you have plenty of time to get back, and you have a fair idea of where you’re going. Getting lost in a country where you don’t have the money to really get where you need to go is very dangerous, and we would suggest that you avoid it at all costs.

Staying within the airport is important, but you want to make sure that you keep your wits about you. Go to the gate even if it says that your flight is delayed. Things can change rapidly and you want to be able to have a fair idea of what’s going on around you. When the plane is ready to board, they’re not really going to hear too many excuses of why you didn’t follow instructions.

It’s important to make sure that you are going to be a team player as well. Getting angry and throwing a fit because your flight is delayed is a good way to get on a list you don’t want to be on — the rolling list of airport patrons that have a nasty attitude. Serviceworkers can immediately see that you’re a handful and they will not go out of their way to assist you. So if you fall asleep in the terminal, there’s nobody that’s going to wake you up. That would really suck to miss your flight mainly because you were worked up.

Most airports have plenty of shops for you to cruise through while you wait for your flight. You’re already past the security checkpoint, so it’s not like you have to go through it again. This wouldn’t be the case if you were trying to leave and come back later for your flight to take off.

There are plenty of quiet places to read a book, and if you already belong to a member’s only lounge, you’ll find it to be one of the quietest places.

A word about computer security — while you may have your laptop with you, this isn’t really the time that you want to check your bank account and everything else. This is because you are going to be on a public Wi-Fi network, where other people can see your computer’s traffic. This includes the ability to steal information from you, since the information isn’t transmitted over a secure network. It’s something that can really mess you up if someone where to get a hold of your banking information. Don’t even give in to that temptation.

If you’re hungry, you can sit down and have a full meal, which can help you soothe your nerves. While you’re to the only traveler in this bind, it doesn’t matter — we tend to only think of our own needs, not everyone else’s needs.

Hang in there — a layover can seem like it drags on forever, but you’ll be onward to your destination in virtually no time at all. Good luck!