Travel Tales

Another world: Life inside airports
By Jan Wheatcroft 

I like to think of it as “hanging out” in the buffer zone between home and journey’s end. Once I have passed through security I am in a floating place, no longer here and not yet there and so I roll up into myself and enjoy the life in this “other world.” Many times I enjoy the feeling that I am invisible and can take a deep breath and really relax which I often need to do before flying off to someplace new.

Airports are places where travelers either pass through to get to their gates or spend large amounts of time between flights just waiting. Each airport has a personality of its own. Some are simple and fairly bare with a few small kiosks and minimal eating stations while others provide extensive restaurants and bars, shopping malls and lounges. Some have chairs which are quite comfortable to sit in, some seating allows one to stretch out and even sleep for long layovers while others provide hard seats reminding you that the bones in your body are still there. Many airports have art and craft displays which both help to pass the time and give one the chance to see local artists interpret their environment. I have seen some wonderful art of the Northwest at Seattle’s airport as well as some very interesting ceramic exhibits. At the Ontario Airport there have been corridors filled with local art and even work by people I knew. At Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport there is a museum with original work by Van Gogh and other famous artists in case one might not get into the city to explore the art museums.

There always seem to be long lines and I do a lot of waiting. I line up to check in and again to have my bag screened. I snake along in winding lines barefoot to be screened myself and always hope I meet up with my things on the other side of the screening machines. I try to put my things in the trays when I get close to the machines so someone else on the retrieving side can’t grab my belongings, one of my fears. To pass the time in line I people watch, wondering where others are going, and watch their interactions—which I find most interesting. I enjoy seeing how people dress and the things they carry with them. This is not a place I read as there is too much shuffling about. Once inside I calculate my choices and the time left to me. Some airports are full of shops with up to date items to browse through. Bookstores are my favorites, especially in England as the language is the same but the offerings are different than at home. British airports offer books in paperback which haven’t been released yet outside the airport which is nice. And the magazine choices are extensive. I also love the chemist shops, such as Boots, which have all sorts of special items for the traveler in one place—as well as creams and makeup and foreign sounding homeopathic preparations which hold my attention.

The airport provides a good place to walk and get some exercise as many gates are far from one another. If one is traveling light a good walk up and down the corridors gives a good exercise balance to the time sitting on the plane in flight. I often find a seat in an area near where my gate is and am able to close my eyes and meditate for 20 minutes or so to reduce my stress level. Sometimes I am able to sleep most often I read.

Once, on a very long layover in the Frankfort Airport waiting to go to Greece, I found a bench and stretched out using my backpack as a lumpy pillow and slept for an hour. It really made me feel better and helped to pass the 7 hours I was there.

Some people are lucky and can get passes to airline lounges which provide comfortable seats and free spreads of food and drink. I used to have that with British Air but even though I collect their air miles that courtesy has been revoked for the non-business traveler such as myself. Too bad, as I really enjoyed those lounges and always took advantage of them.

Many airports offer places where one can collect and send e-mails but I find that these ports have become quite expensive now and so I stopped using them. They often require the use of a credit card and I always liked to use my foreign coins up as I traveled.

Eating is always a fun way to pass the time and try local foods. English airports have pubs and oyster bars. At home, I enjoy finding places like Wolfgang Puck’s pizzas or other local specialty eateries while I’m trapped in “airport never land.” The southwest has many Mexican choices, the northwest offers fish and sometimes I find Sushi and noodle bars. Even though I don’t always eat in them I enjoy reading the menus and seeing what is available and how creative airports have become.

Sometimes the process of checking in and going through security takes so long that the only time I have left is spent running to reach my gate in time. Actually in some of the large International Airports that is a disappointment as I enjoy all there is to offer for browsing or just for a final poke around before I leave one destination and fly off to another. If I am just starting out it is exciting, a new beginning, and if it is winding down and going home then it is an ending and I enjoy stretching out the adventure just one last time before departure.