Stuff to do during a stop over?

Can you leave the airport and come back w/o much hassle?

I took this from an email I received awhile ago.



1. At the airport, wear a uniform and claim you are the pilot, get annoyed if they don't believe you but DONT give up, see how far you can get ( WARNING, may result in you being arrested)
2. Whilst boarding the plane, say in a loud voice "THAT WING SURE DOES LOOK RUSTY!!"
3. Stand up and ask the passengers if anyone " wants to join the mile high club with you?" wink suggestively at various people...of both sexes.
4. Delight your fellow passengers with your impression of a plane crashing in to the sea, complete with sound effects.
5. Enthrall your companions at the airport by telling them that you knew the pilot of Buddy Holly's plane and you're pretty sure he trained at the same place as your current pilot.
6. Streak.
7. Occasionally scream........loudly.
8. As you get of the plane, look worried and announce loudly" VAIT A MINUTE, VOT IZ ZIS PLACE?! ZIS IZ NOT POLAND, VERE ZE HELL IZ ZIS?!?!?!?"
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Seriously though... I googled, "things to do at an airport" and a whole lotta lists popped up with all kinds of sites for different cities.

Obvious: Bring a good book.

Less Obvious: Walk for at least ten minutes out of each of those six hours. Once you get on your connecting flight, you'll be sitting for a long, long time.

Airports vary when it comes to features. The Charlotte, NC airport, for example, has a mall (including a Crabtree & Evelyn) and a nice lounge. It's one of the better airports I've been to. Newark, NJ, on the other hand, is cheesy. Everything seems a holdover from the 70s or so. The food is awful and the place feels dirty. Logan (in Boston) has okay food but it's overpriced. There's not much to do, other than wander, eat or read a book. The Honolulu airport has a beautiful outdoor piece where you can sit in the sun while waiting. At LaGuardia, if you're taking a Delta shuttle, the terminal is very old and has a small exhibit of artifacts from the 30s. The cafeteria is also retro but the prices aren't. Atlanta is VERY large and there are a lot of areas you can only get to via a shuttle subway system. San Francisco and Philadelphia both have a lot of little shops - Philly has some pushcarts, which are charming but the merchandise is overpriced.

If you feel virtuous, you could keep an eye out for a single parent travelling with wee ones and help in any way that you could. Layovers with tiny children are hellish, particularly when you are the only adult.

Depends on where you're going to/from, and how long the flight is. From Oz, it's a long way to anywhere. (but I'm such a travel tart!)

Try to check out the airport facilities online - this'll give you some idea of what to expect.

I always look to take a shower and change clothes on trips to Europe. It breaks up the 22 hour + flight, and makes me feel a bit better. Then I walk. This presumes you're not an untidy traveller with lots of bits of baggage to be carted around. I'm all legs and I need to stretch them - and there's little chance to do this in planes.

6 hours is just long enough to be tedious - but not long enough to warrant getting a day hotel room. That's another thing to consider, though. Some places rent rooms by the hour (and no - not that sort of room rental!) You can have a shower and a proper nap - and they'll call you.

If you're a certain level of frequent flyer, or club member, you can use their airport lounges.

Some airports have cinemas -?Singapore. Schipol in Amsterdam has a casino - so you can get rid of that excess money, rather than have the worry of carrying it around.

If you're stuck in Cairo - kill yourself. It's the only sensible thing. This goes double if you happen to be stuck in Aden, Yemen! (mind you, someone else may try to kill you first!)

And then, of course, you can read, as already has been suggested. Or people watch!

Or do at least some of the things Ceili has suggested. That should fill some time. But be aware - those airport police are not always too friendly, and you could end up missing your connecting flight. And get to visit unexpected places. And get your name in the newspaper. And cause grief to your family. And have trouble getting on a flight again!

What airport are you stopping in? Perhaps you could meet an A2K'er from that city.

Enjoy your trip!

I'm going to Frankfurt Germany

Frankfurt? Have you ever considered the benefits of ketchup?

Most airports have an ample supply of the miraculous condiment
in handy plastic envelopes such that if opened only slightly
and placed in strategic public locations . . .

As the commercial says: ANTICIPATION! Quite entertaining.

G'day Blackie - and Happy New Year.

Frrrrrankfurt, eh??? I think that's a jollity free zone~

Here's the website:
Frankfurt airport

Note there's a link to "fascination airport" - believe me, it's not! - those Germans have a different understanding of fascination!

I think drugs or chemicals of some sort are required - better make them legal ones, though.

You could take up PatriUgg's eminently sensible suggestion of ketchup, known in the civilised world as tomato sauce.... not that tomato sauce is particularly civilised. :wink:

I think Frankfurt is an A2K free zone, but I'll pass on the topic to our resident guru of all things germane or Germanic - Walter - for any really sensible suggestions. Perhaps they have an internet cafe - and you could waste some time there.

Enjoy your trip, anyway - Frankfurt is not usually on the way to Oz from anywher

True, margo - fascination means something slightly different to Germans: some are even fascinated by train stations, harbours, ports and airports (I suppose, I'm one of them :wink: ).

BTW: my point of special interest is the Frankfurt Airport railway station: LINK

Trains to Francfort itself run from a different station "S-Bahn".
You perhaps could consider to take a train into the city:
website Frankfurt

Here's a link to the local public tram, bus and underground railway
Frankfurt public transport