5 Things to do on a Long Layover

Have you ever had an extended stay at the airport?

Y’all, my trip to and from Jamaica was craziness. Long layovers and missed connections. So, first of all, if you ever try to book a flight for a carnival, please save up. It’s super expensive. Therefore, I tried to find the cheapest way to get there. I booked my flight out of RDU, because CLT’s prices are insane. I got a decent price, but it came with a layover both ways. Which sucks.

So, I drove up to RDU shortly after midnight to find parking and to ensure I didn’t induce a panic attack before my flight. I get anxious with the unknown. The morning went fine. I parked, got through TSA (if you watched my Youtube video you’d see that I got pulled in the security line up for my bag and a strip search). Any who, I made it to my flight on time and everything went smoothly.

Then, I landed in Miami and realized I would be there for nearly 5 hours before my connection. It wasn’t quite enough time to leave the airport. I had to find ways to burn time. So, I did! And, here’s what you can do to burn time if you have a long layover at the airport. 

1. Work: If you’re super busy like me, you can use this time to catch up on things you’ve been meaning to do. I wrote a blog. I scheduled some payments that I was late on. I organized my pictures and videos on my phone. I deleted old menus from my files. Overall, I just needed some organization in my life. So, I used that time to do that.
2. People/Plane Watch: I find it the most amusing to watch people in the airport. Everyone has strange nuances that are on display. It’s interesting. I like to watch people run to catch flights. Or people looking around confused. I also love to watch the tiny doggies hustling through the airport. Plane take offs and landings are fun too. Especially when the svelte pilots come strolling down the jetway. 
3. Airport Lounges: When you visit different airports, you typically walk past a cool room and see people inside chilling. Those are membership lounges. Some are offered with certain credit cards, some you can pay to enter. Or, you can buy memberships for them. One I’m considering getting is the Priority Pass. With this pass, you have access to lounges in Canada, the US, and the Caribbean. This pass starts out at $70 each year. It allows you to relax, get something to eat, and some have pools. 
4. Eat/Drink: Each terminal has different restaurant and bar options. I’d recommend going online ahead of time to see which places you’d like to hit. Depending on where you’re going, there may be different cultural options. For instance, I make it a point to get empanadas if I get stuck at Miami’s airport. There are always tons of bars. Grab a drink to take the edge off.
5. Explore the city: Now, you can only do this one if you have more than 4 hours to spare. If you have less than 4 to 5 hours, I wouldn’t recommend leaving. Some people actually schedule layovers in certain areas on purpose, to have time to explore the city. You can leave your checked bag floating in airport space while you visit restaurants, spas, or museums. 

Bonus

Explore the airport: Each airport has something different to offer. Vegas has like a mini casino in theirs. Miami and Chicago have tons of cool artwork all around the airport. Destin has miniature airplane displays. LGA has a light and water show feature in the middle of their airport. Atlanta has drug dogs. It’s all so much fun. Just kidding ATL.

Hope you enjoyed this! What other topics would you like to read about?