50 Things to do when you’re stuck at an airport – Part Two

MASSAGE – At New Delhi Airport in India, you can take a load off with a foot massage.

SNUGGLE WITH A DOG – At Miami International, Casey the therapy dog wanders the terminal with her owner. Anyone is welcome to touch and pet her.

TOILETS – From Hello Kitty-themed restrooms in Taipei, to futuristic electronic toilets in Tokyo, airports have plenty of interesting facilities.

BEACH – The runway at Barra, in Scotland, is right on the beach

DUTY FREE – Dubai ranks as the top airport for duty-free sales, followed by South Korea’s Incheon

LUXURY GOODS – Singapore’s Changi Airport offers a designer shopping experience with brands such as Hermes, Prada and Gucci

SOUVENIRS – London buses, lobster hats and a solid chocolate hockey puck. All in an airport near you.

CARS – Bahrain and Dubai airports hold regular raffles for luxury cars.

GOLF – Both Hong Kong international and Thailand’s Don Muang airports have golf course on the airport grounds.

ICE SKATING – Former World’s Best Airport, Seoul Incheon offers a synthetic ice rink

CABARET – Munich Airport has its own beer hall, Airbrau, which has its own brewery and cabaret shows

MUSEUM – San Francisco International Airport has its own museum

CONCERTS – Nashville International Airport holds up to 100 concerts per year

SURF – More than 250 airports in the U.S. and over 60 capital-city airports across the world offer free WiFi

MOVIES – Hong Kong International has the world’s only airport IMAX screen

GAMBLE – Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport offers a range of slot machines

LEARN – Madrid-Barajas Airports Expoambiente Area provides information about environmental issues

BOOKS – Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam has the world’s first permanent airport library

GAME – Paris’ airports provide PlayStation3 consoles for passengers to use free of charge

GOURMET – Barcelona’s El Prat airport holds the honor of having the best airport restaurant, Porta Gaig

CHOCOLATE – Specialist chocolates, such as Toblerone bars, can give the travelling chocaholic their coco-fix.

BAR – The Swiss lounge at Zurich Airport has the world’s longest airport bar.

BOOZE – Every country has its own special drink. For example, South African Amarula is available at Johannesburg Airport.

CONSPIRACIES – Aliens or a New World Order? Mythical conspiracies seem to be popular at Denver International Airport

SETTLE DOWN – Iranian Mehran Karimi Nasseri spent 18 years living at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport

Whether you have been delayed, snowed in, missed your flight or have just ended up with hours to waste between connections, here are some interesting ways to make use of your down time, while getting some great life experiences too!

Make sure to book in at 808 Cartwright Corner for a luxurious, self-catering apartment with amazing views of Cape Town. Need a reliable shuttle service to and from Cape Town International Airport? Contact Airport Shuttle today!

Written By: Christine Romans

50 Things to do when you’re stuck at an airport – Part One

If you’re an avid traveler, you know what it’s like at the airport. You've checked in, dropped your baggage, gone through security, got your bearings and now you have one, two, three hours to kill. It would probably be considered rude to eavesdrop on the intense conversation happening in the seat behind you. So, what should you do?

YOGA – Catch up on your stretches and Downward Dog pose at Dallas Fort Worth’s terminal-based yoga studio.

PING-PONG – Ping-Pong tables are set up at Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport.

BREATHE – Narita Airport, Japan, has its very own oxygen bar where you can get a quick oxygen fix.

VACCINATIONS – At many airports you can get a flu shot, a yellow fever vaccination or countless other shots for travel abroad. 

RUN A LAP – Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris should do the trick with its circular design in Terminal 1.

SWIM – A swimming pool and Jacuzzi are available to passengers at Singapore’s Changi Airport.

HEALTH CHECK – Teeth whitening, blood pressure testing and expert physicians are available at Incheon airport.

MEDITATE – Albuquerque and Raleigh-Durham in the U.S. offer meditation rooms for travelers.

FLASH MOB – Vancouver, Dubai and Atlanta have all played host to flash mob events.

FUNNY NAMES – Look for amusing destination names on the departure boards. Batman, Moron and Mafia are all real airport names.

A DINOSAUR – A 10 foot tall, 31 foot long Yangchuanosaurus greets at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

ART – London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 has its very own art gallery.

PEOPLE – In terms of international flights, the top 10 busiest airports handle more than 400 million passengers each year.

A FILM – You can rent a movie for your laptop from a range of kiosks at airports across the U.S.

GOLLUM – A 42 foot statue of Gollum from Lord of the Rings sits catching fish in Wellington Airport.

THE CITY – Singapore, Utah and Istanbul airports all offer free trips into town to see the sights if youre a passenger in transit.

THE STARS – Tokyo’s Haneda Airport boasts its own planetarium.

FISH – Vancouver Airport has an aquarium and a jellyfish exhibit.

BANNED ITEMS – Airports sometimes display all of the items confiscated from travelers.

A GHOST – Manchester Airport in the U.K. is rumoured to be haunted.

LOUNGE AROUND – Qatar’s lounge in Doha has a full spa for you to enjoy.

PRAY – Many airports have a prayer room, but Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport has a mosque capable of holding 2,000 worshipers.

SLEEP – Take advantage of the specially designed “sleeping chairs” in Seoul, Singapore or Amsterdam.

PAMPERED PETS – Japan’s Narita Airport has a hotel for your beloved furry friends. It also has a vet clinic and a grooming salon.

NATURE – Pay a visit to the rain forest without leaving the airport. A section of jungle has been transplanted into Kuala Lumpur Airport.

Make sure to book in at 808 Cartwright Corner for a luxurious, self-catering apartment with amazing views of Cape Town. Need a reliable shuttle service to and from Cape Town International Airport? Contact Airport Shuttle today!

Written By: Christine Romans