Hello chaps and chapesses!
Graeme and I recently spent a lovely sunny week in Norway (new post soon!). It was a great holiday, but the trip home was a bit of a nightmare. We were supposed to fly from Kristiansand to Amsterdam, hang around for 3 hours, then get another flight from Amsterdam to Manchester, but our first flight was delayed by 8 hours. This meant spending all day in Kristiansand airport, missing our connection from Amsterdam and spending the night in a (rather posh and impressive) hotel, paid for by the airline, and getting a flight home the following day.
Graeme and I recently spent a lovely sunny week in Norway (new post soon!). It was a great holiday, but the trip home was a bit of a nightmare. We were supposed to fly from Kristiansand to Amsterdam, hang around for 3 hours, then get another flight from Amsterdam to Manchester, but our first flight was delayed by 8 hours. This meant spending all day in Kristiansand airport, missing our connection from Amsterdam and spending the night in a (rather posh and impressive) hotel, paid for by the airline, and getting a flight home the following day.
It was a long and trying journey, but the free night in the posh hotel, complete with steak dinner at 11pm, was a perk.
It wasn't too bad once we actually got on the plane and started travelling - the hardest part was hanging around in the airport for 10 hours. Kristiansand is a tiny airport, with very little in the way of entertainment, so it was a pretty boring 10 hours. It occurred to me that long delays in boring airports are by no means rare (unfortunately), so I've come up with some tips to help you beat the boredom if (let's face it, when) it happens to you.
Read. If, like me, you're in the Kindle Kamp, this is a chance for you to test how long your battery will last. I was pleasantly surprised with mine - I got a good 40 minutes out of mine after the 'Your battery is critically low' (read: 'charge me now or bad things will happen to you') message. If you're of the more traditional persuasion, your book / magazine / newspaper / comic will last you ages.
People watch. Watching people come and go is fascinating, and airports are the best places to do it. For added fun, you could add a David Attenborough style commentary in your head. "Behold, the backpacking gap year traveller prowls his habitat, hunting his prey. He approaches the organic fair trade coffee bar, and lo, his hunt is successful. His soya milk chai latte will sustain him for a few hours, so he can continue to 'find himself' in the airport." Just remember not to do this out loud.
Invent monologues. Look around. Look at all the people around you. Imagine what they're thinking and saying to each other. It's even better if you give them funny voices. If you need some inspiration or you're wondering what I'm talking about, this will give you some idea.
Make a friend. The chances are you'll be stuck in one place for some time, so why not take it as an opportunity to get to know someone new. Strike up a conversation with the person next to you - ask them where they're headed, how was their trip, which are their favourite airports - anything. Just be friendly. You'll brighten their day and your own, and you might make a friend for life.
What are your flight delay stories? How do you like to kill the boredom? Let me know in the comments!
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