Things To Do At The Airport While You’re Waiting At The Gate

If you found this post because this is your first flight and you’re looking for airport tips, you’re in luck. Our post with Useful Tips For First Time Flyers will be sure to help you out.

Things To Do At The Airport While You’re Waiting At The Gate

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Eat & Drink

You can’t bring coffee through security, but you can buy it once you get through. You can also buy lots of other food and drinks. Although, quick note: Airports will charge you a lot of money for water bottles. So I always pack an empty one and fill it up once I get through airport security.

As far as food, though, airports usually have a ton of variety, everything from fast food chains to local eateries. If you show to the airport early and have extra time, use it as an excuse to sit and dine. Or take advantage of the fact that you can go to an airport bar during the morning and no one will judge you because you’re on vacation.

If you’re flying first or business class or you have a credit card that offers lounge access, definitely take advantage of that. I took my grandma into the airport lounge once and there was so much free food and drinks for travelers. Plus, the seating was so much cozier than the seats at the gate. It was a great way to spend our time.

Shop

I love when airports have tons of stores. I almost never buy anything in them, but it’s so much fun to window shop. You can find almost anything at major airports too, from electronics to travel pillows to a last minute souvenir for that family member who is picking you up from the airport.

If you’re doing some international travel, you get to stop in the duty free shops (they’re not available for domestic travel). The items in the shops are exempt from some taxes and the items are so much cheaper. So that’s why travelers will pick up highly taxed items, like alcohol or tobacco, at the airport.

If you’re shopping before you get on the plane (as opposed to when you arrive at your destination’s airport), make sure you purchase items that can fit in your carry on bags or in your personal item. If not, that purchase may count as an additional bag and you’ll have to pay to bring it on the plane.

Read

The airport is a great place to catch up on your reading. Goodness knows I don’t read enough when I’m at home because there’s always something to do (laundry, cleaning, gardening, etc.), so I spend all my free minutes doing chores instead of just sitting down with a book or magazine. None (well, almost none) of your chores follow you to the airport, so it’s the perfect time to catch up on your reading.

And, if you didn’t bring something with you, those aforementioned stores will probably have a best seller you can grab.

And, actually, you might be able to get that book for pretty cheap. Paradies Lagardère, which operates over 800 bookstores in US airports, has a Read and Return program. Travelers can purchase a book at their departing destination, then return it at their arrival destination and get a return of 50% of the purchase price.

Paradies Lagardère sells those returned books for half price too, so you might be able to score a cheap book for your flight.

Work

I can get so much work done when I’m just sitting at the airport with nothing else to do. I can type up blog posts, answer emails, check social media, and more. It’s the perfect opportunity to sit, focus, and bang out some tasks so I can really relax when I’m on vacation.

If you’re able to work remotely, getting a little bit done before your trip is a good idea. Tie up loose ends and you’ll get to your destination with a clear mind.

And airports know you’re going to do some work, so, there are a ton of stations set up around the airport terminal with chargers (traditional and USB ports) so you can charge your electronic devices. 

Catch up on your shows

Most airports offer free Wi-Fi, so sitting at the gate is a great time to catch up on a couple episodes of your favorite shows. You can use that time at the airport to download a few episodes too so you can watch them on your tablet when you get on the plane.

If you have an incredibly long flight (ours to Japan is 13 hours), that might be enough time to get through a full season before you get to your final destination. That’s one way to catch up on that show everyone at work is talking about that you just don’t have time to watch.

If you don’t have a show to watch, you can download your favorite podcasts instead.

Just make sure to pack your headphones because your fellow travelers don’t want to watch with you.

Watch the planes

Back in the day, when the TSA restrictions were a little less, well, restrictive, you could actually go to the airport and sit all day, watching planes come in and take off.

You can’t go past the security check anymore without a boarding pass.

Some airports had programs, like TPA All Access at the Tampa Airport and the My PIT Pass program at the Pittsburgh Airport, where you could have access to the airport’s restaurants and stores without having a ticket. Both those programs are discontinued, so you can really only watch the planes when you’re flying now.

So definitely find a window and watch the planes coming and going.

People watch

Just watch the people.

I love making up stories for people when I people watch. I give them completely fleshed out backstories, I know where they’ve been and where they’re going. Blame the writer in me. But people watching at the airport, when they’re coming out of the gate or waiting to go on a flight, really is a lot of fun.

Get steps

You know I’m a bit fan of getting 10,000 daily steps. Some days, especially days when you’re spending a long time on an airplane, that can be really hard. So use the time at the gate to your advantage. Walk from one end of the terminal to the other or as far as you’re able to walk.

I still play Pokémon Go, so I walk at the airport and catch Pokémon. Big airports usually have a lot of stops, gyms, and Pokémon to catch, so it’s a lot of fun.

Take a nap

Some flights are super early, which means you wake up so early to get the airport. And since you’re responsible, you get there two hours before your flight so that means you may have to wait a while before your flight takes off.

If you’re tired, take a nap. Of course, this is only a good tip if you’re not traveling alone. That way you have someone to keep an eye on your stuff and to make sure you wake up in time for boarding.