Airports matter

Not all airports are created equal. Some airports close at night. Some have next to no amenities. Amsterdam has everything. Some may not have any drinks for sale and some may not have anyplace to change your money to the local currency. Depending on where you are going, some may not even have any available shelter. Check to see what you might be heading into if you choose to select a journey with connections and/or long layovers. Know whether you need to depart the airport by 11pm or can sleep on a chair for the night.

The airport can matter.

For the most part, an hour layover should provide adequate time to make your connecting flight.  But when considering what might might be an appropriate flight connection, remember that some airports have terminals that are so far apart that one hour gives you no time to spare to reach your next plane on time. Some locations have the international airport on one side of town and the domestic airport on the other side of town. Be aware of the required logistics before pressing the purchase button on those great plane tickets.

Airports can be more fun if you bring along some distractions. I like to bring music, a book, a deck of cards and some pages of word puzzles. Once you get past the security, remember to fill your water bottle or get a bottle of water for the plane trip in case you have the misfortune to be sitting on the runway for hours without air conditioning. Don’t plan on that to happen. But it is always good to be ready.

“It’s no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase ‘As pretty as an airport’ appear.” —- Douglas Adams

“I get pretty much all the exercise I need walking down airport concourses carrying bags.”—Guy Clark

“The Devil himself had probably re-designed Hell in the light of the information he had gained from observing airport layouts.” ― Anthony Price, The Memory Trap

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