The thrill of the journey is beginning to build, or perhaps the nostalgia for an adventure just ended is already setting in; the imagination is feverishly at work, everything is ready: all that remains is a few hours’ wait at the departure airport and the job is done.

Sometimes, though, the wait turns out to be longer than expected, for all sorts of reasons. Boredom and a touch of tiredness creep in, and the most frequent gesture becomes glancing at your watch or smartphone to count down the minutes.

In this article we suggest what to do to while away the time and make the very best of the wait before that long-awaited boarding call!

Waits worthy of a film, and everyday ones

On the subject of long waits, Mehran Karimi Nasseri would have had a great deal to say: the Iranian citizen who was forced to live for no fewer than 18 years inside Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

His story, unique in many respects, also inspired the film The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Steven Spielberg.

Without necessarily looking for situations quite so extreme, it is increasingly common nowadays to come up against extended waiting times, sometimes of several hours.

When we are standing at the gate, ready to show our passport and boarding pass, we are told of a delay of some length and we sit back down glumly, perhaps thinking that the trip we have dreamed of for so long is not getting off to the best of starts.

But the thing to do is relax, take a deep breath and remember that an extraordinary adventure is about to begin.

The journey begins on the pages of a book

Inside an airport you can find just about anything, including a good bookshop. Indeed, travelling in the mind and the imagination can be every bit as rewarding as a journey made with a suitcase in tow.

Are you on the eve of departure and realise you have read nothing about the destination you are about to visit? Or would you like to explore further some idea that caught your interest over the past few days?

There is still time! On the bookshop shelves the choice is wide enough to satisfy everyone.

To understand more fully the atmosphere, spirit and traditions of the city and country that will host us, or that has just hosted us, nothing is better suited than a good book: a printed guidebook, perhaps illustrated with wonderful photographs, a specialist magazine, a fascinating and absorbing historical account, or a gripping novel set in those very places.

The printed page is the true passport to impressions and emotions, and a good book can be the best travelling companion of all.

Crosswords, quizzes and puzzles

Exercising the mind is always a good idea: it keeps you young and alert, feeds the little grey cells and allows great flexibility of thought.

There is nothing better, then, than a good old-fashioned crossword or, better still, a puzzle magazine.

Between logic puzzles, brain-teaser pages, sudoku and crosswords of every kind, readers are put to the test by absorbing riddles that tickle the curiosity.

Why not test yourself even further?

There are in fact several quiz apps offering questions of every kind: history, geography, literature, customs and traditions. It is the perfect moment to show off your knowledge of a particular subject or, for instance, to prove how much you know about the destination of your journey.

And if the competition is no longer just with yourself, but with family, relatives or friends, the result will be even more brilliant and entertaining!

Small screens for great adventures

Tablets, laptops, smartphones: by now it is hard to part with these technological appendages. So hard, in fact, that a trip to a faraway country can sometimes be the chance to disconnect a little from all our devices.

But technology also means the possibility of watching hundreds of thousands of films and TV series, at any time and in any place.

So go ahead and be spoilt for choice: crime stories, thrillers, comedies, fantasy, Hollywood blockbusters and Indian cinema, in short a little of everything…

Comfortably seated in the great airport waiting halls and equipped with a cosy pair of noise-cancelling headphones, you cut yourself off from the frantic flow of passengers and spend the time as if suspended in another dimension…

What is more, if you want to combine business with pleasure, why not choose a film set precisely where the plane will shortly be taking you?

His Majesty, Shopping

Buying souvenirs during a trip is all very well, as proof of having been somewhere else and as a special memento to bring home. But why shop at the airport, of all places?

The answer is: “why not?”
Indeed, it comes naturally to wander the aisles and the colourful shelves brimming with things to look at and to eat.

The range of items of interest varies considerably: some want to take home one last fridge magnet or a scarf of the local football team, others hurry to buy fine local food and wine to give as gifts or to enjoy at home.

Others still are enchanted by the rich selection of perfumes, spirits and chocolates of every kind. Finally, for lovers of comfort and practicality at all costs, a good travel pillow and a power bank to keep their smartphones charged are a must!

Why choose a Guiness Travel Tour

For us at Guiness, a journey is a wonderful frame of life.
Our aim is not to “show” places, but to accompany travellers as they immerse themselves fully in the culture and beauty of their chosen destination.

All our itineraries are 100% independently planned, carefully designed and tested for over 30 years, thus allowing the product to evolve constantly, reaching a high, wide-ranging cultural level and guaranteeing maximum comfort in the services on the ground.

This is why we created the Guiness Exclusive Tour:
a unique travel experience, mindful of sustainability and rich in experiences, designed to give you maximum comfort, leaving you free to think of nothing but enjoying the moment.

Every one of our trips comes with guaranteed extras:

  • Tour leader departing from Italy and accompanying the group for the whole duration of the tour
  • Exclusive departures with a limited number of places
  • Departures possible from all over Italy
  • 24-hour assistance on every departure
  • Cancellation without penalty up to 45 actual days before departure
  • No surprise extra costs on arrival
  • Free minibar service on board the coaches (guaranteed in all the countries visited)

Click here and discover all the exclusive Guiness Travel itineraries



Team
Guiness Travel T.O.