48,935,920 hours, 2,038,997 days, 291,285 weeks, 67,035 months or 5,586 years. That’s how long Brits waited together last year at the airport gate, check-in, and baggage control – not counting flight delays. This was calculated by Horizn Studio, a suitcase start-up company from Berlin-based on current travel data from 2018.
Precious lifetime for each of us that will never be returned. Time far too valuable to be considered as worthless or even be annoyed. This is why we would like to give you four tips in this article on how to make the most of your waiting time at the airport and relax entirely while waiting so that you arrive at your destination full of energy and in a good mood.
IMAGE: PEXELS
1. Mobile Learning
Nowadays everything runs mobile – also learning. There are many different apps to help you learn from anywhere, free of charge. We’ve put together a small list of 5 apps to help you spend your time at the airport:
- TED App: TED stands for Technology Education and Design and is a famous lecture series from the USA whose talks are known worldwide under the slogan “Ideas worth spreading”. The topics have now spread to numerous cultural, political, scientific, and academic topics. With the free TED App, you can watch various talks on the go.
- Your own music streaming app: You probably have a streaming service such as Spotify, iTunes, or else on your mobile phone. Just browse through the audiobook categories about knowledge or the numerous podcasts. The conglomeration of inspiration here is almost limitless.
- Google Arts and Culture App: with this app, you can virtually click your way through numerous art exhibitions and museums and obtain information about the exhibits. An excellent pastime for art lovers.
- Duolingo: learn languages on the go and for free! A great way to spend time at the airport and familiarize yourself with the language of your destination.
- SoloLearn Coding and HTML: programming skills are getting more critical in times of digitalization. With Sololearn, you can quickly learn the basics of on the road.
2. Mindfulness Exercises
Mindfulness is on the rise. With the constant accessibility of an environment that attracts our attention at every corner, we seldom think about the essentials: ourselves and the present moment. Waiting times are perfect for deceleration. For a simple mindfulness exercise, consciously focus your attention on your senses.
Beginning with the sense of hearing, listen to the sounds around you. What exactly do you hear? Distinguish at least five sounds. Then look around consciously and again; take five things consciously with your gaze. Later try to smell or even taste two things at a time and then concentrate on your body and your breathing.
Breathe consciously and feel your breath flowing in and out through your body. Actively perceive your heartbeat. Focus your attention on your feet, and feel how you stand. Be grateful that you have nothing more to do at this moment. If you do this exercise regularly, you will experience your everyday life much more relaxed and satisfied.
3. Sport And Fitness
Many airports now offer fitness rooms, such as London Heathrow Airport or Singapore Airport. Long waiting times are therefore ideal for visiting them. Gatwick Airport has its own yoga room, and the one in Amsterdam offers charging stations for electrical appliances that draw electricity by pedaling.
Especially on long-haul flights, a portion of the exercise will do you good. The best way to find out is to check out the information on the fitness facilities at your airport. We hope this article has given you some incentives to fill your waiting time and wish you a pleasant trip!
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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