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Waiting for your flight at the pre-departure lounge of the airport can be boring, especially if your flight is delayed. Normally, the minute you sit down, you’d take out your smartphone or tablet and check on your social media accounts or play an online game. But what happens when you get tired of doing it? You can’t go around the pre-departure area stores and shop till you drop. You need your money for your travel! And you can’t stuff yourself with too much food or drink, or you’ll have to endure a queasy stomach throughout your flight. There are some other things, however, that you can do to drive away boredom while you’re stuck at the airport.

If you love reading, find a bookstore.

Once you find a bookstore, choose a book that you haven’t read yet – or one that you want to read again. Reading is like traveling, you move from one place to another, and you meet different kinds of people. Find a good spot for reading and start flipping the pages of your new book. Before you know it, your delayed flight has arrived!

If you don’t like books but like to read, buy a good magazine.

It can be a fashion magazine or a celebrity gossip magazine. You can even choose to read a comic book. The important thing is you read something you are interested in, otherwise, you’ll still be bored if you get one just because you like the cover or the title is cheesy.

If you like doodling, write or draw.

You don’t like reading, but you like to doodle or color on whatever material you can write on. First off, be sure that you carry your small notebook with you wherever you go. Take this out and get your pens and doodle and color the time away. If you like writing, use your airport time to come up with a good poem or short story. If you prefer to do it the high-tech way, take out your smartphone and tablet and use your favorite doodle or coloring app. Enjoy!

Walk around the pre-departure lounge and people watch.

If you do not like reading, doodling, writing, or coloring, stand up and stretch those lazy bones. Exercise by walking around the lounge. While doing so, try to observe your fellow passengers. People watching is one of the oldest but most effective boredom busters ever. Before you know it, you’ll be too caught up in what you’re doing you won’t notice the time pass away!

Listen to your favorite music and take a nap.

If you don’t like exercising your lazy bones, stay in your seat, take out your smartphone and earphones and listen to your favorite songs. You can even take a nap if you want to. Just be sure to wake up the minute you hear the boarding announcement for your flight!

Find a spa or massage center and relax.

Airports now have a spa or massage centers. Find one that’s near your boarding gate and get a relaxing massage. This is the best way to prepare for a long flight. Just make sure you’re not too relaxed that you fall asleep and miss your flight!

Traveling is a fun experience. Aside from discovering new places, you will also meet different kinds of people and make new friends. Another advantage that you get when you travel frequently is you get exposed to different cultures and histories. The only downside to traveling is the fact that sometimes, you need to go through an obstacle at the airport, especially during peak seasons. To help make your travel experience more convenient and enjoyable, here are some tips you should consider.

1. As much as possible, use your smartphone for pre-departure services.

Upon arriving at the airport, one of the first things you need to do is fall in line at the check-in counter. This is often where you waste a lot of time. So you won’t have to stand in line for a long time, what you should do is use your smartphone to get updates on your flight status, as well as to check-in. In case the airline you are taking does not have an online check-in service, you can download one of the travel assistant apps and use it. After completing the online check-in process, be sure to get contact information for the airline’s customer service. This is the number you will call in case something not-so-good comes up.

2. Before you proceed to the pre-departure lounge, follow all security protocols.

Before you can get inside the pre-departure lounge, you have to pass through several security (and immigration) protocols. Follow all these rules if you do not want to waste your (or anyone else’s) time. Be ready and willing to show your ID, remove your belt and jewelry (when necessary), and take off your jacket. If you want to avoid doing this, do not wear any jewelry when traveling. Or, you can pack them in your suitcase. To make sure that the process runs smoothly, begin removing the above-mentioned items once you reach the security area.

3. Make the most of your time at the pre-departure lounge.

As standard procedure dictates that you should be at the airport hours before your scheduled flight, expect to spend time at the pre-departure lounge. To make your wait convenient and fun, pay attention to Wi-Fi hotspots and find a comfortable place where you can sit there. Take out your smartphone or your tablet, open the movie or TV show you downloaded or saved, and start watching it. You can also while the time away by playing your favorite online game, or by checking for updates on your social media page. Since you are using a public network, be careful and do not send out personal information while using the service.

4. If you want to travel when the airport is less crowded, choose midweek flights.

One of the reasons why staying at the airport is often an uncomfortable experience is the number of people getting in and out of the place. If you want a less crowded airport, travel during the midweek. People usually travel on weekends, so booking a flight for Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday is the best option for you. Taking late night flights also mean shorter lines and lesser crowd at the airport.

Learning to fly an aircraft is not easy. There are several things you need to consider. First off, you need to understand and remember a myriad of flight commands. The terms that you need to memorize seem endless. Then you have to learn how to fly in a simulator first before going on an actual aircraft. Despite these, though, you’re still lucky because there are several simple things that you can do to make the most of your flying lessons.

Read and Study in Ahead of Your Class

While it is true that you have an instructor teaching you and giving you materials to read and study, it is important for you to also learn a few things on your own before each class session. For your ground lessons, this means reviewing topics you have discussed and reading in advance about those you have yet to take up in class. When you review, find time to focus on the area/s that you consider a challenge. For your flight lessons, find something that you can use as a flight simulator (your dining chair or armchair, perhaps?) and review each maneuver carefully.

Find Time to Stay at the Airport and Observe

The best aircraft pilots are keen observers. Therefore, devote some of your time to hanging out at the airport and observing the pilots as they go about their daily activities. If possible, take down notes. You can even approach some of the pilots and ask them for advice.

Find Time to Visit the Air Traffic Control Tower

If you want to be a good pilot, you need to remember that while your primary responsibilities are the aircraft you are maneuvering and the passengers aboard it, it is also important to learn all that you can about airspace. For this, you need to invest some time in visiting and observing the activities that take place inside the air traffic control center. Of course, you need to ask permission first before paying them a visit.

Take Advantage of the Internet

The Internet is free for anyone who wishes to use it. Take advantage of this and find all the reliable online resource that you can about aircraft, pilots, and other similar topics. Take down notes. If you use an audio or a video source, find a way to download or save it. You’ll find a lot of online resources that you can use as your learning supplements.