AIRPORT TIME

AIRPORT TIME
Making the most of it
With airlines urging passengers to arrive at the airport up to two hours before departure, travelers are finding themselves with lots of time on their hands. Here are 10 tips from CheapTickets.com to make the most of the idle time.
Catch up on correspondence. Waiting for a flight is the perfect time to write notes to friends and family -- or the postcards you forgot while on vacation. Most airports have stationery, stamps to purchase, and mailboxes.Do holiday shopping online. Many airports have Internet terminals that make it easy to shop.Write New Year's resolutions. This could be the perfect time to reflect on 2001 and think about new goals for 2002. Bring along a pen and paper, and the ideas will start coming to you.Call a friend or relative. What better time to catch up?Load up a personal digital assistant (PDA). Downloaded games, books, and applications can keep you busy for hours.Watch a movie. If your laptop has a DVD player, bring it to watch some flicks before a flight. There are usually electrical outlets to ensure that the battery is not drained.Make a holiday gift. Bring projects for children to make while waiting. This is the perfect time for kids to make gifts for the ones they love. Just don't pack sharp objects in a carry-on.Plan for the return flight. We should learn from our experiences. Did you overlook any of the new rules and regulations when leaving for this trip? Take notes, and be better prepared to make the return flight stress-free.Plan your next trip. Use this time to think about where you might want to go. Get to a computer and explore Web sites for ideas. This will give you something to dream about when facing the post-vacation blues.Do nothing. After all the work to get ready for this trip, you deserve a little time off.
Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers