toedtoes

I briefly mentioned this in another thread, but as it happened to me, I thought I'd ask officially.

Once on a trip returning home, my flight to Chicago was delayed and I missed my connecting. The next available wasn't until 10 a.m. (it was currently 8 p.m.). As I was travelling alone, I felt extremely uncomfortable staying at the airport for 10 hours overnight, so I got a flight to a nearby airport and begged and pleaded for someone to meet me there at 1 a.m. in the morning. Luckily, it worked.

My question is how do you all handle such layovers? Do you stay at the airport? Do you book a hotel room? Do you have a secret way of convincing the airline to get you a hotel room? et.

Catbert

I only had it happen to me once. I just got a hotel nearby (Gatwick) and used the time to catch up from my jetlag.

jbtan

Oh, talking about layovers. I have my fair share of those. Once, thanks to an inexperienced Amex corporate travel agent, I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 4 some eleven hours prior to my flight to Montreal. As I had slept through 13 hours on the flight, I was wide awake. I think I visited all the shops in Terminal 4 and some! Read a total of 4 thick paperbacks. Then, on my way back from Toronto, a hairline crack on the runway delayed the flight and I missed the connection. Another 10 hours at Terminal 4! This time I just found a quiet gate, snoozed or read novels. Couldn't be bothered to get out of the airport or find a hotel. The weather was miserable at that time anyway. Befriended WH Smith and British Museum shop assistants and the gate officers. What can I say? I'm pretty good at keeping myself entertained.

I think the best way to deal with layovers is to just take it with a big pinch of salt because usually it's not your fault. If you get worked up over it, it's only going to make the wait worse. Better to sit back, relax, practice deep breathing ;-) Take the time to freshen up, have a shower if there's one to be found and keep your fingers crossed that your next flight will be on time...

toedtoes

I guess my biggest worry is falling asleep at the airport. I've never been one who can take naps at the park, etc., and sleeping at an airport just seems to be way too chancey for my tastes. I see folks doing it all the time, but I'm a pretty sound sleeper and I'm not sure I would wake if someone was picking my pockets.

jbtan

For that Heathrow layover, I slept with my daypack under my head; the access slots faced down and the shoulder strap arranged neatly under my body. Should anybody tried to grab that, I would definitely wake up -- even though, get this, I'm the textbook dead sleeper...

On the other hand, I don't dress up for flights or for traveling. It's usually capris, hiking boots (often battle-scarred) and tanks/tees. No bling-blings or expensive stuff. Only a really desperate person would want to steal from me ;-)

toedtoes

I think I see part of my trouble... too much stuff! I have my camera gear, which is bulky but I'd never leave home. And I tend to bring back LOTS of souvenirs (last year I had to buy another suitcase for the return trip), so I always have the 2 bag maximum. I don't dress up or wear jewelry during the airtravel - jewelry is limited to an inexpensive necklace and ring and I keep them in my wallet when not wearing them.

Since my Chicago experience, I have tried to choose flights with stops where I wouldn't mind being stuck overnight or a day.

jbtan

I tend to look out for another solo traveler who is also a layover victim. I find that it's much easier to talk to older persons -- ladies or gentlemen above 65 or 70 -- as they have many stories and life experiences to share... Or much younger persons as they are less guarded. And before you know it, you have chatted for hours and now you have to rush to the gate for your plane!

toedtoes

Older folks are almost always willing to talk. I've found that women with small children and business folk are the least likely to be able to strike up a conversation with. I also keep my eye out for a group of women travelling together. They make a great safety net if needed. Especially if you're being harassed by someone. Just be honest and let them know you're uncomfortable or concerned about someone. They will almost literally surround you.

suze

For 10 hours I'd get a hotel room and put it on my charge card, but that decision has nothing to do with traveling solo or if I was with a companion... that's simply too long to terminal-sit imo.

toedtoes

Suze, I certainly wasn't looking forward to it. Luckily, a very kind brother-in-law drove the 2 hours to the airport to get me home that night. Now I fly in and out of SFO instead of SMF because of the greater flexibility with flights.