Airports Worth Getting Stranded At

We've all been there: a layover, a delayed flight, or perhaps just waiting to pick someone up from an airport. In any case, while we may not always have a choice of where are flight layovers are, it is interesting to note which airports make the best pit stops.

I've had the luxury of experiencing many of the world's biggest (and smallest) airports. My trips have spanned across four continents, and quite extensively throughout Europe and North America. In my travels I found it interesting to compare airports. Some are not so bad for spending the night. There are others, however, that I purposely avoid when traveling. I've ranked them based on comfort, accessibility to the nearest metropolis and lastly things to do within the airport. The following are some reviews of airports that made an impression, either good or bad.

I may seem biased, but I'd have to go with John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York City as one of my top choices. This is the airport I group up flying in and out of, so part of me may rank it higher, because I know the ins and outs. Although JFK is quite a trek from Manhattan, there is 24-hour public transportation into the city for a mere $7. It is safe, clean and can take you into the heart of Manhattan. Since New York truly is the city that never sleeps, even an overnight layover can allow you time to experience a small piece of New York.

Logan International airport in Boston is my choice for best place to wait for a flight to depart. I've only taken off and landed out of Logan twice, and if I lived in Boston, would gladly fly in and out regularly. I flew to Boston from JFK to meet a friend who was joining me on a trip to Iceland. I was bummed that the flight from JFK to Iceland was sold out, so I chose to book the trip from Boston. It was in the midst of the infamous Valentine's Day storm that plagued the Northeast this year, grounding thousands of flights. The airport was closed most of the day, but our 8pm flight to Reykjavik, Iceland was slotted to leave on time. Having gotten to the airport super early on account of the snow, we had hours to kill. I found the selection of restaurants to be diverse, ranging from quick food to sit down restaurants. We had no problem killing time, having dinner and a drink. Lastly, I'd also recommend Logan as a great layover location. It is in the heart of Boston and accessible by the T (Boston's subway system) for only $2.

One airport that had a mixed impression on me was Washington Dullus International Airport in Washington DC. I was returning from Kenya, and after two days of flying, I had one last stop. I had a quick connection at Dullus, before the last forty-five minute flight to New York. The weather in New York grounded all NY-bound flights, so I was stuck spending the night. I was flying home alone from Kenya, and had no money for a hotel, so at 4pm, I was in for a long night. The airport had plenty of fast food joints, but was very unaccommodating when it came to spending the night. I was basically forced to sleep in baggage claim; the only place un-ticketed passengers could really roam. There were no carpets and the air was kept at sub-zero temperatures. About halfway through the night, I made my way up to the ticket counters (closed of course for the night), but at least the temperature was bearable. I've had only a few layovers there after, and I always think of the long, cold night with little to do.

Charles de Gaulle in Paris is another airport that hosted one of my overnight adventures. Flying home to NY from Munich seemed like no big deal, until my flight was changed, leaving me with an overnight layover in Paris. At that hour of the night, it was not practical to go into Paris to kill time. I'd been to Paris once before, and was hoping to maybe kill the night in the city, but, unlike New York, Paris does seem to sleep at some point. Again, the airport seems to think that blasting the air conditioner all night is appropriate. There is virtually no place for all the people to go who are stuck with overnights. All restaurants were closed, and it was a pretty dull, sleepless night. I finally resorted to resting up against a vending machine on account of there being some warm air blowing out. Even in July (when I was there) there is no excuse to have the air-conditioning set to so low a temperature. In the Paris airport's defense, there were a lot of private nooks and crannies that many, many people took advantage of in order to sleep.

While flying home from Kenya, I had a six-hour layover at Brussels' Airport in Belgium. I was told that six hours wasn't enough time to get into the city and back. I may have been misinformed, but regardless, it's definitely not a city to schedule a quick layover with hopes of seeing a new city. The airport, however, was lovely. My biggest complaint is still the fact that nothing is open over night! I live in New York City and am just so accustomed to getting whatever I want whenever I want. I landed in Belgium at 6am and wasn't taking off to the US until 12pm. I had to wait until nearly 10am before being able to get breakfast. There was a money change office conveniently located inside the gate area, and they changed small amounts of money. There was plenty of food to choose from, and I had a pleasant six hours. The airport walls had huge windows, making it possible to watch fights take-off and land. The temperature was comfortable, and there were plenty of seats and windowsills to rest on.

These five airports were the five that stood out in my mind. Because we often lack the choice as to which airport we can land at, this information may serve better as a simple "heads-up/know before you go" piece of information. It's good to know that Heathrow in London is huge, and time should be respected when connecting flights. It is also helpful to know that in Nairobi, Kenya, the gate of your departing flight is announced shortly before take-off. This is something I had to get used to on account of me being accustomed to having it printed on my ticket upon check-in.

Hopefully these few tips can help you to think about where you choose to layover, sleep over or simply kill time before a flight. Airports are a large part of traveling and can better or worsen a trip. There is enough stress attached to traveling, so know before you go!