Ideas for passing the time in an airport

Time spent in an airport is usually time spent waiting. Short of applying for airport jobs while waiting for your flight, what other things might you be able to do to keep you from getting too bored? A few things you could do include.

Airport book shop

It is possible to spend quite a while browsing the book shelves. You could flick through magazines, and if the shop attendant bothers you just buy one and go read that for a while.

Surfing the net

You may be travelling with your own laptop, in which case you may well be able to connect to the airports free wireless internet. As you probably know you can waste hours on the internet, browsing Facebook or other websites. It might be that you have some work that you could do.

Display areas

Airports sometimes have display areas that you can spend time looking at. This can range from official airport museums to expensive prize draw cars on display. Either way, you can wander around exploring the different areas of the airport.

People watching

Some people like sitting back and watching the world go by. People watching can be interesting in an airport as there are so many different cultures on display. Do, however, take into consideration that most individuals do not take kindly to being gawped at. The most enjoyable people watching can be done with a drink in hand and seated somewhere comfortable.

Do some writing

You might want to use this time to write postcards, or just write whatever comes into your head. Noting down interesting or funny things you see could make for an amusing read once you get back home. You might think of something you want to do when you get to your destination.

Make a new friend

You could try chatting to someone near by but, be warned, not everyone likes to engage in conversations with strangers. Some people see this as an invasion of their privacy and you really should leave them alone if it is clear that you are making them uneasy. However, you may well find that your offer of conversation is gratefully received.

Is there any services for people with disabilities in Iran’s airports?

I’m visually impaired and want to travel to Tehran alone through Europe. Does anyone know if there is any services for people with disabilities such as a staff helping me get to the baggage area, customs, and immigration until I find my friend?

Accessible Travel For Disabled People

While accessible travel for the disabled is mandated by law, in many cases what qualifies as “accessible” is woefully under equipped. Often something as simple as a night out to eat can be a huge challenge for those in wheelchairs or who otherwise need assistance, let alone trying to travel through busy airports or train stations.

Obviously, the world is set up to cater to the able bodied individuals. The mandates that require accessibility by all persons are just not specific enough and can leave an individual on a quest for finding an elevator or an access ramp that is conveniently located. Some access ramps are ill constructed to allow for easy access by those in wheelchairs as the quality and design of the ramp makes it very difficult for locomotion under one’s own power.

Often the biggest difficulty facing those who need assistance when traveling is education. Airports and other forms of public transportation need better education amongst the staff when providing assistance to the disabled.

For instance, airports often tend to wait until disembarking to call for a wheelchair. The individual must wait while everyone disembarks and often wait even longer for the personnel to show up with a wheelchair. When there is little time between connecting flights due to late take offs and overcrowded runways the need for a wheelchair often means missing the flight.

Instead of sticking those in need of assistance aside to chronically wait for any special help they may need, we need to simply make accessible travel much more realistically accessible. We need to stop hiding elevators at the far corners of the buildings and start recognizing that the disabled have regular needs as well.

Accessible travel means any cab should be able to pick up the disabled rather than calling a specially equipped van to the scene just because the rider has a wheelchair. Requiring those with special needs to wait for the simple things is not only insulting, but it can in fact be dangerous.

The constant waiting game that those with disabilities face is often played alone or in areas where safety is questionable. Airport personnel, train employees, or even cab companies have no problem putting the disabled aside to wait for the necessary assistance but they certainly give little regard for the safety of the individual while they are waiting. I guess the faster they can tuck us away and keep up out of sight the more comfortable everyone else gets to feel, so that has become the priority when it comes to accessible travel.