Waiting at the airport before a flight or in between flights can be an extremely boring and lengthy experience. Airports within the past ten years have begun to respond to the increase in layovers by offering a variety of services from casinos to movie rental facilities. This article will explain some of the available services and hopefully give you some sort of idea on what you can expect at the airport and perhaps give you some ideas to keep you from being bored.

Besides the numerous coffee shops and restaurants you can expect at many airports, there have been an increase in luxury shops. Clothing stores, jewelry stores, and fragrance stores are some of the types of shops you may encounter. Depending on where the airport is (domestic or international) these may be duty-free stores where there are little or no taxes. These stores are targeted towards the traveler that has time to kill so the displays and advertisements will often be more aggressive

than you are used to.

As mentioned earlier, there are even some spa services available. Airports such as the ones in Denver, Boston, and Cancun international airport in Mexico are ones that offer full spa treatments such as massages, manicures, pedicures, and facials. The website, www.spaindex.com, offers a directory of airports that offer these services.

Also mentioned earlier, casinos are available in airports such as Copenhagen and Cologne. They could range from just a few slot machines to video poker games, and blackjack tables.

Tired? Amsterdam is one of the many airports in Europe or Asia that offer private areas for you to catch up on some sleep. They range from small hotel like rooms with a small bed or areas with small ?pod? like cabins that offer space to lie down and sleep. The website, www.sleepinginairports.com offers a directory for airports that offer these services and reviews

Some airports also offer amenities such as pharmacies and medical clinics in case you forget medications at home or you need more and it was lost in luggage. Another popular amenity is Wi-Fi access. If you have a laptop, blackberry, or other electronic device that can use Wi-Fi, checking your email and surfing the internet can help the time fly by. Some airports will charge you a fee (usually under ten dollars) for unlimited internet for the day, but some airports such as Phoenix and Ft. Lauderdale offer this service free of charge.

Air travel is not as easy as it used to be, and it can be extremely difficult to keep up with the fast pace; however, being bored is not something you want to add to the mix. Airport services can offer several ways to keep you active and entertained during your trip, and it would be wise to use them keep boredom at bay.

The next time you find yourself trapped in the airport, remember to reference to this article and write down a few services you may interested in. You'll be surpirsed on what's available to keep you entertained.