SITUATION: An annoying layover.  Not quite enough time to go anywhere, but its going to be a real slog to stay in the airport.  How do you make the best of this bad situation?

Lucky for you, we too recently found ourselves in this pickle in Paris, France on our way to Edinburgh, Scotland.

1.     Treat yourself to a slow breakfast.  If you happen to land in Terminal 1 of Charles de Galle, you too can stumble onto the sign that leads you to the 11th floor restaurant, The Eiffel Café.  A nice spot because its off of the main brouhaha of the terminal.  We highly recommend Le Parisian breakfast (and go for the extra scrambled eggs): basket of croissants (plain and chocolate), fresh squeezed orange juice, and a coffee. 

2.     Spend some time in a lounge:  You may have access to a lounge through the following ways…

a.     Leverage your credit card (like the Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve). Now is a good time to get one if you want to use your lounge access for an upcoming trip. The Points Guy has a great article on the best cards to get right now (Nov 2020) for lounge access, but beware, these have some hefty annual fees (although, its up to you to determine if the perks are valuable enough based on what you plan on using)

b.     Airline status

c.     Open access if you book ahead of time through loungebuddy.com or sleepinginairports.net. In hindsight, we probably should have looked into this more before we arrived, but next time plan on booking a lounge (or getting a day pass) in advance.

3.     Shop.  For most of us, this will be more a window shopping and casual browsing experience while the store attendants give you side eye while wearing your Lululemon and smelling like an airplane after your 24 hours of travel (no, just us?).  The Hermes, Burberry and Longchamp are on the pricier side, but once you get your fill of oogling the fancy AF goods, head over to La Duree and get some french macaroons.  Be ready to show your next boarding pass every time you try to make a purchase – this happened even for snacks or purchasing bottles of champagne (which we enjoyed while writing this)

4.     Exercise while you can.  Take your chance to walk around, do a good loop around the airport, and don’t be shy to find a quiet corner to do some stretching.  Invest in a traveling yoga mat, and don’t worry about the haters – they’re just jealous.  We promise you’ll feel better.

5.     Bring an adapter and all your chargers within easy reach.  Long gone are the days when an open outlet was a hot commodity.  Charles de Galle has outlets on the seats, at tables, and around every corner.  However, the outlets are European, so have your adapter ready so you can charge your phone while waiting for the next flight. We brought along our TEP wireless hot spot and were able to use it in the airport in France. It was a great deal at less than $10/day and very easy to extend our trip, or add on another country at the last minute.

6.     Have your jacket and toothbrush handy.  There are fluctuating temperatures – we experienced both arctic and sauna scenarios while transferring around terminals and squatting in cafes.  Plus, the jacket is a great place to store your phone, boarding pass and passport which you’ll constantly need within a moments notice to go through another security check point or purchase a to go snack.