Why I Really Love Airports
I'm writing this post from a bar in Charles de Gaulle airport while we're waiting for our flight home from Paris. I'm drinking beer and looking through photos and thinking about what a fab trip we've had. It's been such a fun few days away and I can't wait to tell you all about it, but for now, seeing as I'm at the airport, I wanted to write about why I really love airports. My feelings on this subject are probably helped by the fact that CDG is pretty swanky as far as airports go. I mean we didn't have to queue at all to go through security, the duty free area was the best one I'e ever seen and I've spotted 3 different Laduree stands on our walk to the gate (definitely didn't send Sam back to stock up on some macarons while I'm writing this, promise...). But swanky or not, I always find airports pretty magical.
I'm a big believer that the holiday starts as soon as you get to the airport. I'm one of those people who likes to get there ridiculously early to make sure there is plenty of time for shopping and eating and drinking. I always treat myself to a little something to mark the start of the trip - maybe a lipstick or a magazine or a glass of prosecco. Nothing flashy, just something that signifies that the countdown is over and the fun can begin.
I can always feel my shoulders start to relax as soon as I get through security - it's like the work part of my brain switches off and the fun side goes into overdrive. While I'm sat waiting for our gate to be called, my mind is always buzzing with the things I might see and the memories I might make. The possibility of what might lie ahead is so intoxicating that I always find myself giddy with excitement.
Being at the airport always gets me dreaming about the future too. The trips I've still yet to take and the circumstances that I might take them under. I start thinking about where we'll go for our honeymoon and our 10th anniversary, what sort of holidays we'll have with our kids, whether I'll get to travel anywhere exciting in future jobs. My mind runs away with me and starts daydreaming as I start to wonder where I might get chance to visit in my lifetime.
And on the way home from a holiday, Sam and I always like to sit in the airport bar, beer in hand, and read the departures board. We play a game of "where would you like to travel to next?" or "which destination would you choose if money was no object?", and we daydream together. And it reminds me that no matter what life looks like right now, we still have many, many adventures ahead of us. Thinking about it that way always helps to ease the holiday blues. (And FYI, so do Laduree macarons...).
I think that airports can get a bit of a bad rep - some people think they're stressful or boring or tedious. But they always remind me that there is so much to look forward to in our busy lives, and for that reason, I bloody love them.