We’re right in the middle of summer. It’s a good time to hop aboard an airplane and get away from it all.
Where to go? Somewhere quiet and cool? Somewhere fast paced and exciting? Maybe an exotic destination? Or one off the beaten path?
What if I told you that these days, a growing number of people just want to hang out at the airport itself?
A report from Bloomberg finds that increasingly airports are opening their terminals back up to people who aren’t flying anywhere and just want to do airport stuff. This isn’t totally new. When I was in high school it was a big deal that you and your friends could get yourselves to the airport for the night. But for nearly two decades most US airports have shut themselves off from non-flyers on security grounds.
Lately, they’ve been opening back up, and some of the world’s airports have installed some pretty sweet amenities that are worth a trip to see.
Like the giant aquarium at Vancouver International Airport, the hydroponic garden at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, or the segment of rainforest that’s inside Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.
If all of that is too much for you and you need a break, maybe San Francisco International Airport is for you. They have something called the Wag Brigade, which is a team of trained dogs that help you de-stress when you’re traveling.
The Wag Brigade also includes Lilou, the first certified airport therapy pig!
Airports can be neat places, but if you want to get that perfect vacation selfie, you probably need to get out of the gate and into the world.
An increasingly popular place for travelers to take pictures is the one in Russia nicknamed the Novosibirsk Maldives. Judging by the Instagram pictures, it’s a gorgeous turquoise lake perfect as a beach destination.
According to the operators of the site, Siberian Generating Company, the lake gets its color because it’s a dumping site for the excess chemicals for Heating and Electrical Station Number 5.
Their advice: “We ask that in the pursuit of the selfie, not to fall into the ash dump!”
Airports Open Up to Terminal Tourists Who Just Want to Hang Out (Bloomberg Quint)
Nine weird and wonderful airport amenities (The Independent)
Instagrammers Are Swarming This Turquoise Lake. It’s Actually A Toxic Dump. (Buzzfeed)
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