Airport (and train station) Outings

Every rainy season presents both a challenge for entertaining children and an opportunity to introduce them to travel. No tickets (except maybe for parking) are required to push strollers or to let older children pull their own roller suitcases filled with toys and snacks through major airports, including those that have separate buildings for international flights, and railroad stations. Since these environments cater to travelers who need information and who have waiting time to kill, they provide some unusual teaching experiences.

     Just consider the "Arrivals" and "Departures" boards with their cities, times, concourse and gate/track numbers. Help children choose a city, see the current time, figure how long it will be before a plane or train arrives or leaves, and begin the process of going to the concourse letter, gate or track number. Once there, watch people arrive or go through security. See how they might have to take off their shoes, put metal items in a basket, or how they might set off an alarm. Count how many travelers are women/men, how many carry their own luggage or wear hats/caps, how many have people welcoming them or seeing them off.

     What if a family misses the next plane or train? Check the airport's board to see how long they would have to wait for the one after that. See if there is a paper train schedule and help children study what stops a train makes, if trains have different schedules on weekends, and the cost of tickets for children and adults.

     In the area where travelers claim their luggage, see if there is a rack of brochures describing local attractions. Choose a few that might lead to your next outing. Watch luggage arrive on carousels. Look for signs that tell where travelers can get buses and taxis, go to a parking lot, make hotel reservations, exchange currency, or rent a car. Explain why someone would need a currency exchange (See the earlier blog post, "When to Buy/Sell in the World Market.") or to rent a car. And why would someone in the luggage claim area be holding a sign with a person's name on it?

     Some transportation centers might offer a bit of foreign language study. Look for signs identifying telephones and restrooms in languages other than English. What are these languages and why are they needed? At an airport or train station there also might be some attraction brochures and restaurant information printed in a variety of languages.

     The chairs and benches provided for waiting travelers give little visitors a chance to sit, have a snack, listen to announcements (or even a piano or musical group), and look for people arriving in their native dress. Once rested, there often are exhibits to visit and even playsets to climb. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the airport has a ping pong table and an exhibit of foreign coins found in the airport's "wishing well" pasted on cards with the flags of their countries. Some airports and train stations have art exhibits and display items from local museums. Then, there are the gift shops and book stores. Since these market to travelers, they have items for amusing children on trips that also can amuse them at home.

     After an airport or train station outing, when kids start thinking about taking their own trips, you'll find some family travel ideas at the earlier blog post, "See the World."