Yes I am in love with airports

Airports, in eyes of many travelers, are the facility to travel one place to another, but for me it’s a place of curiosity.

Flight is at 01:30; we can reach to airport by 22:00, call a taxi driver, book a cab, will pass through security check by 22:30, now it’s 20:00 let’s take rest for 2 hours and keep an alarm.

Sound familiar? Is this you? Is this your family? Or is this your friend? Well I must admit that this kind of talk makes my skin rush.

Everyone has their own happy place and for me its airport. When I take a plane, my primary goal is to spend as much time as possible at the airport. I plan on everything like how early I can get there without waiting in queue with bags in hand, like a people wait to plan their holidays. Or kids wait to go to Disneyland.

It’s a grown-up wonderland for me. I know few people may think it’s not normal, for me it’s my new normal; it’s a path to sanity. I have been trying to figure out why I like airports so much. It’s an emotion; emotions are triggered by real things. It’s not like the airport artifact spells against me.

I believe first and probably the most obvious reason is that airport means journey, as I mentioned I bloody love journey. The longer the better. Provided I have access to adequate food, music, and an aisle seat.

I therefore have a distinctive enthusiasm while entering an airport because of what is ahead. It is similar like taking a few days off work for Diwali before the big occasion. Nobody is counting on you to be present for work, so you can let everything go and do whatever the hell you like while knowing that the best is yet to come.

When I go alone, I'm especially smitten since it amps up the "doing what you like" component to the farthest extent possible. I might have three to four hours of really good "me time" before a flight, I feel lucky because when I travel alone, I get to decide what I do and where I go up until that the boarding notice.

I can spend that time to explore those incredible places, which range from tiny café to book boutiques, branded apparel to sweet shops. And if you're in the Bangalore airport, spending two hours in a lounge with a cup of coffee in your hand is worth it. Everything is just wow at this airport.

This isn't driven by anxiety; it's not a heightened fear of missing my trip. Because I adore airports, I suppose. Like, I love them. I love flying, too –but still I feel my faint heart descend when there is a departure announcement and I’m forced to say goodbye to the terminal.

I believe second reason is I can think, you heard me right yes think. These days I rarely think when I am done with my work, and find myself jobless my tiny little brain looks for TV remote. And at the airport that thing is blunted.

I like to watch people. I believe each person has a story. I like to sit in the lounge and guess their story while sipping a coffee. Like couple argued over something? Love birds celebrating their togetherness? Ah! Need a break from family? On business? Their first trip together?

Have you ever been to an amusement park? When you hop on those giant Ferris wheel rides or pendulum ride there is little adrenaline rush, tiny winey fear that’s what I have of flying.

You may ask why airport? I can find people in railway stations or bus stations, but, then the airport is literally working some sort of magic on me. Yeah I know I said airport don’t do any witchcraft on me, but it kind of does. Not literal spell but sort of magic in form of humans.