International Travel: With plenty of time at the airport.. here's what you can do

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It might be really hard to find someone who does not love to travel. Everyone travels for a purpose - may be for business, leisure or any other. Even with the same purpose, the objectives of each traveler or a travel group differs. Likewise, be it business or leisure, I love travel for it lets me explore, learn, rejuvenate, experience the life, culture, food, create memories for life and so on...

Okay, so I tend to arrive at the airport close to 3 hours before the departure time and this allows me to comfortably get through the check-in process, immigration counters, security checks and leaves me enough time to go explore and go around the international terminal in a look out for anything random and interesting.

I love everything about travel be it - driving to the airport, queue at the check-in counters, sometimes annoying but the necessary security checks, transits at the airport, shopping at the duty free, announcements for boarding the flight, sipping beer and grabbing some food at the airport; knowing that's exactly what I'd be doing on flight other than finding means to pass time. For me, all of these activities build in the excitement, create a tempo and make me look forward to the good times ahead. Close your eyes, think of it and... don't they do so for you as well?

Here are some tips on what's available at the Bangalore International Airport beyond the security check counters:

Duty Free Shopping:

• Shop perfumes, liquor, chocolates, heritage goods, cigarettes, cigars,and a lot more.
• We all know it; a single passport and boarding pass  is also a ticket to a maximum of 2 liters of liquor from the Duty Free Shop at Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL). This is the norm at most if not all international airports across the globe. 
• Pick your favorite whiskey or explore from the fabulous range of different liquors on sale. I must tell you, "The pricing at KIAL is better than most airports I have traveled through or purchased liquor from. Dubai included - Beat that!" 
• #DidYouKnow - You get a minimum of 5% off when you pre-order as you depart from Bangalore; Your order is ready for pick-up at the Arrival duty free when you return from your travel.

Food & Beverages:

• 7 Tawas & Noodle Bar - A one stop shop for hot and fresh Indian and Chinese food. For me kathi rolls from 7 Tawas have been the best bet so far. 

• Bar 380 - When at airport, nothing beats a bar with a view. Seated at Bar 380 provides spectacular view of the Airport runway and Nandi hills across it.

• Urban Food Market - Not enough time sit and enjoy a good bite? How about a quick bite for the road! This is exactly what Urban Food Market caters to.

Shopping:

• There surely aren't extensive shopping opportunities but a fair selection of books, travel accessories, gifting and more. There are also stores like Shoppers Stop, Fab India and the likes.

Spa: 

• Kick start you holiday with a relaxing foot massage or a spa package while you have the time to board your flight. O2 Spa offers a wide range of services so why not treat yourself special from the very beginning of the travel.

Power Sockets:

• Grab a comfortable chair, and make the best of your time. Read a book, browse the Internet with the available free wifi. 
• Worried about electronic devices running out of charge? I'll say, "Worry no more, most seats are equipped with charging facilities for all electronic devices.

Smoking Chambers:

• Smoking is prohibited in the public areas at the airport but care has been taken to provide for specifically designed chambers where travellers can smoke.

For a more detailed review, please visit my previous blog-post on Kempegowda International airport ==>> Click Here