Geekfoolery

You’re at the airport, and you want to plug in your laptop, but the only two outlets in a concourse large enough to actually land the plane in are already occupied by two people who don’t look like they are going anywhere. I have a sure-fire way to get yourself hooked up to some 120V AC all the same.

Read on.

The answer is simple: Keep a small power strip or extension cord with multiple outlets in the computer bag. Walk up to the people plugged in to the power outlet, hold up the cord, and with your friendliest smile, simply ask, “Mind if I plug in?” People will be impressed by your brilliance and forethought and will gladly let you plug in the extension and then both of you can plug into the cord. Simple. Genius.

Here are a few other handy websites to help you cope with the airport:

Before you can try the handy’n'fun tip above, you need to find the outlet in the first place. They usually have at least one or two in the concourse somewhere so the cleaning staff can run the vacuums and floor buffers, but where the heck are they? This site–Airpower Home –should help. It’s a community website where the collective knowledge of the site’s users improve the database.

Before you get to the airport, it would be nice to know how long your going to wait for the security line. The TSA has a helpful link here. The surprising thing is that it’s not always a godawful wait. Just when I fly.

Want a better seat? Not all seats are created equal. Go to SeatGuru for the inside scoop on the seats to shoot for and the seats to avoid on most carriers.

It’s a longer shot, but still worth a try. Click here for tips on how to get the free upgrade from steerage to business class.

And for the real road warriors and/or Lonely Planet backpackers, sooner or later you will have to confront and/or seek out the best place to sleep in an airport. This website provides a handy guide to what the sleeping accomodations are like in airports around the world. And by sleeping accomodations, I mean benches and marble floors. And by airport, I could mean a dirt runway and a tin shack.

And no matter how bad or delayed your flight is, just remember, it could be worse. You could be Merhan Nasseri, the guy that the Tom Hanks movie The Terminal was based on. He’s been there since 1988, and as far as I know, no date with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

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