Why Airports Feel Strange: Airports as Liminal Spaces

This piece isn’t about beaches or landmarks. It’s about the part of travel most people overlook: the airport itself.

I’ll admit it: I used to be afraid of flying. Which means airports aren’t just neutral spaces for me. They carry a charge: a mix of nerves, anticipation, and the kind of suspended time that makes you hyper-aware of everything around you.

That nervous energy is also what makes airports fascinating. They’re emotional crossroads where excitement and stress, goodbyes and reunions, sameness and difference all live under one roof. And that’s why I wanted to write this. Because the in-between isn’t wasted time. It’s part of the story.

And that’s the story any travel brand should want to tell. Not the cheapest ticket or the fastest boarding, but how an airport becomes part of the journey itself.

The Passenger on Pause

In an airport, you’re not anyone’s neighbour, colleague, or even your full self. You’re a traveller on pause. People lose their usual labels – not workers, parents or friends, just “passengers.” Airports are designed for this temporary existence. Goodbyes and reunions, stress and excitement, anonymity and surveillance all coexist in one crowded, 24/7 space. The neutral beige-and-white hotels, duty-free shops and lounges may look similar worldwide, yet that sameness is exactly what makes airports such fascinating in-between worlds.

First impressions that last

People often think of airports as wasted time, just the space between leaving and arriving. But they’re much more than that. Airports show how we travel, how we wait, and how we move between worlds. They’re places full of emotion, where people say goodbye and hello, shop from around the world, and live for a moment in cities that belong to no one, yet everyone.

Airports are proof that travel doesn’t begin when you reach your hotel. It begins the moment you step into the terminal. The architecture sets the mood. The lighting, the food, the art: they shape your expectations of a place long before you walk out into the streets. A well-designed airport doesn’t just move people efficiently; it creates a sense of arrival.

Think about it: the first taste of Japan isn’t sushi in Tokyo, it’s the rhythm of Narita Airport. The first impression of Finland isn’t Senate Square, it’s the calm design of Helsinki Airport. The first spark of adventure in Iceland isn’t the Blue Lagoon, it’s landing in Keflavík, where stopovers are celebrated as part of the journey.

After landing, people head off to their hostels or five-star hotels and back to their own lives. But for a short moment at the airport, everyone is the same, sharing the same space and time, without status or difference.

What is Jackinna of All Trades?

Jackinna of All Trades is my blog, a space where I explore everything that sparks curiosity: travel, music, movies, culture, history, photography, and all the beautifully random things in between. The name comes from “Jack of All Trades,” but with my own twist. I’m not a specialist who stays in one lane. I’m a proud generalist and maximalist, showing that exploring many worlds makes life richer and more interesting.

This blog isn’t about quick tips or clichés. It’s about seeing familiar things differently: airports as cultural theatres, supermarkets as a way to judge cities, or why “boring” might actually be good. My style is bold, layered and curious. I don’t write to blend in. I write to question, explore and entertain readers who want content with an edge.