Why the bar at Sydney Airport is my happy place
Forget meeting new people and discovering new cultures: sitting at the bar at Sydney Airport is the highlight of any international trip I take.
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I have a guilty secret: my favourite part about international travel is not international travel: it's sitting in the bar at Sydney International Airport.
Over the last few years I've been all over the world.
I've seen family members I may never see again in England, eaten broiled chicken feet in Vietnam, explored remote Indonesia with my best friends, and realised I'm now too old to stay in hostels after an embarrassing experience in Spain.
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I've also spent a week in an overwater bungalow in the Maldives, drunk champagne with Richard Brandon on a Virgin Voyages cruise, pitched a tent in a beautiful meadow in New Zealand, and hiked to the end of the earth in Tasmania.
I'd like to say it's been a wild ride of emotional self development; that what propels me to keep travelling is the connections with strangers, making memories with friends, having unforgettable experiences with my partner, delighting in discovering another country's quirks.
See also: 26 things Spain does better than Australia
Alas, none of those things matter.
The real reason I love travelling internationally is because it gives me an excuse to sit at The Heineken Bar at Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport. The second one of those tall pints of beer touches my palm, $18.50 gets vacuumed out of my bank account, all my worries get sucked out of my head, and I feel like my trip has officially begun. It's my happy place, and here are 13 reasons why.
1. Your anticipation is at an all time high
It's like the opposite of the Sunday Scaries. This is the "OhmygoditsFriday" moment of your trip. And it's a damn good feeling. I almost wish you could bottle it. Except you already can: it's called Pilsener.
2. The price of the beer makes you determined to enjoy it
Paying $18.50 for a beer should feel wrong. But for me, it's become an airport ritual that now somehow feels right.
3. It 'hits different'
Whether it's because you're drinking on an empty stomach (unless you're crazy enough to pay $1,000,000 for a burger) or whether it's because you're in such a good mood thinking about your upcoming trip, airport beers hit different. It's a scientific fact.
4. Nothing has disappointed you yet
It's like the first day of summer: nothing has had time to go wrong, all those things you hope will be amazing about your trip are as shiny and promising as they are ever going to be; the universe brims with possibilities.
5. It's a chance to rest
While you might have spent the rest of the week rushing around, attention scattered to the digital gods of Instagram, TikTok, Your Work Inbox and Facebook (in that order), this precious hour at the airport bar is a rare moment of zen.
6. It lets you catch up on life admin
Whether it's booking the train tickets for when you land or emptying your most unhinged thoughts into your smartphone's Notes app, nothing cleanses the soul like catching up your life admin at the Heineken Bar.
7. Everyone's energy is contagious
The last time I was at this bar every table was full so my brother and I asked a couple if we could share their table. Then, when they left for their flight half an hour later, another couple of travellers asked us if they could join us. This is another one of the beauties of sitting at the Heineken Bar: you get to overhear snippets of other people's travel adventures. Magic and hope are in the air, and it makes you more excited about your own journey.
8. You've just come out of a war zone
After doing battle with traffic, the check in queue, the passport scanners and the security lines, a drink feels like a gift from the gods.
9. No one can judge you
At home if you drink before 12pm, you have a problem. At the airport, it's all just part of the experience.
See also: Two in five Aussies think it's ok to drink at the airport before 10am
10. You can get real with strangers
You're never going to see them again, so why not share your innermost secrets?
11. It's the airport 'time travel hack' most people don't know about
You'd be amazed how fast two hours can go by when you're chatting and drinking.
12. It relaxes you before your flight
If a better way to activate holiday mode exists, I'm yet to hear it.
13. It makes your airline seat comfier
Drinking two to three pints of beer has a way of making your cattle class seat feel like a four poster bed.
*I promise I was not paid to write this - I am just sincerely in love with this piece of airport architecture
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