Airport roulette. Ever heard of it? Me neither, until I read this the other day. To summarize, the article is about a man and his daughter who show up at the airport, scan the departure screen, and choose a destination right there on the spot. Among the 4 simple rules are: don’t go to the same place twice, and don’t choose a flight that is more than 3 hours long.

I can’t help but be inspired by the concept of airport roulette. How many of us have arrived at the airport on a whim, not knowing where they were heading until they got there? How many overlooked places would you visit that you might not have when planning months in advance? This little game could be played early on a Saturday morning when a quick getaway is needed.

The man and his daughter had the benefit of being in the UK, which is in close proximity to several beautiful countries within a 3 hour flight.  It was also a different time: they started their tradition in 1989. However, I think that this game would be possible even today (just plan extra time to get through security…).

If you live on the US East Coast like me, the 3-hour flight rule eliminates any destination west of Kansas City. Three hours north brings you to roughly Newfoundland and Labrador and south brings you to Florida or The Bahamas. Still, there are plenty of neat places to check out in between, and who says you need to stick to the 3 hour flight rule anyway? Besides, the fun of the game is the spontaneity.

Have you played airport roulette? What other “travel games” have you played?