Airports and anxiety always go hand in hand with me. The fear that you mixed up your flight date, the constant calculations of when to arrive at the airport, the stress that your last second add of that 12-step skin routine put your carry-on over the weight limit. Don’t even get me started on the constant fear that I’ll lose my passport on the way through TSA. I swear I’m not a nervous flier, it’s just the stressful process of rushing while remembering security line protocols all in a condensed period of time. Once I’m on the plane, I’m golden. So after all my trips around the world, here are my favorite airports that have made the security process not that bad and the amenities within the terminals made the hassle almost worth it.

Japan – Haneda Airport: Crazy amount of Covid screenings and a security dog singled out my bag to search, and this is still my favorite international airport experience.

Covid is still a concern for the island country, so I was concerned that I would be quarantined if I didn’t have all my health paperwork settled. When I arrived extremely prepared, I found very helpful airport workers guiding other lost foreigners through their labyrinth of checkpoints. Travelers that hadn’t completed their Covid health screening were very politely questioned about their health on-site. The screeners profusely apologized for the inconvenience of questioning once the travelers were cleared. When I was stopped to have my bag searched for illegal contraband (fruit that I ate on the plane) by a friendly little beagle, I happily obliged. Once in the clear, the airport worker helped me pack up my massive backpackers pack while thanking me for being so cooperative as he hoisted it on my back. I mean the employee was so nice even while he was accusing me of a crime!

Once at the airport, I was greeted with rows of beautiful, quaint boutique storefronts that resembled an upscale mall. They also had nail salons, massage parlors, and a food court that looked like an open-air modern dining experience with lots of ramen and sushi options. To conserve energy overnight, they turn off the a/c so it was a bit stuffy in the early morning and late evening. One of the airport terminals also has a pod hotel where you can pay to sleep in a pod for a few hours, and for a few bucks more you can rent a shower. I will say that you shouldn’t plan to get a full night’s rest there because of the thin walls, so you’ll hear people coughing and alarms going off every once in a while. I visited the American Express airport lounge where food and drinks are free. In this lounge, the food offered was a buffet of sushi rolls, Japanese whiskey, and sake. When I made this discovery, the airport shot to first place, no questions asked.

Germany – Munich Airport: They have a beer garden, nap pods and used to have a water park.

I’ve only ever been to this airport on layovers but they never felt terrible because I never left and got to avoid TSA, and because they have tons of physical activities to do for people who get antsy sitting around. They have a playground, a mini-golf course, and an observation deck. I will say that more and more of these are popping up at airports and you have to deal with the noise of the jet engines. If you don’t mind the roaring planes overhead, it’s an interesting spot to visit. This airport also has a brewery and in the summer they open up a beer garden. For the foodies, they also offer fresh Bavarian pretzels and sausages. Now the nap pods, these are stand-alone pods and the walls are pretty thick there is the option for white noise so I would definitely recommend booking one for a nap after a visit to the brewery.

Amsterdam – Schiphol Airport: There is a “Beauty and The Beast” style library here!

My favorite Disney princess was Belle because she had a cool library. When I visited the airport library, I felt like a princess looking at the rows and rows of books. You can check out a book or download something on your Kindle. They promote their Dutch authors so I felt a bit worldly as I lounged on a beanbag near a kid reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” in a different language on the beanbag next to me. The airport also had an art museum as well as the usual food amenities and a hotel, but the library is the first reason why it’s on this list. The second reason is that the metro to the city center runs right through and is just a 15-minute ride. So you can stow your bags in a locker and check out the city if you have time and it only costs a few bucks. However, this shouldn’t count because I’m only rating what’s inside the airport on this list… but still, check it out!

Canada – Vancouver Airport: There’s an aquarium, a spa and going through customs while heading back to the U.S. is non-existent.

This airport has good food options and art installations which are all great, but they also have a spa that offers massages and facials. If you’re in a rush you can get an express service but it can get pricey. My solution for budget travelers is the airport’s free aquarium! Imagine being all stressed about traveling and then being able to calm yourself by watching marine life swim around you? All airports should really have this because it was very meditative. The interesting part was that you clear customs while still in Canada so it’s treated as if you already crossed the border once you get on the plane back to the U.S. so when you land, you land in a domestic terminal and avoid the huge customs nightmare at home. When I experienced this, I was so confused I stopped to ask an airport worker if I skipped a step because no way they let people just walk into this country, but apparently in some cases they do.

Burbank – Burbank-Hollywood Airport: I have to give some local love to this trusty airport.

LAX is huge with tons of amenities and perpetually under construction. Burbank knows what it’s good at and never deviates from that. They offer valet parking, the two terminals are easy to navigate, there is never a huge line for TSA screening, and flights are rarely delayed. My favorite experience has been texting the valet service where my flight landed and then finding that my car is waiting for me right up front. Considering that valet doesn’t cost that much more than regular parking and you get a covered spot and don’t have to remember where you parked? It’s absolutely worth it! Also, there is no drop-off gridlock at this airport so I actually don’t mind giving rides to or from here.

Now there are some airport experiences that were great just because of the amazing traveling community. Once I forgot about the time change in Denmark and woke up an hour later than I planned. I arrived at the airport forty-five minutes before the international flight left instead of the planned three hours. I only made my flight because gracious fellow travelers let me cut all of the lines. Apparently, the stress of missing a flight is understandable in any language.

A not-so-great experience was when flying back from Dublin I ordered an Irish breakfast right before getting to the airport and assumed because it was food, TSA wouldn’t let it pass through. They confiscated my little container of baked beans and I was super pissed because it was under the 3-ounce limit and was in a closed container. Even another fellow TSA guy was confused for me.

All in all, the airport experience is what you make of it, and preparing for the worst (airport restaurants close early) while hoping for the best (free sushi buffet) is all you can do when you finally get the chance to fly away to explore the other side of the world.