People on TikTok are using treadmills and empty suitcases to recreate the airport experience

• Across TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter, people are repurposing their treadmills as a luggage belt and airport walkways.
• People around the world have had to cancel trips and vacations, so many are finding creative ways to recreate those experiences from their home.
• The videos have served as a creative outlet for some and a fun laugh for others.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Without the ability to go to the airport, users across TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter are repurposing their treadmills. The workout equipment now functions as luggage conveyor belts and airport walkways.

A majority of the world is on some form of lockdown, so homes have become the only place to travel.

With travel now limited to essential trips, people are using their creativity to build airport experiences in their homes

With a treadmill at its lowest speed, people are waiting to pick up their luggage. Others are jogging with their luggage to practice making it to the gate on time.

Lukas Georgas got the idea for his videos after seeing clips of people on TikTok disappointed that their trips were canceled.

"They were all dwelling on the situation," he told Insider. "I was like, 'How can I implement something that people want to do now? And kind of make a joke about it."

Georgas has made a few different videos using his treadmill. His first one, which has nearly 830,000 views at the time of writing, features him on an "airport walkway" with his suitcase and neck pillow.

His next video has him jogging with his luggage. "Me preparing for when I can run late to my flights again," the caption says.

"I just tried to make the airport experience in my basement," Georgas said.

Amanda Yu-Nguyen saw a similar video on Facebook. She and her partner were laughing over the concept, and Yu-Nguyen realized that she could recreate it herself, she told Insider.

"I'm one of those people who downloaded TikTok because of quarantine," she laughed.

So she decided to recreate it. She put the treadmill on its lowest setting, grabbed her luggage from the laundry room, and wore a neck pillow throughout the video.

Jessica Sfier and her sister Maryana hopped on the trend, too.

After begging their parents to get their luggage down from storage, the two filmed the video on their treadmill.

Making TikToks has helped her family bond, Jessica told Insider. "It's going to get better, it can't go on like this forever," she said. "So in the meantime, let's just laugh."

Both creators and watchers have used the videos as a break from reality

"If a silly video can make someone laugh for a few minutes in a day, I think that's, in a way, therapeutic for folks," Yu-Nguyen explained. "Making something funny doesn't mean you're ignoring the realities that are around us."

Yu-Nguyen said growing up her family prioritized traveling over things like name-brand clothes or cable TV. This pandemic has canceled a few trips and weddings, so silly videos like this have helped her cope.

"We had the greatest gift of all, which was travel. To not be able to do that right now is really hard," she said. "This was kind of a fun way to navigate that reality."

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