So many travelers have condemned themselves to rotting in airports for five or ten hours, while waiting for their international connections, or they waste time in an airport hotel, thinking that a bed or TV will help the time pass more quickly. This article emphazises on how to use long layovers as a tool.
I choose to use my layovers as a bonus stop – a free pass to see an additional city or country on my way to a planned destination.
A layover is when you have to change planes part-way through your journey. For example, if you bought a flight from New York City to Los Angeles and it had a layover in Houston, you will have to get off the plane in Houston and transfer to a new plane at the airport there. You then board the next plane and fly to Los Angeles. Layovers, therefore, add time to your journey, but if your layovers are long enough, you can use that time to leave the airport and explore a brand-new city.
If you have a really long layover, you could for instance investigate the possibility of exploring the city you’re in. Give this new locale a chance even if the location is far from the top of your bucket list of destinations. You may be surprised to discover a city you’d love to return to for longer.
If you have a full day or overnight layover, try experiencing the city. You have many options to explore. I have done everything from simply enjoying a Calvados on Champs Elyssée in Paris to taking a tour on the canals in Amsterdam before heading back to the airport.
On an overnight layover in Rome, I had delicious food and wine at a restaurant before having a late-night visit at Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. In the morning, I took a brief tour of the Vatican, which included the Sistine Chapel before heading back to the airport.
I had a layover in Athens and had some amazing Greek food while watching patrons participate in Greek Dance. I marveled at some brightly lit ruins on my way to have a late-night ouzo in a local bar. I took some pictures at the Acropolis before catching a cab to the airport.
Some larger airports might even offer an organized tour of the city that departs directly from the airport itself. Research options and book the tour before you land if possible. You will still have to go through security and customs as usual, but the organized tour might save you time spent figuring out public transportation systems and directions to major sites.
For most people, layovers are unpleasant, but direct flights are often more expensive. For travelers who are budget-minded, layovers are a great way to save money. Airlines will usually lower the prices of flights with long layovers, making it easy to pick up a bargain. If you don’t need to get somewhere quickly, it’s worth picking up a flight with several stops to save money.
Your exploration can be simple; try local food, check out a few historical sites or just hang out at a café to take the city in as brief as it may be. If you would like a more organized experience, try taking a tour if you have enough time. It can be as long or short as you want. Sometimes you will have enough time for a group tour, and in other situations, you may want to pay for a tailored private tour that includes transportation to and from the airport.
Even if your layover isn’t quite long enough to get out and explore the city, you can still find plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in local culture. Cuisine is often the most direct, and cheapest, way to experience a taste of a culture different than your own.
Seek out the local cuisine located inside the airport. You might be surprised by the immersive experience you can have without even leaving the terminal.
Layovers are something you should look for when booking a long flight, especially when traveling internationally. For example, both WOW air and Icelandair offer stopover programs, which allow Americans traveling to Europe a free layover in Iceland (for an unlimited amount of days).
Usually, you have to pass through immigration and check-in again if you want to leave an airport. Every country and airline have different rules on this, so it’s best to do some research beforehand if you’re unsure of how your layover will work. For the most part, though, following everyone else who gets off your plane is a safe way to know you’re doing the right thing.
Most major cities in the world offer a hop-on, hop-off bus tour that stops by most of the major sights and landmarks in a particular location. Headphones are offered for pre-recorded information about each stop in eight different languages. These tours are a great way to see a city in a short amount of time on a layover. You can choose to stay at each attraction for a quick photo before you hop back on the bus or spend some time exploring and take the next bus once you are satisfied. If you have a shorter layover and do not have time to ride the bus for the entire loop, you can take a taxi to the airport from any point during the hop-on, hop-off bus loop according to your flight schedule demands.
Alternatively, use your long layover to treat yourself to a fast food meal or comfort from home that you’ve tried to avoid during your trip. Get the French fries. Find the Tex-Mex. Indulge in a treat that makes your long layover more comfortable.
We often think of airport lounges for first class passengers only, but those days are long gone. Now, you can purchase an airport lounge pass and enjoy free drinks, snacks, WiFi and sometimes even sleeping or showering facilities.
Besides experiencing a new culture for a few hours, taking advantage of your layover also allows you to decide if the city is worth coming back or not. It’s a lot like wine-tasting – if you like what you see, you buy the bottle. If not, you pour out your glass and move on to the next stop.
If you’re on the tail end of your travel journey, a great way to spend time during a long layover is to journal. Your travel stories are fresh in your mind, so make sure to document them while you can. In general, if you’re on a domestic flight, once you land for your layover, you’ll pass through a transfer area that will take you to the gate for your next flight without having to check in again. Your bags will automatically pass through to the next flight without you having to collect them.
This also often happens on international flights if you’re flying with the same airline. When you check in for your first flight, ask the person who is checking you in if your bags will be checked the entire way. If they are, you don’t need to worry about going to the baggage reclaim and can pass directly to your next gate, safe in the knowledge that your luggage will be making the journey with you.
Remember to keep careful track of time if you choose to leave the airport on a layover. You must budget time to go through customs and verify in advance whether or not you need a visa to enter the country in which you have just landed. Nothing is more frustrating than the added time and expense of missing a flight, whether it be on a layover, at a planned destination, or on your way home. So be sure to research how much time it takes to get to the city center and back by taxi, bus, train or whatever form of transportation you choose. When time is tight, I prefer to use the more direct, yet more expensive choice of a taxi or Uber. There is no hassle with overshooting your train stop and the drivers usually know the best routes to the airport. If you do your research and manage your time properly, you have just added another stop to your itinerary – for free!
How to Use Long Layovers as a Tool, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): © JESHOOTS.COM / Unsplash