How to Make The Most Out Of A Layover

I got to go to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fiji, Samoa Islands, and Honolulu for FREE, just by booking flights with longer layovers!

by Alyssa Ramos

World travelers, globe trotters, solo travelers, backpackers, gap years, wanderlusters, and travel buggers — no matter what you call us, we are all travelers. You probably remember the moment you realized you had a severe case of wanderlust, and that traveling had won your heart over, and if you haven’t experienced that, you need to.

You’ll know that you’ve become a traveler when things like airline preference become irrelevant because as long as you can get on the plane at all, you’re happy. You’ll also find ways to make the inevitable travel inconveniences tolerable, if not enjoyable.

Specifically speaking, layovers.

Layovers are inconvenient for several reasons. They waste time, they force you to lug your stuff off one plane and onto another, and expose your ghastly, traveling-for-hours appearance to more people than necessary.

Fortunately, I’m a wine-glass-half-full kinda gal, and have found several ways to make layovers not only enjoyable, but preferable as well.

It all started when I had this overly ambitious idea to go volunteer in Africa. I would search and search for affordable flights, but even the cheapest ones still seemed out of reach. But then, I started to find even cheaper flights when I started researching other options…like flights with long layovers.

At first, I would look for the cheapest flight with the shortest layover, but then I had the most genius idea in the world…

I could book flights with long layovers, and see more places than I originally intended to!

For instance, the flights to South Africa all had layovers in Dubai, so no matter what, I was going to have to stop. But instead of choosing the flight that had a shorter “more convenient” layover, I chose the one that was the longest.

My layover in Dubai was 8 hours long, but in those 8 hours I got to see the Burj Khalifa, and the Dubai mall for practically free. I flew Emirates, which gives you a complimentary hotel room if you have a layover that’s more than 8 hours, and a free shuttle ride to the hotel.

Obviously instead of sleeping, I went sightseeing, and the only things I had to pay for were the cabs to and from the hotel, my wine, and a few souvenirs. Just by booking the flight with the longer layover, I got to see a place I probably will never be able to afford going to!

After realizing the opportunity to see more places than I had originally planned for, I started looking into long layovers on my other flights as well. Just by using layovers, I also visited Fiji, Samoa Islands (by surprise), and Honolulu. 

If you can’t find a long layover, or don’t have time to leave the airport there’s other things to do as well, so here’s how to make either happen!

If You Find A Long Layover:

• Pack light, and pack a change of clothes and toiletries in your carry-on, you won’t be able to get your checked bag, plus you’ll have to go back through security and you won’t want to waste time with a lot of stuff.
• Check with the airline to see if they offer any vouchers for flights with long layovers. As I mentioned, Emirates gave me a free hotel room and shuttle to and from it so that I could rest and freshen up. This happened with Etihad too when my flight was delayed four hours.
• Look up nearby attractions in advance. A lot of times the airline’s website or someone’s blog will list nearby attractions that you can visit during your layover. You can also use social local and travel guide apps like HeyLets to geo-tag you and suggest local places around you.
• Make sure you don’t need a special visa for that country, and if you do, apply for one in advance.

If You’re Layover Isn’t Long Enough To Leave

• Use the time between flights to freshen up, brush your teeth, wash your face/armpits, etc. If you have a change of clothes, you can do that as well. While you’re at it, you might as well read this guide to proper plane etiquette so you know how to dress in general.
• Re-charge all of your devices. Most planes don’t have outlets, but all airports do. Cozy up next to one and get re-charged.
• Catch up on work. If you have a job that allows you to work from your laptop or cell phone, use this time to catch up on emails, projects, writing, or even social media post scheduling.
• Take yourself out to eat. A lot of restaurants in airports offer free wifi so I always set up shop at the bar or a table (near an outlet obv) and have a nice little party of one with my wine and laptop. Once you get to the third glass it’ll be time to go.
• Make friends. Isn’t that what airport bars are for? Chances are if someone is at an airport bar, they are going to be more than willing to chat. What a great way to pass the time.

If You Want To Make Your Own Layover

If you can’t find a layover that’s long enough, but you really want to explore the city that the shorter layover is in, you can play around with the option of creating your own since you already know there are going to be flights in and out of it. It might even be cheaper!

For example, say you have a flight from LA to New York that stops in Denver for two hours, which isn’t enough time to get out and explore, but you’d really like to. Instead of booking the LA to NY flight, check flights from LA to Denver, then flights from Denver to New York that are a couple hours or even a day later. Voila! Now you have a long layover!

Happy Travels! And please download the travel guide app I write for called HeyLets using my link (open it on your phone or type it in the browser please!!) I get credit for it 🙂  http://hey.li/1Bf5OsC