Tips & Tricks

small_Image.png

thumbnail_Image.png

Image.png

Badge - Google Play.png

Banner Bkg.png

Badge - App Store.png

Download the hoppa app now

Arrive 'appy with hoppa

<p>Layovers are a frequent and often unavoidable part of travel, but they don’t have to be an uninteresting one. Here are a few ways you can turn your layover into a highlight of your trip.</p><h2>Escape the airport on your own to explore the city</h2><p>You can leave the airport with a layover of as little as 6 hours. While leaving the airport with so little time between flights is risky it could definitely be worth it. With just a couple of hours you can visit the city’s most beautiful cathedral or mosque, or look for an authentic restaurant and have a meal there. Imagine trying lokum (real Turkish delight) in the country of its origin or eating a fiteer baladi in the streets of Egypt. What a great story to tell afterwards.</p><p>When planning to leave the airport on a layover, you’ll need to check a few things, like the exact visa requirement to enter into that specific country. Don’t assume that your UK visa will get you into every country or even a Schengen country, for example. Many countries do offer e-visas but these can take a couple of weeks to obtain, so don’t leave it to the last minute.</p><hr /><h2>Staying put can be just as good</h2><p>If you’re stuck in the airport during your layover, that doesn’t have to mean boredom either. You can still explore the airport. Singapore’s Changi Airport welcomes travellers with a 40 metre waterfall, unique gardens, a butterfly sanctuary and so much more. Canada's Vancouver International Airport keeps waiting travellers busy with two giant marine exhibits, hosting a variety of sea creatures like wolf eels, sea urchins, and orange cup corals.</p><p>And while not all airports are so spectacular, there’s bound to be something interesting to keep you occupied wherever you are. Here are a few of the things you can do inside the airport.</p><h3>Shop duty free</h3><p>Why not browse the duty free shops?. They often have free perfume and lotion samples to try. And if you’re lucky, they might even offer some local treats.</p><h3>People watch</h3><p>Spend some time observing people that pass by. Where are they off to? Are they coming back from a trip or is this only the start of their journey? Honestly, the best part about people watching is seeing them reunite with their loved ones. If that’s not enough for you, why not make up some stories about your fellow travellers? Your imagination might just yield something to rival an episode of EastEnders.</p><hr /><h2>Book a pass to an airport lounge</h2><p>Airport lounges only for first-class passengers are a thing of the past. The lounges are open to anyone nowadays. You can enjoy noise free luxury, comfortable seating, washrooms, charging points for your devices and even complimentary snacks, drinks and Wi-Fi. To get access to the airport lounges, you can buy a day pass, or get free access through a premium rewards credit card or by earning airline loyalty status, etc.</p><hr /><h2>Book yourself into an airport hotel</h2><p>Many airlines offer complimentary hotel stays for travellers with long layovers, which allows you to shower and recharge. Fortunately, these specific hotels are almost always inside the terminals themselves. There’s no need to take a shuttle or pass immigration and the security checks. There are however qualifying factors that allow you to book a stay such as ticket types, minimum fares and transit times. So make sure you check the requirements before booking your flight because the conditions can vary from airline to airline.</p><hr /><h2>Use your downtime to look ahead</h2><p>Whether you’re staying in the airport proper or have booked yourself into a lounge or hotel, you can use your downtime to get organised.</p><h3>Set goals for your trip</h3><p>You have the time, why not use it to set goals for your trip, plan an itinerary if you couldn’t find the time before, or revise the plans you’ve already made. You could also browse Instagram or Pinterest for picture ideas, travel hacks, or must-see destinations.</p><p>If you are coming back from your trip, you could journal about your experiences or get back to all those unanswered texts from your friends and family.</p><h3>Organise your trip photos</h3><p>Do you edit and organise your photos as soon as you get back from your trip? Or do you let them sit for months while they go unused and un-cherished? During your layover, you have the perfect opportunity and plenty of time to organise your memories. This also makes it easier to caption and share your pictures on social media while the memories are still fresh.</p><h3>Plan for your next trip</h3><p>Whether you’re on your way to your holiday adventure or coming back home, your layover is the perfect time to start planning your next trip. Take inspiration from the departure boards for future destinations. Make notes of the things you liked about your trip so you can find similar experiences next time. Or jot down what you didn’t enjoy so you can avoid those things on future trips.</p><ul> <li><a href='https://www.hoppa.com/en/discover/summer-packing-guide'>Summer Packing Guide</a></li> <li><a href='https://www.hoppa.com/en/discover/wheres-hot-hoppas-guide-for-sun-chasers'>Where's Hot? Hoppa's Guide for Sun Chasers</a></li> <li><a href='https://www.hoppa.com/en/discover/enjoying-the-spanish-sun-in-ibiza'>Enjoying The Spanish Sun In Ibiza</a></li></ul>

green

Sign up & save! Enter your email below to receive the latest offers, promotions & hoppa discount codes

hoppa uses cookies to help improve your browsing experience. To accept cookies continue browsing as normal, or go to our cookie tool for more information and preferences.

Necessary Cookies are essential to the operation of our website, supporting functions such as logging in and payment transactions. These cookies can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.

Performance Cookies collect information about how you use our website, for example how efficiently you are able to navigate. All information these cookies collect is anonymous and is only used to improve how our website works.

Functionality Cookies allow us to remember your saved preferences, such as your username, language or region, and tailor our website to provide enhanced features and content for you.

Targeting Cookies gather information about your browsing habits and help us to make our website and advertising more relevant to your interests. They remember that you've visited our website and share this information with other organisations such as advertisers.

This website uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential, while some are used to help improve your browsing experience. For more detailed information on the cookies we use, please check our <a href="/en/privacypolicy">privacy policy</a>.

5 Ways To Make Your Long Layover More Bearable