Would you be willing to take advantage of airline stopover programs that cover your hotel and allow you to explore various hub cities?
Remember when a layover meant grabbing overpriced airport coffee and staring at departure boards for six hours? Airlines are flipping that script. Instead of just tolerating long connections, carriers like Turkish Airlines, Emirates, and TAP Air Portugal are actively encouraging you to ditch the terminal and explore their hub cities. We’re talking about free layover hotels, complimentary tours, and even meal vouchers just for booking a flight with a longer layover.
What are some of the best airline stopover programs?
Turkish Airlines throws in up to three nights at a hotel for a stopover in Istanbul if you’re flying business class. TAP Air Portugal lets you hang out in Lisbon or Porto for a stopover of up to 10 days without charging extra airfare. Qatar Airways offers luxury hotel stays in Doha starting at $14 per night. The sweet spot is usually 24 to 48 hours, giving you enough time to actually see a city without feeling rushed.
Imagine the possibilities of these long layovers
Picture this: you’re flying from New York to Bangkok and instead of white-knuckling a 20-hour journey, you split it up with two days wandering around Reykjavik’s streets or eating pasties de nata in Lisbon. Booking these trips takes a bit more work than clicking the first flight Google shows you. You’ll want to use the multi-city search option on airline websites or call their customer service line directly. Check visa requirements before you get stuck at customs, and pack light so you’re not hauling three suitcases through cobblestone streets.
These bonus city breaks make airline stopover programs amazing
Have you always wanted to visit Iceland and enjoy the amazing island country? If so, book your flights on Icelandair and enjoy their stopover program, which gives you an extended layover travel time of a day or up to a week at no additional airfare. Imagine the possibilities when you visit Iceland and enjoy the geothermal bathing, views of the northern lights, and then continue onward to your final destination. All of this is possible by simply using multi-city flight booking as one of the many budget travel hacks that have caught on recently.
The best part? Younger travelers are all over this. Gen Z and millennials would rather save money on direct flights and spend it on experiencing two cities instead of one.
Other popular travel hacks that you should know about
In addition to the airline stopover programs mentioned, many travelers are learning about some really cool travel hacks that help them make the most of their adventures away from home.
Hop on the night train
No, it’s not like the Knight Bus from Harry Potter, but something much posher and more romantic. Trains have regained their romantic feeling with upscale accommodation, including the return of the sleeper car, which makes it easy to take the train in the evening and sleep through the night to wake up in the next city when the morning light appears.
Could you take a micro-retirement?
Some might call it a sabbatical, but others have begun to call it a micro-retirement. The age of remote work allows some workers to enjoy time away from work for extended periods of time, while still staying somewhat connected. Some people have completely disengaged from the rest of the world to enjoy travel and leisure for a year or more before going back to work.
Enjoy a wonderful cruise and see the world
For generations, taking a cruise seemed like something you could only afford to do if you were wealthy or had saved for several years. Today, that’s not the case. You can easily afford a cruise and enjoy high-quality amenities. Cruise ships are basically floating cities and take you from port to port, where you can get off the ship and enjoy some wonderful sights you would never see otherwise.
Get away from the screens
Sure, you want to take lots of pictures while on vacation, but something that could be much more enjoyable is leaving your cell phone behind and getting away from screens wherever you go. Instead of checking texts, online games, or social media, you get to know and enjoy the world around you while you’re visiting various locations around the world.
More airlines than ever offer airline stopover programs, which you should ask about if you want to take full advantage of the places that an airline visits. How will you get the most out of your travel time this year?
