Do you always opt for a more expensive direct flight, or take the more economic option and put up with a stopover?

The savings on a flight with a stopover can be considerable.  Just taking London to Sri Lanka as a current example, for a mid-July trip the cheapest direct return flight I could find on a quick search was £798, but with one stop in Bombay I could bring that price down to £590.  Or for a visit to Rio after the World Cup, a direct flight would set me back £1122, but I could bring that down to £820 or less by taking a layover in Dubai or Lisbon.

If your holiday time is very limited, or you’re on a tight business schedule, you may have to pay up, but if time isn’t the biggest factor why not embrace the stopover and make the most of the break away from your airline seat?

Get out and see the sights

Many airports are conveniently enough located that you can drop your bags and head out for a half day sightseeing. I have done this in both Amsterdam and Boston, turning an otherwise boring layover into a highlight of the trip. Other suitable cities include Sydney, Washington D.C., Chicago and London.

Amsterdam, the perfect sized city for a very short break

If you intend to take this option, be sure to plan ahead so you know your transport routes and timings and can hit the ground running.

Get some exercise

If your stopover airport isn’t well enough located for a side trip, or if the stopover just isn’t long enough, why not fit in a spot of exercise? Many airports have exercise areas / gyms on site or at a nearby airport hotel. There’s even a useful website to help find a gym at US and Canadian airports.

Get some shuteye

If you’re in the cheap seats on the plane, the stopover airport may be the perfect place for some proper sleep.  Some airports have areas specifically set aside for those wanting to rest, but for some quality sleep consider taking a hotel room for a few hours.

Yotel have outposts of their capsule-style hotels at London Heathrow and Gatwick and at Amsterdam Schiphol.  Many other airport hotels offer rooms for a cheap day rate; between9and5 is my go to website for finding these.

Eat Yourself Silly

Some airports really do have good restaurants.  Here are just a few for starters:

Altitude (Geneva International Airport) – chefs Gilles Dupont and Thomas Byrne
Dani Garcia DeliBar (Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport) – chef Dani Garcia
Plane Food (Heathrow Airport, London) – chef Gordon Ramsay
Porta Gaig (Barcelona-El Prat Airport) – chef Carles Gaig

And opening soon:

Perfectionists’ Cafe (Heathrow Airport, London) – chef Heston Blumenthal

Even if your stopover location doesn’t have a top restaurant, at least you can sit in a proper chair at a proper table with a good selection of comestibles.

Go viral

If all else fails, why not film your own music video, like Richard Dunn did at an albeit empty Las Vegas airport:

Inspired!

Do you have any tips of your own?

Linked to Travel Tuesdays.