10 essential tips to survive a long layover at the airport

For the overwhelming majority of travelers, the prospect of a long layover is not exactly the most exciting thing in the world. Understandably so, since no one books a vacation just to spend endless hours sitting in a terminal or, even worse, having to sleep on the cold airport floor. Either way, whether your layover takes “just” 5 or 6 hours or stretches overnight, what you decide to do during that break (and how you prepare) will make a huge difference in your mood and comfort.

Fortunately, if you do your research and come up with a few strategies to help pass the time, not every layover has to be a drag. That’s precisely why we created this article with 10 tips to help you survive a long layover, so you’ll know where to sleep at the airport, whether you should hit the city center, what to do to keep busy, how to access the lounges, and much more!

What to do during a long layover at the airport

Visit the city centre

You’d be surprised at how many people refuse to leave the airport out of fear of missing their connecting flight! Truth be told, if you decide to head into the city center and explore a bit, it’s extremely important to be cautious with travel timings to avoid any mishaps. To do this, you should start by researching in advance the how to get from the airport to the city and back, allowing at least double the estimated travel time (if the website says the trip takes 30 minutes, play it safe and count on 1 hour).

In addition, you should return to the airport at least 2h30 before your next flight, so that you have enough time to calmly get through security. By following these guidelines, you’ll be able to estimate how many hours you would actually have in the city, which will help you decide whether or not it’s worth getting out of the airport.

Stay at a hotel

If your layover lasts through the night, then you’ll definitely need to consider a place to sleep. Of course, you can always pull an all-nighter and catch up on rest during your next flight, but even so, you’ll still need a comfortable spot to relax and put down your stuff. All in all, the most logical option is to find a hotel. Luckily, there are usually plenty of them located right next to airports, specifically designed to accommodate this type of traveler. In fact, some hotels are located directly within the airport’s transit area, meaning you don’t even have to leave the complex (they are what we in the business call “transit hotels”).

To find a hotel near an airport, you can use any popular search engine, such as Booking.com, Kayak, Expedia or Hotels.com. However, instead of typing the name of the city, you should enter the airport’s name and then use the filters to set a minimum distance radius or sort options by proximity to the air hub. Naturally, double-check the distance by entering the hotel’s name on Google Maps, and don’t forget to check which terminal you’ll be arriving at. In addition to hotels, some airports also feature sleeping pods that you can rent by the hour to rest for a bit.

Although it’s difficult to keep an updated list of airports that feature these facilities, you can easily check this information by visiting your airport’s official website. That said, here’s a list of some European airports that, at the time of writing, offer sleeping pods:

• London Gatwick Airport
• London Heathrow Airport
• Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
• Turin Airport
• Milan Bergamo Airport
• Verona Airport
• Venice Airport
• Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
• Berlin Brandenburg Airport
• Munich Airport
• Frankfurt Airport
• Vienna Airport
• Zurich Airport
• Tallinn Airport
• Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
• Istanbul Airport
• Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport

Find a spot to sleep in the airport

Alternatively, if you’re on a tight budget, you might be left with the cold, hard airport floor (lovely, I know). However, not all airports and areas are the same when it comes to places to sleep/rest – trust me, I’ve spent nights at airports in Madrid, Munich, Paris-Orly, Brussels-Charleroi, Milan-Bergamo, Beijing, and surely a few more that I can’t even recall. That said, if you want to find the best spots to rest in a particular airport, we recommend checking out the famous Sleeping in Airports, the ultimate bible of… well, sleeping in airports! In this website, you’ll find guides to over 800 airports highlighting rest areas, quiet corners, sections with reclining chairs and other important information.

On top of that, if you’ll be spending the night at the airport, we suggest bringing a sleep mask and earplugs to help you fight off the lights and noise. A good travel pillow also helps. For peace of mind, make sure to lie down in physical contact with your luggage (like leaning on it, or on top of it) so you’ll notice immediately if someone tries to touch your stuff. Another often-overlooked tip is to download the app of the airport or the airline you’re flying with, so you’ll receive alerts if your boarding gate changes. Imagine setting up camp by the initial gate, start packing close to boarding time, only to discover that the new gate is a 15-minute walk away. Awful, right?

NOTE: A somewhat controversial – but technically legal – recommendation is to rent a car for just one night and sleep in the parking lot. Since airport hotels are usually quite expensive, renting a car can actually be a much cheaper option than booking a room, while also being far more comfortable, private and secure than sleeping on the terminal floor.

Relax in the lounge

Once an option exclusively available to business or premium economy passengers, using an airport lounge has become increasingly popular among economy travelers, offering an excellent way to guarantee at least a few hours of comfort during a long layover. Usually, international airports have at least one lounge, with larger air hubs featuring several.

While lounge access may be included in certain fares or come as a benefit of using specific credit card or having frequent flyer status, most visitors simply choose to purchase a day pass, which usually grants around 3 hours of access. Prices for passes generally range between €30,00 and €60,00. Although there are all sorts of lounges and facilities, most spaces typically feature comfortable reclining seats, food buffets, dedicated Wi-Fi, charging stations, work areas and in some cases even shower facilities and rest/sleeping areas.

That said, not all lounges are open 24/7, so it’s important to look in advance for which ones are available, along with their locations and operating hours.

Take advantage of a stopover program

While this tip is somewhat related to some of our previous option, it’s always a good idea to check if the company you’re flying with has a stopover program worth using. A growing trend among more experienced travelers, having a stopover can be a fantastic way to squeeze in an extra destination on your travel itinerary, while at the same time allowing you to catch some rest before your onward flight.

Aware of the potential behind this concept, there are more and more legacy airlines offering the possibility to extend your stay in the layover city. Furthermore, depending on the airline’s specific stopover program, you might even get access to some perks, like paid accommodation, free public transportation, shuttles and discounted (or free) tickets to local attractions. When you book a non-direct flight, you’ll be presented with different layover options, with most of them falling into the shorter layover category (under 20 hours). Well, this is where stopover programs come into play, allowing you to “extend” your second flight and enjoy a longer stay in the layover city, all without any extra cost to the airfare (and sometimes with a few perks added to the mix).

For example, if you’re traveling between Paris and Bangkok with Turkish Airlines, you can count on having (at least) one layover in Istanbul, both on your way there and back. By taking advantage of the airline’s stopover program, you can spend over 20 hours in Istanbul before your final flight to the Thai capital or your return home – enough time to explore a bit of the gigantic Turkish city. In exchange, the airline is looking to boost tourism in its base city, in the hope that some of these travelers will return to spend more time in Istanbul, choosing the airline’s services for future flights.

Enjoy a meal

Obviously, if you have a 10 or 12-hour layover, you can’t spend the entire time stuffing your face at the airport. That said, if you’re stuck waiting around 4 or 5 hours (that annoying window that’s too short to sleep and too long to go see the city), eating is as good a way as any to help the clock tick by faster. However, this gets trickier during overnight layovers, when almost all dining options are closed.

Either way, if you’re having a layover during the day, take some time to explore the airport’s food scene. Unsurprisingly, the options are usually expensive and not particularly healthy, although more and more places are investing in modern facilities with a more diverse offer (though still pricey). Our only recommendation is to go easy on heavy, greasy meals, as they can leave you uncomfortable and sluggish for the rest of your layover and onto your next flight. Once again, you can check the airport’s website or Sleeping in Airports to see what restaurants are there in your terminal and their opening hours.

Watch a movie/tv show or read a book

No matter how much effort you put into making the experience as smooth and pleasant as possible, and unless you do manage to visit the city, a long layover is always pretty boring. That’s why finding a way to pass the time is essential! There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here, since you can employ any method you normally enjoy to keep yourself entertained for a few hours.

For starters, you should check if the airport where you’ll be staying offers free public Wi-Fi and, if so, whether access is unlimited or subject to certain conditions (for example, free only for 2 or 3 hours). If that’s the case, make sure to know beforehand if that’s a country where data roaming does not apply, so you can use your SIM card just like you would at home. Alternatively, you can always buy an eSIM card with a few gigabytes to guarantee internet access during your layover.

Now that your connection is settled, you can use the time to browse the internet, watch series and movies, read books, listen to your favorite podcast or simply turn your brain to mush while scrolling through little stupid TikTok videos. Oh, and don’t forget to bring your phone/tablet charger – otherwise, you might end up staring at the wall for hours!

Look out for entertainment options

Sticking to the same subject as our previous entry, it’s worth dedicating a few paragraphs to appreciate the airports that boast services or areas that help keep the passengers entertained in-between flights. Once again, you can check Sleeping in Airports to see which ones offer the best ways to pass the time during a long layover, though some can be truly surprising.

While every airport offers a few shops and duty-free stores, others offer much more unusual alternatives. For example, some have massage parlors and wellness centers, others old-school arcade machines, and in others you can even find yoga classes, museums, art exhibitions and hair salons. If you have a layover in Singapore, the entire airport is pretty much a tourist attraction, with futuristic shopping malls, beautiful gardens, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, digital art installations, climbing walls, pools with jacuzzis and even free-to-use movie theaters.

If you’re traveling with children, it’s also worth checking whether the layover airport has kid-friendly areas, as many feature mini-playgrounds with slides, swings, inflatables and drawing/painting materials.

Wear comfortable clothes

Since you’ll be spending much of your time either exploring the city, lying down in a corner of the airport or in transit to a hotel (with or without luggage), one of the most important tips we can give you is to dress comfortably. This means wearing clothes that are cozy, allow full freedom of movement and don’t feel tight in the wrong places. Plus, you should also keep in mind that airport temperatures are usually adjusted to contrast with the outside air, which means you may feel hot or chilly during your layover. So, dress in layers even if you’re in a warm destination, and pack some t-shirts if you’re heading to the cold.

On top of that, you should carry a small bag with the essentials you’ll need to survive a long layover. Besides the aforementioned charger (or power bank), sleep mask, earplugs and travel pillow, you should also bring a blanket, a reusable water bottle and some snacks to keep yourself fed and hydrated through the night. In addition, make sure to pack a small hygiene kit to freshen up in the morning, including a toothbrush and toothpaste, wet wipes, deodorant and any other items you find useful.

Stretch, walk and move your body

Don’t underestimate the effect that a long-haul flight combined with a long layover can have on your body. You’ll spend a lot of time sitting, dehydrated and with little sleep – the perfect concoction to make you doubt your choices real quick. Therefore, in addition to drinking plenty of water, a key tip is to alternate periods of sitting with light physical activity. We’re talking about walking for a few minutes around the terminal, stretching or any other type of movement that helps activate and wake up your body.

In fact, this is exactly why some airports put up yoga classes, while others even have gyms and fitness centers. While we’re not suggesting that you do a full body workout that will make you sweat (a terrible idea if you plan on sleeping at the airport), keeping your step count up is definitely something to consider for your well-being… plus, it helps pass the time! To further minimize the effects of your long layover and improve blood circulation, we also recommend wearing compression socks.