Travel Hack: How to Make the Most of Your Long Layover

At some point, every traveler will encounter the dreaded long layover. When I first began traveling, I hated the thought of a layover. Spending hours locked in an airport seemed like a special type of purgatory, but recently, I’ve changed my attitude toward it. During a brutal 27-hour travel “day” to Sydney from New York, I actually welcomed my 4-hour layover at 5am in Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

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If you have an upcoming layover you’re absolutely dreading, here are a few tips and tricks for making the most of it, whether it's an hour or 18 hours.

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The Layover Bag

Creating a layover bag has completely transformed my airport experience. I used to throw everything into my backpack or carry-on, and then spend what felt like an eternity digging through my bags to find what I needed. I recently purchased the Calpak Everything Cube, which provides easy access to everything I may need during flights and at the airport.

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In the cube, I put face wash; a toothbrush and toothpaste; phone and laptop chargers, along with converters; a book; a granola bar; a change of clothes; and under-eye patches to help me feel refreshed. Any size toiletry bag will do for your layover bag as long as it can fit all your essentials.

The Quick Refresh Layover

A short layover is almost always ideal. However, when I have only 2 hours, I’m usually left thinking, what do I have time to do? Enter: the layover bag. Brush your teeth, freshen up, and stop by the newsstand to grab a ridiculously large water bottle if you forgot to pack one. Walk around the terminal and stretch as you prepare to embark on the next leg of your journey.

A short layover is also the perfect time to take advantage of some airports’ special features. For example, certain airports, like San Francisco International Airport and Helsinki Airport, have free yoga or stretching rooms. I also like to use this time to shop for unique souvenirs or snacks.

The Luxury Lounge Layover

A 4–6-hour layover is the trickiest. It’s too long for a quick meal but too short to leave the airport and make it back in time for your next flight. This is where airport lounges come into play.

I finally made the switch to a Capital One Venture X card, which grants me access to its airport lounge for a fee. If you have a premium rewards credit card or are flying first or business class on an airline, you most likely have access to an airport lounge. Check in advance to see if you have access, and then head straight there once you’re off your first flight.

If you don't have a lounge-friendly credit card or airline status, many airport lounges also offer day passes. Check a lounge's availability, and book in advance to avoid disappointment.

If you have more time (5–6 hours), I highly recommend seeing if there’s a specific restaurant near the airport you’ve been wanting to visit. When I had a layover in Los Angeles, I took a rideshare from LAX to In-N-Out, which only took about 20 minutes. I was back in the terminal long before my connecting flight took off.

The Layover Day Pass

Long layovers were the bane of my existence before I rediscovered free will. Now I sometimes try to find flights with long layovers as they’re usually less expensive and give me more time to explore a new city. If you’re traveling somewhere where the city center is near the airport, make a day trip out of it. Airports and hostels offer services so you can store your bags and pick them up later. There’s usually a fee, but you can learn more about it via the airport’s or hostel’s website.

A long layover is also a great time to take advantage of hotel day passes. My family and I once booked a hotel pass through Resort Pass and had access to all the amenities on the hotel property. Passes on Resort Pass typically range from US$25–300, depending on what you’re looking for.