Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun
Layovers can be annoying, but not if you use them to your advantage. On a flight to Edinburgh, Scotland, I was stuck with a 13-hour layover in Dublin, Ireland. Instead of sitting in an airport for a very long day, I bought a day pass and hopped on a double-decker bus for some exploring (looking like Dora with my backpack). Embracing this adventurous and independent side of myself set the tone for an AMAZING trip. Also, on a recent trip to Minneapolis I chose a flight with an extended layover in Atlanta and met up with my college roommate for dinner, which was a great BONUS to my trip.
You can go as far as planning an overnight layover for a quick night out with friends in that city. For the price of one flight, a layover can upgrade your trip into a multicity journey.
Safety First
I also wanted to share this e-mail I just received from a friend:
You arrive at your hotel and check in at the front desk. When checking in, you give the front desk your credit card (for all the charges for your room). You get to your room and settle in.
Someone calls the front desk and asked for (example) Room 620 (which happens to be your room). Your phone rings in your room. You answer and the person on the other end says the following, “This is the front desk. When checking in, we came across a problem with your charge card information. Please re-read me your credit card number and verify the last 3 digits numbers at the reverse side of your charge card.”
Not thinking anything you might give this person your information, since the call seems to come from the front desk. But actually, it could be a scam of someone calling from outside the hotel/front desk. They ask for a random room number. Then, ask you for credit card information and address information. Sounding so professional that you do think you are talking to the front desk.
If you ever encounter this problem on your vacation, tell the caller that you will be down at the front desk to clear up any problems. Then, go to the front desk and ask if there was a problem. If there was none, inform the manager of the hotel that someone called to scam you of your credit card information acting like a front desk employee.
You can read about all of Miss Journey's adventures at Miss Journey's blog.
Great tips! I never thought about getting a longer layover (not that I travel a ton). When my friends and I went to Florida a few years ago, we got stuck in the airport for 8 hours because of a snowstorm at our connecting flights. It was too snowy to go outside and wander around though!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea, turning something that is conceived as a big "inconvenience" to milking it for what it's worth. My problem is I never see lay-overs in places where I know friends/family. I guess that means I should just make more friends.
ReplyDelete@Jill
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happened to me on a trip to Seattle. I was supposed to have a quick stop in ATL, but because of a snowstorm in ATL (go figure) and the plane running out of gas (don't even get me started on that one), I ended up in Tennessee, taking a cab through the snow storm to ATL and spending the night in the airport...24 hours after takeoff I made it to Seattle...what a trip!
@Tracita
Now that you have the idea in mind you may be more likely to notice options that you can work with.