adminExploring the Best Stopovers: Discover Hidden Gems on Your Travels with this travel hack
For travelers with a keen eye on their travel budget, the often-overlooked magic of stopovers can be a game-changer. Discovering the advantages of strategically planned layovers not only saves you money but transforms your journey into an exciting adventure. Buckle up as we explore how to unlock the full potential of stopovers, turning them into a family-friendly travel hack. In a travel world where nothing is free, this must be the only freebie that’s left!
A Stopover: Two for the price of one
What is a stopover exactly? A stopover is a break in your journey that lasts over 24 hours, permitting an overnight or multi-day stay at your connection place. So this is in fact a layover that lasts more than 24 hours.
Instead of waiting for several hours at the airport or rushing to catch your connecting flight, some airlines offer you the opportunity to spend a few days in their home country to promote local tourism. However, not all airlines provide this great advantage, and for those that do, the booking process can be a bit challenging. But with a little research, you might even find free city tours offered by some of these airlines!
We already tried a few of these stopovers. You’ll find the most common and easy to book stopovers in this article.
TAP Portugal – Lisbon or Porto, make a stopover from your layover
With TAP Portugal, you may spend up to five nights in Lisbon or Porto en route to your final destination at no extra cost. This airline flies to several destinations in Brazil, America, Morocco and Senegal, but also Madeira or the Azores.
Booking a stopover with TAP is probably the easiest of all the airlines that offer this option. When you book your flights online you are offered the stopover and can choose between Lisbon or Porto while the price of your ticket does not change.
Icelandair – Reykjavik
Planning to travel to the United States or Canada? Then Icelandair is a great option to consider. They fly to destinations like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, and many others. En route, you’ll have a stopover in Iceland, where you can stay for up to seven nights without paying extra for your plane ticket. Icelandair makes this option easy to arrange. Plus, it doesn’t matter whether you plan the free stopover on your outbound or return flight. They even offer a handy adventure guide to help you make the most of your time on the island, tailored to the length of your stopover!
Need more inspiration on Iceland?
Iceland, everything you need to know
Turkish Airlines – Istanbul
Turkish Airlines doesn’t officially promote its stopover as ‘free’. So you have to use a multi-city tool to book the flight with stopover. You can do this on the website of Turkish Airlines or a booking tool like the one on the Connections website. Turkish Airlines offers free city tours for transfers lasting between 6 and 24 hours. If your stay is longer than 20 hours, you can even get a complimentary hotel room. Turkish Airlines comes highly recommended—not only do they fly to over 110 countries worldwide, but they are also consistently ranked among the top airlines in various best airline lists.
Qatar Airways – Doha
This airline is especially appealing if you’re flying to Australia or Asia, as it adds relatively few extra miles compared to a direct flight. If your stopover is less than 96 hours (i.e., 4 days), you can get a free visa. The easiest way to book a free stopover is by visiting the Qatar Airways website and following the guided instructions. The stopover can be scheduled on either the outbound or return leg of your roundtrip ticket.
Emirates – Dubai – the best budget tip to visit this city
Emirates is another airline with an excellent reputation. This is not just for its onboard service but also for the free stopover they offer. However, it can be a bit more complicated with Emirates, as they also offer a ‘stopover package’ that comes with a cost. Luckily, you can bypass this by arranging your stay in Dubai manually. Simply book a round-trip flight using the multi-city tool (found under “Advanced Search”) to add a stopover of a few days in Dubai.
Singapore Airlines – Singapore
Singapore is absolutely worth considering for a free stopover. To arrange this, use the multi-city tool when booking (select ‘Multiple destinations/stopovers’ and choose Singapore as the second stop). If you find that the price differs from a regular round-trip fare, it’s best to reach out to customer service. They can ensure that you don’t have to pay anything extra for your stopover.
Finnair – Helsinki
When you fly with Finnair, you can book a stopover in Helsinki for up to 5 days. Booking a stopover is straightforward on the Finnair website, and you can choose whether you’d like your stopover on the outbound or return flight. Finnair also offers a helpful list of benefits for booking excursions during your stay.
Find more travel budget tips here!
