Are long layovers worth it? Can you really leave the airport? How much time do you need? We try to answer all these questions in our video, as our family of four has a stopover in Istanbul during our round-the-world trip.
Some tips for leaving the airport during your layover/stopover:
- During the booking process, ensure your layover is at least 8 hours to ensure you have time for customs, paperwork, ground transit, etc. in addition to any sightseeing you want to do. You can sort your flight results by length of trip with longer trips typically offering longer layover options, and with some search engines more specifically to refine by minimum layover length. Play with these features until you find one that works for you.
- Ensure you book a layover with at least some daytime hours, unless your plan is to only take advantage of the nightlife during your layover.
- Be sure to look into visa requirements before you arrive. Many places offer a visa on arrival, but others require you to apply in advance. Where there is a choice, the visa on arrival may take a bit longer, but can cost less. Be sure to weigh time and convenience versus cost.
- Most airports have at least one held baggage desk or lockers, and sometimes in multiple terminals. Be sure to store any carry-on bags before you head into the city so you don't have to lug these around.
- Factor in time to travel and methods to and from the airport as well. In some cases it could take you an hour there and back since airports are rarely in city centers. A cab or an Uber may take more time depending on time of day and traffic, and could also cost more. Or it could be the fastest route, especially where direct public transportation routes do not exist.
- With layovers of 12 hours or more, consider taking a private tour to maximize your time and account for transportation. You can usually find these with a Google search for terms such as "private layover tour of [city]" or "private tour of [city]".
- Istanbul Airport & Turkish Airlines offer free city tours for layovers 6 hours or longer, as do Singapore, Doha, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, and Kuala Lumpur with their respective local airlines. For more about Turkish Airlines' layover tour, see here: [ Ссылка ]
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Istanbul
0:20 About Us
0:40 Why stopover
1:00 Flying into Istanbul with Turkish Airlines
2:30 Planning for your layover
4:04 Public transportation
4:25 First impressions of Istanbul
4:48 What to do during a layover
6:51 Onward to Croatia
If you have other suggestions of things to do in Istanbul or on a layover more generally, please share your suggestions with fellow travellers in the comments below.
Thank you for joining us! This video was recorded pre-pandemic but we continue to document our adventures during and post-pandemic. Please subscribe to be notified of new videos. :)
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ABOUT US:
We are the Salas Family, an Indigenous traveling family with roots in Wisconsin, United States. After deciding we had too little time for family and travel while chasing the American Dream, we decided to rent out our house and take a lap around this big, beautiful Earth. This is our journey as a full-time traveling family with two small kids.
- Watch our RTW trip from the start: [ Ссылка ]
- Follow us on Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
- Check out our website: [ Ссылка ]
- For $40 off your Airbnb booking: [ Ссылка ]
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