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Tag: Layover

Making the Most of a Long Layover
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When I booked my first trip that had an extended layover in London, I knew I had to get out of the airport. One of my best friends from college had been living there for 8 years, and while we had traveled the world together, I had never been to London while she lived there. I started researching what I could do with an eight hour layover and came across many forums warning people not to bother leaving the airport, it’s too far, just stay in the lounge, etc. etc.

Well, I was determined, so I bought the more expensive Heathrow Express train ticket and found myself in Central London in no time. I had plenty of time to run around and quickly see the sights, have a delicious brunch, and enjoy some beers in Covent Garden. After that I was sold on long layovers.[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1487297397247-3b2ab382-3eeb-9″ include=”727,726,724″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]These are some things I would consider when deciding if you’ll be leaving the airport or not:
- What time is your layover? (a 12 hour layover during the day is far different than a 12 hour layover overnight)
- How far is the airport from the city you want to explore?
- How long does it take to get to where you want to explore?
- Do you have to get your checked luggage and then recheck your bag?
- Or if you’re carrying on, where is the luggage storage?
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Once you’ve determined it makes sense to leave the airport and explore I always prefer to have some idea of what I want to see and do. On a 17-hour overnight layover in Tokyo I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the city. We decided to explore just a handful of neighborhoods and felt like we saw a lot in a short amount of time.

Things we accomplished in 17 hours:
- Took the train into the city (chose the neighborhood of Shinjuku due to it’s central location and ease of getting from the airport)
- Ate sushi
- Checked out the giant crosswalks and famous statue of the dog, Haichiko in Shibuya
- Ate ramen
- Wandered around the little alleyways and tiny bars of Golden Gai
- Had some cocktails
On the way back we had a 6 hour layover so spent some time in much closer, Narita. We ate some sticky buns, more ramen, had personalized chopsticks made (tourist alert!) and checked out some temples.
- Took a shower and got some sleep
- Spent the morning at the Meiji Shrine near Harajuku
[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1487297434734-814b9500-3197-2″ include=”725,722″][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1487297459027-8396eb72-d728-9″ include=”721,723″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A year later I was in a similar situation in Shanghai. An overnight layer on the way to Hong Kong and an afternoon layover on the way home. This time I was able to:
- Take in the beautiful skyline at night and during a bright, sunny day
- Head to 86th floor of the Hyatt Jin Mao for drinks and (some) views – it was pretty smoggy up there
- Enjoy authentic Chinese food
- Wander around The Bund
- Visit Yu Yuan Garden
- …and of course sleep and shower!
[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1487297488004-4f20b5e3-1fd4-6″ include=”728,729,730″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Now I am not only determined to make the most of any long layover, I actually look for them when booking flights! Where’s your favorite long layover or stopover you’ve been?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
February 16, 2017
Tokyo: The Short Layover Guide
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The title of this post is a bit misleading – while we did make it to Tokyo on our way to Vietnam, our layover on the way home was only about 6 hours. Not long – but enough to get out of the airport if you wish!

We hopped on the train and in about 10 minutes we were in the town of Narita.

What To Do:
Narita Shinshoji Temple
1. Buy custom chopsticks! Okay, this is definitely not a must, and does not have to be done in Narita, but we picked some of these up from one of the stores on the main road.
2. Eat! There are lots of different street vendors or places where you order at the window, take your food and go. We ordered some random things from a window until we eventually found a place serving ramen and beer. I have no idea what the name of the restaurant was that we landed in, but I have to imagine you’ll get some pretty good ramen wherever you stop.
Street food in Narita

And…that was it. While Narita is nothing like Tokyo, if you want to get a tiny taste of Japan outside of the airport walls but don’t have the time to venture all the way into the city, Narita is definitely worth checking out!

Have a longer layover at the Narita Airport? Make sure to read our blog post about actually heading into Tokyo for the night![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
January 9, 2016
Tokyo: The Long Layover Guide

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When we booked our flights to Vietnam we were lucky enough to build in a 21-hour layover in Tokyo into our itinerary. I quickly started to research what we should do, where we should go, with less than 24 hours in such a large city. Some people recommended just staying in Narita, much closer to the airport, but if you have 21 hours you have PLENTY of time to get yourself into the city, check out a few neighborhoods and eat a bunch of delicious food.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”306″ img_size=”500x” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][vc_column_text]

Where to Stay

We made the decision to stay in Shinjuku. Why? We could take the Narita Express directly from the airport to Shinjuku Station. We had read that there were lots of restaurants and nightlife, we were a stone’s throw from Golden Gai and a quick train ride to Shibuya.

We used Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card points and stayed at Citadines Central Shinjuku Tokyo. The hotel was nice and clean, included breakfast, and the rooms were tiny, as per Tokyo.

What to Do

1.     Eat! It was dinner time by the time we settled into the hotel (not that our bodies had any idea what time it really was) so we set out in Kabukicho and quickly found some sushi and beer.

2.     Shibuya Crossing – the largest crosswalk in the world, it was a pretty crazy site to see. It also happened to be Christmas Day and there seemed to be some sort of SantaCon going on which made everything that much more entertaining. We wandered around, found Hachikō, checked out the giant Starbucks and then found ourselves a little ramen bar (perfect for 40-degree weather!)[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”302″ img_size=”500x” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][vc_column_text]3.     Golden Gai – a neighborhood of six alleyways lined with hundreds of tiny bars. Take your pick! Most were full and full of smokers, but a completely different experience nonetheless.

4.     Meiji Shrine – after getting a few hours of sleep we hopped on the train again and got off at Harajuku and walked around the Meiji Shrine, which is actually quite a large area.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”292″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”293″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After spending the morning at the Meiji Shrine we made our way back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and back to the airport we went. Our next destination, Vietnam.

Have a shorter layover at the Tokyo Narita Airport? Make sure to read our blog post about spending the afternoon in the nearby town of Narita-san![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

December 27, 2015