TIP: If you have a long layover, make the most of it

Long layovers can have a pleasant outcome.
The rules are changing - you now have less than six months to get your passport, if you want to travel outside the United States, including Mexico and Canada. In the past, passports were needed for most international travel, but not to visit our neighbors to the north (Canada) or our neighbors to the south (Mexico), only proof of citizenship (birth certificate). As of Dec. 31, 2006, that is changing: everyone will need a passport if they travel internationally.

Speaking of international travel, I recently read an interesting article about the various services available at large international airports. As a travel agent, I make every attempt to get my clients to their destination as quickly and seamlessly as possible. If there is a nonstop or direct flight (one stop but no change of plane), that's the one I try to book. However, stopovers sometimes can't be helped. Where you stopover depends on the airline you are flying.

If you're going to Italy and fly on Lufthansa, you will stopover in either Frankfurt or Munich. If you're flying on British Air to Italy, you will definitely change planes in London. If you're flying to Vietnam on Cathay Pacific, your stop will be in Hong Kong. These cities are referred to as an airline hub; each airline has one, two or more hubs and airlines are required to stop in their hub prior to continuing on to a further destination. It's no different if you fly domestically: American's main hub is Dallas, United uses Denver and Delta uses Atlanta.

When a stopover is necessary, you hope it's short. Flying these days is time consuming enough with all the security checks; no one wants a long layover. But, there are times when a long layover can't be helped and airports around the world are adding services to help passengers pass the time happily.

If you happen to have a layover of five or more hours in Singapore, consider signing up for a free, two-hour city tour. There are three themes: Colonial, Cultural or Lifestyle. English speaking tours depart daily at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and at 1, 3, 4 and 5 p.m. To register for the tour, passengers should visit the tour counter at the Singapore Visitors Center in the departure/transit halls of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Make sure you have your boarding pass for your connecting flight. Passports are retained by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority when passengers leave for the tour. Passengers may store their hand-carried luggage with the "Left Baggage" desk at the airport. After the tour, clients will not need to check in again, just reclaim their passports and hand-carried luggage, and clear security.

In Vancouver you have several choices to pass the time, from a power nap in one of their new MetroNaps Pods, to a massage in one of several "day spas." In the post-security, U.S. departure area near Gate 82, there are several MetroNaps Pods, which look like a narrow, flat bed with a bubble at the top. Apparently, these Pods block out light and sound, and according to the article, people who have tried them give them thumbs up.

Passengers and visitors with time on their hands can experience a wide range of luxurious treatments, including manicures, pedicures and full body massages at three convenient locations in Terminal 3 (in Vancouver). The Absolute Spa experience is available daily and is certainly a pleasant way to pass the time at an airport. If you're into art, don't miss the art exhibit in the international terminal. The exhibit depicts British Columbia's native wildlife, mountains, rivers, forests and aboriginal heritage. I visited this exhibit on my last trip through Vancouver, on my way home from Alaska, and it's absolutely wonderful.

Speaking of art, if you have a stopover in Amsterdam, don't miss the exhibition on display at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol located between Piers E and F on Holland Boulevard after passport control. The exhibit presently on display, "Really Rembrandt," celebrates Rembrandt's 400th birthday.

If you have a connecting flight in Sydney, and have been traveling all night, a shower would definitely be a plus. At the Sydney Airport, complimentary shower facilities for all passengers (not just first class passengers in airline lounges) are available at several locations. According to the article, you have to bring your own towel, but how hard could it be to pack a hand towel along with a change of clothes in your carry-on luggage?

Two of my favorite airports, regarding available services, are Hong Kong and Tokyo. Golfers, take note. Transit passengers at Hong Kong International Airport will soon be able to hit the links while on a layover. The new $100 million Sky City Nine Eagles Golf Course, a nine-hole course with "undulating greens," an artificial lake and extensive sand bunkers, is slated to open by year's end right on the airport property. I'll be in Hong Kong in February on my way to Vietnam, I'll definitely check out the golf course.

Not surprising, the airport for Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo International Narita Airport, offers an abundance of services for the flying public. Shower facilities, guest rooms, a foot massage, a body massage, a nail repair, a full scale pedicure and manicure, a children's play area, even a private lounge for American Express Platinum and Diner's Club International card holders, are all available at Narita Airport. Even with a two-hour layover, you could partake in some of these services. The time would certainly fly by.

I just named a few of the services offered at the larger international airports. You can go online and check out the location you will be traveling to. The long layover made turn out to be not long enough when you view all the things to do while you're waiting for your connecting flight.

Happy traveling.