LayoverIdeas Blog: October 2014

Saturday, 25 October 2014

Rock Your Layover: Cusco

Looking out at the rooftops of beautiful Cusco, Peru
(photo: creative commons ianz on Flickr)

Have a layover coming up in Cusco? Wondering what you could do with your time? Here's a little inspiration.

We've gathered the following resources - tips, stories and layover ideas - to help you get the most out of your time here.

In a nutshell:	You may find yourself in Cusco (Cuzco) for a few days acclimatizing to the elevation on your way to Machu Picchu, but Cusco is more than a stopping off point - it is a destination in its own right. Located at the site of the historic capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracting near 2 million visitors a year.
Free:	Free Walking Tour Peru: Cusco 7 things to do for free: Cusco, Peru
Unique:	Sacred Valley Community Small Group Tour from Cusco Runner up: Cusco: Inti Raymi Festival Of The Sun Day Tour (1x/year)
Picks:	Archeological Park of Sacsayhuaman Half-Day Tour Explore the City of Cusco: Guided Walking Tour Horseback Riding Tour from Cusco
Shop:	Cusco Ancient Inca Sites & Markets with a Local Shopping at the Markets of Cusco Shopping Secrets of Cusco
See:	You'll need a Boleto turistico to see the ruins and sights around Cusco (buy one at the Oficina Ejecutiva del Comité, or OFEC).
Hop:	"Combis" are cheap and crowded small buses with names like Batman or Zorro. If you want to get off, yell "Baja!"
Do:	Cusco Layover Ideas & Stuff to Do in Cusco Top 4 leisure activities in Cusco Top 10 things to do in Cusco (that they won't tell you about in the guidebooks)
Eat:	Wandering and eating in Cusco Chocolate Workshop: from Bean to Bar Cusco: 3-Hour Peruvian Cooking Class Cusco Eats Top 10 Things to Eat in Cusco - National Geographic
Tips:	How to survive Cuzco on a budget What you should know before a trip to Cusco
Watch:	YouTube: Cusco, Peru Tour (great tips on getting photos with locals by @denniscallan) YouTube: A Tourist's Guide to Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru
Look:	Cusco on Pinterest
Read:	Cusco on Amazon.com Books to read before you go to Peru
To/from the airport:	Cusco Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) transportation guide
Good to know:	To avoid altitude sickness, take time to acclimatize. Take it slow the first day, and stay away from the bars the first night. Drink coca tea, a traditional native remedy for altitude sickness. If you expect to get drug tested upon your return home, skip the coca; drink plenty of water and look into Diamox/Acetazolamide (available at a pharmacy). Don't even think about drugs in Peru; it is a felony that you "consider to maybe accept" an offer to buy. Cusco is relatively safe, but use don't wander alone away from the Plaza de Armas late at night.
Tourist info:	Cusco Tourist Information

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Related resources:

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Layover ideas for the world's worst airports (2014)

* * Click HERE for 2016 * *

Layover Ideas for the World's Worst Airports (2016)

* * Click HERE for 2016* *

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Read below for 2014:

Today, Sleeping in Airports announced the results of their 2014 Worst Airports in the World.

Here, we do our best to weigh in on some options to help you survive a layover at these dismal airports. Be warned, the options can be limited... please feel free to add suggestions in the comments below!

Tip: keep in mind that you may need a transit visa to leave some of the airports listed - or tips assume that you've done your homework on that front.

View of Islamabad from Daman-e-Koh

1. Islamabad Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Pakistan (ISB)

Survey lowlights:
• Uncontrolled crowds
• Pervasive corruption
• Taxi touts

Layover ideas:
• Lok Virsa Museum features 25+ large galleries
• Golra Railway Museum has locomotives and rolling stock
• Daman-e-Koh offers hiking, food, music and great city views

Layover resources:
• Islamabad Airport Sleeping Guide
• Islamabad Airport transportation guide
• Arriving in Islamabad - a taxi tour story

2. Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia (JED)

Survey lowlights:
• Rude immigration officers and long queues
• Limited services
• Limited, uncomfortable metal seating, not sleeper-friendly

Layover ideas:
• Souq al-Alawi is located in al-Balad (the old town)
• Naseef House museum has great evening views from the top floor
• Atallah Happy Land Park has rides, skating, bowling, theatres, dining, shopping

Layover resources:
• Jeddah Airport Sleeping Guide
• Jeddah Airport transportation guide
• How to Obtain a Saudi Arabian Transit Visa
• Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - I Am Bound Here

3. Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal (KTM)

Survey lowlights:
• Disgusting washrooms (bring your own soap)
• No air-conditioning
• Not sleeper friendly

Layover ideas:
• Cultural Walking Tour with Nepalese Cooking Lesson
• Kathmandu Evening Tour by Rickshaw
• Do anything that will allow you to pee elsewhere!

Layover resources:
• Kathmandu Airport Sleeping Guide
• Kathmandu Airport transportation guide
• Layover Ideas & Stuff to do in Kathmandu
• A Night in Kathmandu - National Geographic
• Kathmandu Layover

4. Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Philippines (MNL)

Survey lowlights:
• Overcrowding
• Lengthy queues (fly airlines that use Terminal 3, vs Terminal 1)
• Not enough seating

Layover ideas:
• Overnight Layover Tour with Hotel and Transfers
• Manila Old and New Sightseeing Tour
• 4 Hour Makati City & Museum Tour

Layover resources:
• Manila Aquino Airport Sleeping Guide
• Manila Aquino Airport transportation guide
• Layover Ideas & Stuff to do in Manila
• 17 Hour Layover: Overnight in Manila Airport
• How to have a great stopover in Manila

5. Tashkent International Airport, Uzbekistan (TAS)

Survey lowlights:
• Horrific queuing
• Suspect immigration processes
• Sleeping discouraged

Layover ideas:
• Chorsu (Eski Juva) is the oldest bazaar in Central Asia
• Tellya Sheikh Mosque is home to the world's oldest Koran
• Tashkent TV Tower offers great views of the city
• Tashkent things to do

Layover resources:
• Tashkent Airport Sleeping Guide
• Tashkent Airport transportation guide
• Tashkent Airport Sleeping Guide
• Tourist Visa to Uzbekistan

6. Paris Beauvais-Tille International Airport, France (BVA)

Survey lowlights:
• Poor transportation options to distant airport
• Cramped, rundown, treats people like cargo
• Closes at night (no sleeping!)

Layover ideas:
• Visit Beauvais Cathedral to see the Gothic architecture
• Beauvais things to do
• Head into Paris and take an Eiffel Tower, Louvre or Hop On, Hop Off Bus tour
• Take @AirportSleeper's advice and fly into CDG or ORY instead!

Layover resources:
• Paris Beauvais Airport Sleeping Guide
• Paris Beauvais Airport transportation guide
• Layover Ideas & Stuff to do in Paris
• Beauvais-Paris - more than just a stopover, it's a destination

7. Frankfurt Hahn International Airport, Germany (HHN)

Survey lowlights:
• The 2 hour bus ride to distant airport
• Bleak and bare-boned
• Uncomfortable metallic seats, floor sleeping

Layover ideas:
• Use the advanced bag drop-off and storage lockers to get out of the airport
• Go golfing or go-karting nearby
• 10 Things to do near Frankfurt-Hahn
• Take a Hop On, Hop Off Bus, cruise or guided city tour in Frankfurt

Layover resources:
• Frankfurt Hahn Airport Sleeping Guide
• Frankfurt Hahn Airport transportation guide
• Layover Ideas & Stuff to do in Frankfurt

8. Milan Bergamo Orio al Serio International Airport, Italy (BGY)

Survey lowlights:
• Crowded with sleepers, constantly woken up by cleaners
• Lack of WiFi and electrical outlets
• Short-tempered security staff

Layover ideas:
• Take the funicular up to Città Alta, the medieval old town
• Explore the Città Bassa (lower town)
• Bergamo Main Sights

Layover resources:
• Milan Bergamo Airport Sleeping Guide
• Milan Bergamo Airport transportation guide
• Layover Ideas & Stuff to do in Milan

9. Berlin Tegel International Airport, Germany (TXL)

Survey lowlights:
• Limited seating, little personal space
• Crowded restaurants
• Especially crummy since it's not even a low-cost carrier airport

Layover ideas:
• Private Berlin City Layover Tour with Airport Transport
• Third Reich Sites Half-Day Walking Tour
• Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tour
• Take @AirportSleeper's advice and fly into SXF instead

Layover resources:
• Berlin Tegel Airport Sleeping Guide
• Berlin Tegel Airport transportation guide
• Layover Ideas & Stuff to do in Berlin
• Berlin Layover from Tegel Airport

10. New York City LaGuardia International Airport, USA (LGA)

Survey lowlights:
• Security lines, unhelpful staff, services shut down (even when crowded)
• Counterintuitive layout (like the bar on the wrong side of security!)
• Lousy seating, not conducive to sleeping

Layover ideas:
• Visit the historic LaGuardia Marine Air Terminal
• Plan ahead to see a show
• See the Manhattan skyline from the Empire State Building
• New York Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tour

Layover resources:
• New York LaGuardia Airport Sleeping Guide
• New York LaGuardia Airport transportation guide
• Layover Ideas & Stuff to do in New York

For more, check out the juicy sublists of 2014 Worst Airports for Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Central & South America, Europe, Middle East, North America and South America.

Too bad there weren't enough votes to produce a Worst Airports in the South Pacific list (there is a Best Airports in the South Pacific list). If you travel this region, be sure to add your 2 cents in the 2015 Best and Worst Airports Survey.

Related resources:

2014 Best Airports - Sleeping in Airports
2015 Best and Worst Airports Survey - cast your vote!

Monday, 6 October 2014

Get Cooking on Your Layover: Europe

Get up close and personal with a country's culture by taking a cooking class abroad!
(Tau Consulting, Flickr, creative commons)

Love food? Wish you could cook those amazing dishes that you eat overseas? Why not take a cooking class during your trip?

While some choose to 'attend' a famous cooking school for an extended period, there are plenty of other short classes you can take for just a few hours, or a day.

In Cooking Classes Abroad: Travel for Taste, @Frommer's contributor Charis Atlas Heelan provides inspiration for expanding your culinary repertoire - along with a mouthwatering slideshow.

"A cooking class abroad brings more pleasure and knowledge than merely sampling traditional cuisine in a restaurant overseas," suggests Bethany Smith for @bootsnall in The Best Travel Souvenir: Cooking Classes Abroad. A veteran of cooking classes around the world, Bethany also suggests you be ready for impromptu lessons (hint: if you like a dish, ask questions of the cook!).

So, let's get cooking! In this, our first in a series, we look at cooking classes in Europe: