Surviving a layover in style
International travel often comes with long layovers. Right off the plane you want to use a real restroom, stretch your legs and maybe grab a bite to eat. So after stretching your legs, how do you break the boredom of being stuck in the airport? If you have a long enough layover you may be able to leave the airport and explore a new city or country (stay tuned our my layover exploring post). If you don’t have enough time or are not looking for a layover adventure you will definitely want to check out becoming a member of Priority Pass.
Priority Pass is a membership service that will provide you with all the perks I’ll talk about throughout this post. This is membership that can be purchased to gain all these great benefits. We gained our membership along with being a Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card holder (stay tuned for our post on credit card travel perks). Priority Pass lounge access membership has allowed us to survive layovers on both international and domestic travels.
**You can get 10% of membership by using the Priority Pass links in this post!**
Perks of Priority Pass lounges
1) Access to thousands of lounges- The Priority pass membership gets you access to over 1,200 lounges in over 400 cities worldwide. Some of these lounges are affiliated with airlines, although you won‘t be restricted by the airline or class of ticket you hold. All you need to do is present your Priority Pass membership card at the eligible lounge. Their website offers a comprehensive list of lounges where you can easily search availability by airport. The list provide what lounges fall under your membership in the airport you are traveling through and will offer tips on locating it, an overview of the hours, and amenities offered.
2) Food (Chew)- Hungry? Grab a bite! The food at the lounges is often free/included and varies anywhere from light snacks to a full spread. Very rarely do we leave a lounge hungry with all the options available. Many of the lounges also offer food that is traditional to your layover locale to help your tastebuds explore a new destination.
3) Drinks (Sip)- Parched, need a pick me up, or may be need to relax and wine down ::pun intended::? Priority pass lounges will often offer a variety of drinks from water, soda, coffee (often fun automatic espresso machines), wine, beer, and sometimes a full bar. Generally all of these beverages including alcohol is free/included. Occasionally the lounges with a full bar may have a bartender versus self-service, so tipping for the hospitality is never a bad idea.
Grab a drink!
Plenty of space to get work done!
4) Work- We have yet to come across a lounge that does not offer free wifi access. This access is often separate from any airport wifi. Generally the wifi is free and does not have a time restriction like some airport wide wifi connections. Many lounges offer comfortable seating, outlets and area to make it easier to get some work knocked out. Some offer private working space/offices to allow you focus distraction free.
5) Freshen up- After a long travel day sometimes all you need is a space to freshen up. Many lounges provide lounge only restrooms, for a more private and clean space to freshen up. Some of the lounges also offer changing rooms and showers if you just need to clean up and change into your fresh carry on set of clothes. Need some rest? You may also find some lounges that offer napping areas to catch some zzz’s if you are like me and find it difficult to sleep on a plane.
6) Personal space- These are lounges, so they are set up to provide a more comfortable space to relax or spread out to get your work done. Don’t get me wrong these lounges can often get busy so you it may not be library quite but definitely more comfortable than sitting at the gate.
Have a favorite tip for surviving a layover in style that I missed? Please share in the comments so others can take advantage during their next layover and I have another way to travel in style!
Cheers,
Jessica