When you're flying long-haul, stopovers are the worst. You're either rushing from one gate to another in a mad dash trying not to miss your flight , or you're spending 10 hours lying on a dirty airport floor, eating $15 sandwiches and trying to pass the time. But it truly doesn't have to be that way.
Enter: the 'two-in one' holiday. READ MORE: Countries where tipping is offensive - and where you should be doing it As Aussies, it's almost impossible to avoid long-haul flights with layovers - nearly every bucket list destination is on the other side of the world. Perhaps that's why this new 'two-in-one' travel trend is taking off.
Rather than just seeing layovers as an unavoidable hassle, data shows that travellers are opting to use them as a way to explore new destinations and extend their holidays. According to data from travel search engine Skyscanner , there has been a notable increase in bookings for long-haul flights to destinations such as Istanbul, London, Shanghai, and India. READ MORE: Five budget Aussie holiday spots you can visit and avoid the crowds There has been a 300 per cent spike in searches by Aussies looking to travel to Shanghai later this year.
This can often be a 20+ hour flight - so why not break it up with a stopover in Hong Kong? It doesn't even have to cost more: Cathay Pacific offers Hong Kong stopovers for travellers passing through the city. Many airlines and airports offer layover packages and deals, making it even easier to create .