At These Airports, Even a Layover Can Feel Like a Vacation
The “gate escape” trend helps you take advantage of every minute you spend traveling.
It’s not really a secret that compared to the rest of the world, the US has a severe deficit of vacation days (try calling France during the entire month of August). Because of this, we have to get creative. We do things like hacking our PTO for the maximum number of days off possible. We create cute phrases for the ways we’re forced to blend work and pleasure, like “bleisure”—tacking on vacation to a work trip—and “hush trips,” where remote employees work from a vacation destination without actually taking time off.
And now there’s a new strategy to maximize vacation, with the cute name to go along with it: “gate escape,” which involves making the airport experience part of the vacation. In their travel predictions for 2025 Booking.com finds that passengers won’t just want to kill time at airports, but luxuriate in it. According to their website 43% of younger travelers are open to trying indulgent airport experiences like sleep pods (37% of Gen Z), spas (31% of Gen Z) and Michelin-starred restaurants (22% of Gen Z), beginning their vacations right after they get through security. “This trend marks a shift towards people working to make the most of their holiday from the moment they leave their homes,” they report.
(And yes, before you ask, there is an airport with a Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s the Mountain Hub Gourmet at the Munich International Airport, inside an airport Hilton of all places. Beats the Guy Fieri restaurant at the Burbank airport but who are we kidding, I’d try both.)
The results also reveal that more than a third (34%) of travelers are interested in visiting a destination based on its airport, which sounds absurd until I thought about Singapore’s spectacular Changi Airport, with its nature park, waterfall, and robot bartenders. I’d really like to see Changi Airport! It’s probably part of the reason I’d eventually like to make it to Singapore.
And if this really is a growing trend, there are airports that are stepping up their game when it comes to amenities, challenging the notion that they’re merely transit hubs. Sleep pods and nail salons are nice, sure, but have you heard about the llama at the Portland airport? Or the planespotting pool at the airport in Punta Cana? Even if you aren’t planning your next trip based solely on the destination airport, here are a few places to think about when choosing options for a layover.
Portland International Airport: Not only does Portland provide emotional support animals Beni the llama and Captain Jack the alpaca to relieve traveler anxiety, it also houses a showcase for independent cinema. The Hollywood Theater microcinema in the airport's C concourse showcases short films by Pacific Northwest filmmakers.
Hamad International Airport in Doha: We featured Doha’s airport in our story about airports with swimming pools but this pool comes with so much more. It’s part of the Oryx Airport Hotel’s Vitality Well-Being and Fitness Center where, for a $50 entry fee (free if you’re staying at the hotel) you have access to not only the lap pool, but gym, hydrotherapy tubs and shower rooms. There’s also a squash court and golf simulator.
Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport: You know when you’re at the airport and have the sudden urge to perfect your golf swing? At MSP you can do just that at the PGA MSP Lounge, which includes PGA instruction, simulators, and putting green (for extra fees). This one requires a membership but if you spend a lot of time at this airport and/or the green, it may be for you. After all, says the website, “golf is the universal language of both travel and business.”
Singapore Changi Airport: Where do we start with Changi? This is the airport you go to kill time. Terminal 1’s The Jewel is home to the seven-story Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, which plunges into a lush rainforest. There’s also a rock climbing wall, indoor movie theater, butterfly garden and rooftop pool, plus pilates classes if that’s how you want to spend your layover, you do you. In the revamped Terminal 2 you’ll find a two-story bar with a robot bartender, a whiskey lounge, and a digital sky that changes color according to the time of day.
Munich International Airport: We’ve already mentioned the Michelin-starred Mountain Hub Gourmet. And in addition to offering behind-the-scenes airport tours Munich airport also has its own brewery on-site, Airbräu, a 400-seat brewpub with seasonal lagers and beers and traditional Bavarian food. But you’re going to want to spend your layover here during the winter season. That’s when they also have a full-on winter village, complete with ice skating and curling rink, market booths for shopping and spiced mulled wine.
Istanbul Airport: Istanbul’s airport opened in 2018 and quickly became one of the most trafficked airports in the world. With all those people, you’re going to need to find somewhere to breathe. Enter the world’s largest airport museum, bringing the historical and archaeological legacy of Türkiye to those that might not have the chance to leave the airport’s walls. It houses 316 artifacts lent from museums in the country, and admission is approximately $14.50.