Who doesn’t like getting free advantages? The stopover is one of the ultimate free stuff in the travel world. The secret is having two holidays for the price of one. For thrill-seekers, booking a flight with an airline that provides a free stopover in their hub city is an excellent plan to add additional destinations to your vacation.
So, if you want to travel the globe, you will have to figure out how to save money on foreign flights and maximize your vacation.
Stopovers are clear. An airline, normally located in another country, allows passengers to disembark in their hub city and spend some time there as long as their final destination is one of their network’s destinations.
You carry on to your final destination after a few days of exploring the airline’s home territory. At the end, it’s like having two holidays for the price of one.
A free stopover is not offered by every airline. You’ll almost always have to pay for an additional fare, so the key is to figure out which airlines sell it and which destinations you can explore.
8 Free Stopover Destinations
To get you started, here’s a fantastic list of free stopover destinations.
1- Emirates
There are plenty of things to do in Dubai if you only have a few hours to spare. So, book Emirates airlines flight as Emirates advertises a stopover kit that provides free visas for stays of up to 36 hours and connects to 140 destinations through its Dubai hub.
There’s something for everybody, if you want to see the world’s tallest structure, visit a mosque, sled down massive sand dunes, chill in a luxury hotel, or go indoor skiing. You may also be qualified for a complimentary hotel stay.
2- Hawaiian Airlines
If you’re flying from North America to a foreign destination, Hawaiian Airlines offers free stopovers in Honolulu. You may take a ticket from the mainland United States to a Hawaiian Air-served international destination, such as New Zealand, and get a free stopover in Hawaii.
Tahiti, Samoa, Australia, South Korea, and Japan are among Hawaiian Airlines’ other foreign destinations. The number of days you will spend on your stopover is unrestricted.
3- Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines provides various deals for passengers who wish to stop over up to two nights in the Lion City. Singapore is a great stopover destination because it is compact and easy to get around thanks to its new metro system.
Singapore has a lot to bring locals, from the fantastic airport to the towering Marina Bay Sands hotel and the delectable food stalls. Booking a stopover with Singapore Airlines is one of the most straightforward processes you’ll encounter.
Choose if you want your stopover to be on an inbound or outbound trip. Then, using the multi-city flight app, connect Singapore to your itinerary as a stopover. After that, choose your favorite deal and hotel and pay for it.
4- Icelandair
Icelandair is perhaps the most well-known of all major airlines for its no-fee stopover policy. When flying between the United States and Canada and 26 European destinations, Icelandair provides free stopovers.
The convenient geographic location of Icelandair’s headquarters, along with the airline’s frequently reduced Europe fares, seems to be a hit with travelers. You could spend up to 7 days in gorgeous Iceland, giving you ample time to see Reykjavik, the geothermal baths at the famed Blue Lagoon, and maybe even the dazzling northern lights if you’re lucky.
5- Finnair
Finnair offers up to two free stopovers, allowing you to spend up to five days in Helsinki on both ends of your journey. Your stopover in Finland’s capital city could be more than free; it could also be less expensive than a round-trip ticket.
After you have booked your stopover, the airline will supply you with stopover travel ideas, lodging, tour packages, and more. You may also take a ferry to Tallinn or join a Lapland-based expedition to see the Northern Lights.
6- Turkish Airlines
Not only does the airline allow free stopovers for individual travel, but it will also include a free hotel in Istanbul if passengers are given an itinerary to another destination that requires more than 10 hours of waiting at Istanbul’s airport.
If your layover is between six and twenty-four hours, you can take a free city tour of Istanbul, including bus transportation, a guided tour, and meals.
Turkish Airlines, with its robust global operation, is one of the strongest stopover airlines. It serves more countries than any other carrier on the globe, with 251 destinations in 106 countries.
7- Japan Airlines
On your trip through Tokyo or Osaka, Japan Airlines makes up to two stopovers. Suppose you choose to have a stopover in Tokyo. In that case, you have two choices: use the multi-city booking tool and choose “make a stopover,” or use the regular round-trip booking tool, which shows overnight stopovers in the Tokyo hub when they are open.
Since the airline offers a free stopover, a representative should be able to assist you in booking your Tokyo stopover ticket at the same price as a round-trip ticket.
8- China Airlines
Any multi-hour airline transit in Shanghai or Beijing now allows you to reach China for up to 72 hours without having to go through the time-consuming process of obtaining a Chinese visa.
Stopovers in China Airlines’ and China Southern’s major cities are open. If you’ve always wanted to see the Great Wall of China or Shanghai’s eclectic architecture, you can do so during a free stopover. There is a hotel advantage for these flights, but there are a lot of constraints.
While short stays are no longer an official policy at these airlines, some used to sell them regularly.
You don’t have to wait for an airline to deliver a stopover; instead, you can use the multi-city flight-booking app to create one yourself. In reality, many airlines, such as Hawaiian Airlines, sell unofficial stopovers that they don’t advertise.
Even if you’re just staying in your stopover city for 24 hours, it may be worth it to pay for a hotel room just to rest your back. If your airline does not have a hotel discount or stopover deal, you can search for last-minute hotel discounts on booking apps and websites.
Featured Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay
