In case you missed it, this summer we’re partnering with Lupine Travel to support the Trans-European Race from London to Istanbul. Over the course of one week, participants will travel across the continent between Lupine-themed checkpoints using only public transport.

The aim? Well, it’s a race, so of course the aim is to be the first to the finish line to win £2,000 credit with Lupine Travel! But if you don’t want to miss out on everything in between, there will also be prizes for the most countries visited along the way, and the racer who makes it to Istanbul on the lowest budget.

Spots on the race are limited, however, so if you’ve been mulling it over, now is the time to enter!

Good question, reader! Cheap flights often go hand in hand with long, arduous layovers in bustling, soulless airports, and they usually leave us wondering if we should just pay more to have a few extra hours at our destination.

When we find a great flight tip for our members, any layover will usually be under 7 hours, because even we have our limits in the quest for a bargain. But sometimes, just sometimes, you can’t deny the savings involved.

We have a bunch of tips for everyone in our article on surviving long layovers, but here’s everything you should consider for your big Australian adventure:

Lounges

Visiting an airport lounge can be like a breath of fresh air if you’re transiting through a busy hub like LAX, Heathrow or Amsterdam. Those affiliated with certain airlines are typically only accessible to frequent fliers and business or first class passengers, however some let you purchase a day pass. You’ll also spot a few non-airline lounges, where anyone can buy a pass.

Generally speaking, lounges are not the place for catching 40 winks—although you’ll occasionally find a dedicated nap area. They like to be seen as more highbrow, and many even have a dress code. Keep in mind, too, that most lounge passes only buy you a 3-hour slot.

Instead, think of this as a guaranteed comfy seat, accompanied by food, drinks, reliable Wi-Fi, and a relaxing atmosphere. In fact, the biggest perk on a long trip like this may be finding one with shower facilities!

Presuming you’re flying in economy class and don’t have airline membership status or any special offers through your credit card, choices at LAX are somewhat limited. Here are your best options:

United Club—Fairly basic lounge offering breakfast and snacks, (alcoholic) drinks, Wi-Fi, TVs and an outdoor terrace. Passes cost $59 and can be bought online or at the door if you’re flying the same day with any Star Alliance airline or on a partner-operated flight.

Alaska Lounge—Fresh meals and snacks throughout the day, as well as soft drinks, coffees and alcohol. Passengers on any airline can buy a day pass for $60, and it will be valid for 24 hours.

American Airlines Admirals Club—Three locations across LAX, two of which have showers (Terminal 4 & 5) in addition to the food, drinks, TVs & Wi-Fi. Day pass costs $59 and can be bought online in advance. Just remember to dress like you’re on a business trip!

We’d recommend using LoungeBuddy to anyone looking for airport lounges around the world. Entry rules do change regularly, though, so it’s always worth checking details on a lounge’s own website before you turn up!

Hotels

For a longer layover of 8+ hours, it’s definitely worth looking at the hotels available near the airport. If you’re lucky, you might not even have to leave the terminal, as many large hubs like Singapore and Dubai offer airside accommodation.

Of course, we can’t always choose what time of day we’ll be stumbling around an airport like a zombie. If your layover isn’t a nice, neat overnight stop, you should turn to websites like dayuse.com and hotelsbyday.com.

There you’ll find out which hotels in the vicinity have rooms available during your layover day, and you can pick a slot as short or as long as you like. While you have the room, you also have free rein over all the amenities, like pools, saunas, buffets, etc. Sounds like a pretty ideal way to pass those 16 hours!

Keep in mind that to leave the airport in LA—even just to visit one of the nearby airport hotels—you will need the correct documentation, e.g., an ESTA or Visa. If you don’t want the extra admin work involved with that, you’d better plan to snag a comfy-looking airport bench.

And while this won’t work for your planned route to Australia, reader, it’s worth noting that several airlines—primarily those with hubs in the Middle East and Asia—provide hotel accommodation for long layovers. You can find an up-to-date list here.

Visiting the city

Longer layovers are a great opportunity for whirlwind tours of a new city, and you can see a lot in 16 hours! If you’re willing to sort out that visa, we’d always try to push through and sleep on the onward flight.

Some of the city’s most famous beaches are practically on the doorstep of LAX. “The Pearl of LA’s South Bay”, Manhattan Beach, is only 5 miles away. Spend a lazy afternoon wandering from pier to pancake house, or hire a bike and pedal all the way to Venice Beach.

It’s not all surf and skating when you reach Venice, either. The area has more in common with its Italian namesake than you might think, with a cute residential canal district to whisk you away from the buzz of the boardwalk. If you’re able to hang around for sunset, grab a drink and watch the sky turn red at the High Rooftop Lounge at Hotel Erwin (after you’ve returned that bike, of course).

Reaching downtown LA is easy enough as well, with several bus routes passing through. There’s also the non-stop FlyAway bus, which runs every 30 minutes and gets you from the airport to Union Station in under an hour.

Your first stop should be right across the road from the station at historic Calle Olvera, where you can feel the depth of the city’s Mexican roots through its market stalls, food stands and fascinating museums.

Then again, if you just want to get a token picture of the Hollywood sign then head back to your hotel room, we get it. These are the best places to frame the perfect Instagrammable snap.

We hope these tips help you out, reader! And if you haven’t booked your flights already, keep your eyes peeled for our flight tip-offs in your inbox—Australia has popped up a few times in recent months.

Take a swampland, add in some African and French culture, a dash of voodoo, and a whole lotta jazz, and you’ll start to get something like Louisiana.

It’s quite the melting pot, and Louisianans know a thing or two about pots – the Bayou State has a cuisine all of its own. It’s a mix of Cajun and Creole cookery, and has produced mouthwatering soul food like jambalaya, gumbo, and po-boys.

From January to June, you might also notice something called “ mudbugs” on the menu, but don’t be put off! While the name seems a bit… swampy, chances are you know these critters as crayfish. Or for a bayou meal with a little more bite, hop on the fried alligator trail.

If you’d prefer to keep the swamp off your plate and under your feet, try a boat tour somewhere like Honey Island. “Pristine” isn’t a word usually used for swamps, but this sweetly-named bayou is practically untouched – except of course by the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

We all know that Mardi Gras is the state's main event, with New Orleans erupting into a colourful hive of carnival joy each year. But even if you visit off-season, you can get a taste by checking out one of the city’s five Mardi Gras museums that are open year-round.

Music and partying live on in Bourbon Street once the carnival beads are gone. At the centre of the historic French Quarter, it’s a reliable spot for a raucous night out, no matter whether jazz is a priority for you. But don’t forget to take a stroll along Royal Street and Jackson Square, where you’ll hear the city’s up-and-coming street musicians.

Alternatively, you could skip the big NOLA party and price tag by hitting Cajun Mardi Gras in Lafayette. It’s more of a family-friendly affair, but there’s still plenty of live music, fais do-do and bead-throwing to be had. There are a few more unique traditions out there, too, like chicken chasing and riding through the countryside to beg for communal gumbo.

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

• A Danish man has become the first person to visit every country in the world without stepping on an aeroplane. It took him nearly 10 years travelling on foot, cars, buses, train and boats, including 37 container ships!
• Playing on most of our fears about air travel, a passenger on a flight coming in to land in South Korea opened a cabin door while the plane was very much still in the air. Thankfully, at only 250 m off the ground, nobody was sucked out the door.
• New Yorkers had double the reason to celebrate Memorial Day this year. The holiday lined up with the biannual spectacle that is Manhattanhenge, when the sunset perfectly aligns with the streets of the city’s grid system.
• The brand-new European Sleeper train linking Brussels/Amsterdam and Berlin has made its inaugural voyages. The company operating the route hopes to extend to Prague in the coming year, and is planning a future Barcelona connection as well.
• The time has come—tickets for fully-electric flights are finally on sale! Only thing is, we’ll be waiting a while, as the first flight is set to take off in 2028…
• And finally, Ryanair are known for their rigid baggage policies and cut-throat social media posts, but have you ever wondered what would happen if you broke the rules on board?

  One passenger found out the hard way that he was no match for the budget airline, when he just couldn’t wait until reaching the ground before lighting up a cigarette. After smelling smoke coming from a bathroom, the cabin crew named and shamed him over the tannoy, before having him hauled off by police upon landing.

  We expect he’ll be the butt of the joke for years to come!