Travel Writing

Do Layovers in a Country’s Airport Count as Visiting the Country?

Yes or no? What do you think?

For me, having a layover in a country is different from visiting the country.

This is a frequent topic for debate, and other people might have a different opinion than me (which is okay! I’m cool with agreeing to disagree).

But to me, when you visit a country, you have many experiences.

You spend time walking around.

You eat food native to the country.

You figure out how to navigate local transportation.

You pick up some words of the language to help communicate with the locals.

You admire the architecture and learn about the history and art of that country.

If you are in an airport waiting for your next flight, you aren’t spending time getting to know the country. The richness of a country’s culture cannot be learned by sitting in its airport.

Of course, this is just my opinion. Feel free to drop yours in the comments!