Travel Glossary

A layover is a short connection, usually under 24 hours, where you change planes and continue. A stopover is a longer planned pause, normally over 24 hours, often offered free by an airline so you can explore the hub city before flying on.

A self-transfer connects two separate tickets you booked yourself. Because the airlines have no agreement covering your whole journey, you collect and re-check your own bag, and if you miss the onward flight no airline owes you a free rebooking. Leave far more time than the minimum connection, and travel carry-on only where you can.

Often yes, if you have enough time and meet the entry rules for that country. Leaving means clearing immigration, going landside, and re-clearing security on the way back. Confirm whether you need a transit or tourist visa, and budget for the queues both ways.

Treat 90 minutes as a floor for an international-to-international transfer on one ticket, and add more at large hubs or where you change terminals. For self-transfers, think in hours, not minutes. A calculator that knows your airports removes the guesswork.

Sometimes. A handful of countries require a transit visa even for airside connections, while many allow sterile transit with none. The rule depends on your nationality and the airport, so check every connecting country before you fly, not just your destination.

Immigration checks who you are and whether you may enter, looking at your passport and visa. Customs checks what you are carrying, including goods, cash and restricted items. You usually clear immigration first, then customs.

EU261 is the European regulation that entitles passengers to care, rebooking and cash compensation for long delays, cancellations and denied boarding on covered flights. It applies to flights departing the EU on any airline, and to flights arriving in the EU on EU carriers. The compensation is separate from any refund.

On a protected ticket booked as one itinerary, the airline rebooks you on the next available flight and handles your bag at no cost. On a self-transfer across separate tickets, the missed leg is your responsibility, which is why those bookings need a large time buffer.

It means your bag is tagged to your final destination at the first check-in and travels across your connections without you handling it. This works on protected single-ticket itineraries and on interline routes, but not usually on self-transfers.

Yes, and duty-free liquids bought airside in a sealed tamper-evident bag can usually pass a connecting security check if you keep the receipt. Remember that duty-free does not exempt you from your destination country's import allowances.

A nonstop flies from A to B with no landing in between. A direct flight keeps one flight number but may touch down somewhere en route, where you might stay on board or briefly deplane. Every nonstop is direct, but not every direct flight is nonstop.

ESTA is the United States visa-waiver authorisation for eligible travellers. Yes, it is required before you board, costs 40.27 USD, and is valid for two years. Apply only through the official US government site, at least 72 hours before travel.

Not as of mid-2026. ETIAS, Europe's visa-waiver authorisation for the Schengen Area, is scheduled to launch in late 2026 at 20 EUR, with a grace period running into 2027. Any website selling ETIAS before the official launch is fraudulent.

Visa-exempt visitors may spend up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area combined. The day count follows you between member countries, and overstaying risks fines and entry bans. Track it with a Schengen calculator.

TSA PreCheck speeds you through security on US domestic and departing flights. Global Entry speeds you through US immigration on international arrival and also includes PreCheck. If you fly into the US even occasionally, Global Entry is the better value.

It is the shortest gap an airport officially allows between an arriving and departing flight for the connection to be sold as valid. Booking systems will sell connections at exactly this figure, which leaves no cushion if your inbound flight runs late.

A codeshare is one flight sold by two airlines under their own flight numbers, with one operating it. An interline agreement lets airlines accept each other's tickets and bags without a codeshare. Both can through-check your bag, but a codeshare gives you cleaner end-to-end protection.

No. Lithium power banks must travel in your carry-on because they are a fire risk in the hold. Most airlines allow up to 100 watt-hours without special approval, so check your bank's rating before you fly.

At most airports, liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers up to 100ml, together inside one transparent resealable bag. Some airports are lifting this with new scanners, but the limit still applies in most places, so pack as though it does.

It is evidence that you intend to leave a country, such as a booked exit flight. Many countries and airlines require it before they admit or board you. A refundable or hold ticket can satisfy the requirement without locking in your plans.

Airside is the secure zone beyond security and passport control, where the gates, duty-free and most lounges are. Landside is the public area before security. Leaving airside on a layover means re-clearing security to return.

Airlines sometimes sell more seats than the aircraft holds, expecting no-shows. When everyone turns up, someone is bumped. Volunteering can earn compensation, and involuntary denied boarding triggers some of the strongest passenger protections, depending on the region's rules.

A transit hotel, including airside sleep pods, sits beyond security so you can rest without entering the country, and therefore without a visa. A city hotel during a layover requires clearing immigration and meeting the entry rules first.

The Entry/Exit System is the EU's biometric border process, fully operational since April 2026, that records non-EU arrivals and departures by fingerprint and facial scan instead of stamping passports. Your first crossing takes longer while biometrics are captured.

Generally no. Airport currency desks offer some of the worst rates available. A low-fee travel card, paying in the local currency, usually beats them, and dodging dynamic currency conversion saves more again.

A refund returns your money; a travel credit is a voucher for future travel, often with an expiry. Airlines may push credit, but for cancellations you are frequently entitled to insist on a cash refund instead.

If you leave the airport, yes. Even a brief city visit exposes you to medical costs and mishaps that one overseas hospital bill could dwarf. Match the policy to the trip, since long stays and nomad travel need different cover than a single holiday.

An open jaw is a return ticket where you fly into one city and out of another, covering the gap by land or a separate flight. It lets you see two places on one fare without backtracking, and pairs well with a stopover.

Several airlines let you pause in their hub city for a day or more, free or for a small fee, on the way to your destination. Singapore, Qatar, Turkish, TAP, Icelandair and Emirates all run versions, effectively giving you a bonus destination.

Many countries require your passport to remain valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and airlines enforce this at check-in. If your passport expires within nine months of a trip, renew it to avoid being denied boarding.