As you’d expect from the world’s busiest international airport, there's absolutely heaps to do. Shopping till you drop is an obvious choice and the food options are huge. The airport is great for families with a special family zone where they show kids movies and there's a gaming lounge for grown up kids. If pampering is more your thing there's also a lovely spa. 

But for me the best thing on offer is the airport’s 'Sleepover' concept which offers a range of sleep pods or cabins so you can catch up on sleep in privacy for a couple of hours. Ideal if your transit time is in the early hours. If you don't need a kip, and just fancy a freshen up, why not book one of their luxury rain showers for around £30pp for 30 minutes. The showers include a large private dressing area (plenty of space for your hand luggage), fluffy towels, posh toiletries and a Dyson hairdryer. Definitely worth every penny - trust me you walk out feeling totally refreshed and ready to take on your next flight! All the Sleepover facilities can be booked in advance on the airport website, or you can just turn up on the day. They are open 24 hours.

Singapore’s Changi Airport has shopping aplenty and the food options here are second to none. I recommend Food Street, a section set up to replicate the Hawker centres that you see downtown. As one of the world’s best airports there’s so much to do – including a 4 storey high slide (apparently the world's tallest slide within an airport), a butterfly garden, a climbing wall and a free movie theatre open 24 hours. There’s also an open-air rooftop pool at one of the transit hotels which costs around £20pp to use as long as you want.

But the icing on the cake is the Rain Vortex - the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. It’s located in Jewel which is mall adjacent to the airport, so you need to pass through immigration to get there. Don’t worry, Singapore is one of the quickest airports to do this and can take as little as a couple of minutes if you’ve completed your arrival form online in advance, or around 10 minutes if you haven’t. Once through immigration just follow the signs to Jewel and then head to one of the viewing platforms. Prepare to be wowed – it’s truly spectacular! It’s worth remembering that the waterfall operates 10am to 10pm only so you won’t see it outside of these times.

If you have at least 5½ hours transit between flights, why not head into the city on a free city tour to tick off some of Singapore’s main sites? Or you could jump into a taxi and do your own thing. On my last trip, I popped into Raffles Hotel to enjoy a Singapore Sling in the legendary Long Bar between flights! Just make sure you allow enough time to get back to the airport and through immigration before your next flight.

My top choice for a long layover. The airport here is modern and vast but surprisingly navigable. Signage is brilliantly clear and there are plenty of airport staff to ask if you get lost. It's home to pretty much every high-end designer shop you can imagine and plenty more! The ORCHARD is a large new indoor garden full of lush greenery, waterfalls and piped in birdsong. It's not outside but with the high glass domed roof it feels like you are. It's a really nice place to stretch your legs or just sit and enjoy a coffee on a park bench between flights. 

If your layover is more than 3 hours and you fancy a swim why not head to the Oryx airside hotel. It’s chargeable but if you book one of their massages, use of their gym and indoor pool is added for free. Just remember to pack your swimmers or trainers in your hand luggage.

And if you've got 6 hours or more, consider signing up for one of the range of Doha transit tours on offer which will get you back in time for your onward flight. The 3 hour Discover Doha highlights tour starts from £25pp. You can book when you check in online, or at the Discover Qatar information desk in the airport.

Booking connecting flights can often be cheaper than flying direct and a longer layover reduces the stress of rushing through crowded terminals (though you can always trust TF to book you the recommended connection time). Choosing a longer connection allows a more leisurely dining experience, plenty of time for some pampering, to stretch the legs, take a swim or a snooze, as well as providing a spot of retail therapy. Depending on where your layover is, you’ll also have an opportunity to marvel at airport spectacles or get the chance to leave the airport and uncover a new city destination on one of the transit city tours. Almost like having a twin centre holiday without needing to extend your holiday by a couple of nights!

And for the savvy traveller, don’t forget choosing a longer layover can also provide you with a far more convenient arrival time in your final destination, meaning you’ll be able to check in to your hotel room on arrival and that you don’t need to keep yourself awake for hours before it’s time to head to bed, helping to fend off jetlag.

It’s easy with Trailfinders - your travel consultant will be happy to talk you through the options to find your perfect longer layover. Take a look at our flights pages or contact us to discuss your flight options.