Turn the Layover into a Second Country: My 11-Flight Route from Bristol to Jakarta

Here’s one of the ways I keep flight costs down. When you check flights to the place you want to go, look at where they connect. If the route goes via a particular airport or country, it might be worth stopping there for a few days, which is what I do. You get two countries in one chunk, and you keep your flight costs down.

What I actually did

I planned to go to Oman, then on to Asia. When I searched for flights to Oman, the connection was via Turkey, so I stopped in Istanbul for four or five days, then flew on to Oman. Then, wanting to head back to Asia, I found a flight to Dhaka in Bangladesh that connected via Dubai, so I stopped there for a night too. Neither stopover cost anything extra in flights, and I saw two extra countries.

Here’s the whole route, in order:

1. Bristol to Istanbul, Turkey (stopover, 4–5 days)
2. Istanbul to Muscat, Oman (about 4 days)
3. Oman to Dubai, UAE (stopover, 1 night)
4. Dubai to Dhaka, Bangladesh (about 3 nights)
5. Bangladesh to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (about 4 days)
6. Malaysia to Singapore (about 3 nights)
7. Singapore to Jakarta, Indonesia (about 6 days)
8. Jakarta to Vietnam (about 6 days)
9. Vietnam to Thailand (4–5 days)
10. Thailand back to Jakarta (about 2 weeks)
11. Jakarta home to the UK

What it cost

The Bristol–Istanbul–Oman–Dubai–Bangladesh part cost me about £250 in total. All the flights together came to around £1,000. That’s what it cost me on that trip. Prices change, so treat it as an example, not a quote.

A few things kept the cost down: the time of year, looking at the connections, carrying only carry-on baggage, and building in flexibility.

Prices shown are from London, as Bristol to Jakarta has no cached fares.

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Let the map choose

Bangladesh wasn’t planned at all. I was in Oman looking at ways to head back to Asia, and on Google Flights I found a flight to Dhaka. You don’t have to be at home to do this: put in the airport you’re at, set the destination to “anywhere” (Skyscanner calls it “Everywhere”), and see what comes up. If you want a second opinion on fares, I also run searches on Aviasales and Kiwi.com, which is handy for mixing airlines on one-way hops.

Hop, don’t return

Once you’re in a region, don’t fly home and back out again. Hop between neighbouring countries on cheap one-way regional flights. On my trip that meant Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, one after another, then home from Jakarta. I don’t stick to any particular airline, but I always check the baggage allowance before I book, because that’s where the extra costs creep in.

Before you book a stopover

• Book it as one ticket where you can. Use the “multi-city” option. On a single booking, the airline has to get you to your final destination.
• Separate tickets carry risk. If the first flight is late and you miss the second, that’s your problem. Leave a generous gap.
• Check visa and transit rules for the stopover country before you book.
• Price it both ways: compare the stopover itinerary with the straight-through fare.

If a flight does go wrong, AirHelp can check whether you’re owed compensation under UK261. Keep your receipts during any long delay.

Tip: If your flight connects somewhere interesting, stop for a few days: two countries in one trip.