Stuck on a Hong Kong layover? The Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is located roughly 25 miles from downtown Hong Kong which makes the city accessible only for those on long layovers. If you’re trying to determine whether you can leave the airport during your Hong Kong layover, click here for useful tips.

If you don’t have enough time to leave the airport during your Hong Kong layover, fortunately you are in the airport that was currently ranked #1 in the world’s top airports. In the Hong Kong airport, in addition to many choices of restaurants and shops, you can get a foot reflexology massage, see the 4D Extreme Screen in Terminal 2 with the largest 4D screen in Asia, and visit the Aviation Discovery Centre in Terminal 2 which includes a Cockpit Simulator, a full-motion plane-cabin ride simulator and much more.

For Gwyneth Paltrow’s Hong Kong Picks, Click Here!

In addition, you can check out Asia Hollywood in Terminal 2, Level 6 where you can experience this interactive themed entertainment centre that educates about the local film industry. You can also play I-Sports in Terminal 2, Level 6 where you’ll find sports simulators such as soccer, basketball, golf, boxing, skiing, car racing, and shooting.

If you arrive at night or are looking for a place to rest, The Regal Airport Hotel is connected to Terminal 1. There are also a number of hotels in the area for varying price points. For a comprehensive list of Hong Kong hotels, click here.

The World’s Tallest Hotel Opens In Hong Kong

If you have a long layover in Hong Kong and plan on leaving the airport, in addition to taxis, the easiest and more affordable way to get from the airport into town is to take the Airport Express. The trains are on time, clean and efficient. The Airport Express links HKIA directly to Hong Kong’s central business district and from there, buses connect the airport with most of the city. Trains depart at 12-minute intervals. For schedule of the Airport Express, please click here.

LayoverGuide.com’s Suggestions Of Things To Do On A Hong Kong Layover:

Victoria’s Peak
Take the Airport Express to HK station and take the mini bus (from the bus terminus below IFC/HK station), and then take the Peak Tram to The Peak. This high point gives you a great lookout onto Hong Kong and the harbor. It’s the perfect place to snap some great shots and get a good look at the city.

Star Ferry
From Central, take the ferry to TST, Kowloon and check out another great view of Hong Kong. You can walk along Nathan Road for shopping and food.

Business District and Mid-Levels Escalator
To central business district of Hong Kong has the fancy buildings and shopping malls, and gives you a feeling for the city. Take the Hong Kong stop of the Airport Express. You’ll be at a large mall and office building, called ‘IFC’. You can take the ‘Mid-Levels Escalator’ which is the longest covered outdoor escalator in the world. It starts from the western end of IFC and it is an outdoor escalator that will take you through the middle of the city, restaurant/bar area and then up towards the more residential areas.

Tian Tan – The Big Buddha
Although on the same island as the airport, unless you take a taxi which can be pricey, you need to take public transportation there, which can take some time and is only recommended for those on very long layovers. You can reach the Buddha by traveling to Tung Chung station via the MTR. You can find an MTR map here. Visitors can then take the following bus routes: Mui Wo to Ngong Ping (NLB No. 2) and Tung Chung to Ngong Ping (NLB No. 23)

Have a suggestion for a Hong Kong layover? Leave a comment below!

Cuba has some of the best diving and Layover Guide has the skinny on Cuba’s scuba.

1) Isle of Youth is Cuba’s special municipality, off the coast of Havana Province in the Gulf of Batabono. There are 56 diving sites and in addition to amazing diving, it’s said that buried treasures are around! You can reach the Isle of Youth by a flight from Havana, or fast catamaran (which will get you there hours quicker than the ferry).

2) Maria La Gorda is located in western Cuba in the Guanacahabibes peninsula in the Pinar del Rio province. There are over 50 diving spots in these clear waters, and this spot due to its marine life and corals, is one of the top ten places in Latin America.

3) Marea del Portillo is located within the Natural World Heritage Site of Desembarco del Granma National Park south of the Manzanillo Airport in Granma. Famous for its 2km of black sand, there are 17 dive spots which allow for close ups with the coral reef and the sunken ships at Santiago de Cuba waters.

4) Playa Giron is a great place in Cuba for beginner Scuba divers. There are 16 dive sites, and at the Zapata Peninsula, the Playa Giron Beach lies south-east of Playa Larga. There is a small airport nearby for charter flights.

Diving Facts For Cuban holidays:

What can you see? Cuba offers the possibility of seeing turtles, eels, stingrays, barracuda, triggerfish, lobster, shrimp, crabs, tuna, snapper and more. There’s the possibility to see whale sharks in November.

How warm is the water? The water temperature ranges from 72 degrees Farenheit (22°C) in the winter to 84 degrees (29°C) in the summer.

When’s the best time to go? Aside from hurricane season in October, diving is good for a Cuban holiday year round.

By Karine Nissim

Dubai is spectacular. A spectacular spectacle.

That this opulence emerged from a Bedouin sensibility and a drive to turn dwindling oil returns into something that can be seen and applauded by the world, is interesting. That this vision is encapsulated by building the tallest monument, with the fastest elevator, outside the biggest mall, with the highest fountains… in the WORLD…is remarkable. An arresting experience.

The Dubai Mall, is more than a mall.

The mall is a monumental landscape for literally the biggest monument.  You’re in the mall, you’re thinking, “Okay, I get it. You are really big. You have an awesome aquarium – cool, you have an ice skating rink, even cooler, you have a wing dedicated to high end chocolatiers – ridiculoso… but I’m tired!!” And then you see an exit, and walk towards it, hoping maybe just maybe, there’s a bench where you can rest your weary feet.  But instead you see hundreds of people, a big fake lake, dozens of restaurants, and oh…the TALLEST building IN THE WORLD thrusting itself into the heavens!!

Imagine Vegas and Disney injected with real money, oil money; but with this aesthetic theme of austerity and precision. The largeness of Vegas. The wonder of Disney World without the saturated colors and bad food. The sky is murky, the people are brown, their clothes are black or white and their dwellings are gray, and silver and gold and mirrored…with cranes perched on top of them.

With the rapid development and the rapid decline of construction from the economic crisis, Dubai is unfinished. It’s a cleaner, newer, rich look. Not fun, not cute, just slick…and unfinished.

Each building is taller than the next, sharp lines, unusual shapes and flickering lights, like diamonds speckling the sky. Opulence is the thread that is woven through the pronounced architecture.

Hundreds of people mill outside the mall, fathers and their little girls, and gaggles of covered women sitting around the fountain waiting for the show.

I find myself recharging and finding peace from the aforementioned show, a stupendous waterworks extravaganza that makes the Vegas Bellagio fountains look like a pissing contest between two gremlins.  There’s something about staring at an illuminated mind bending skyscraper, fountains reaching divine heights that dance to reverberating music; that tells a story. Like a Hollywood Western with a tribal Arabic beat. I felt something. Something real. The world just felt right.

I also experienced a celebrity sighting at the mall.  It was VERY exciting.  King Abdullah of Suadi Arabia, caused such a stir, you would think it was Britney Spears.  It would be like seeing Obama at the mall. (Apologies for the poor iPhone photo quality, if I had to carry my real camera with me all day, I might have kaplotzed.)

Moment of irony: women, covered, COVERED I say, head to toe, except their eyes, which are also covered…by glasses.  It’s really a sight, and even more interesting, is these women are shopping, actively shopping for high-end clothes.  I mean, I was in Bloomies, and there they were next to me, rummaging the racks, because as it turns out, they were regular clothes in their own home. Kinda crazy to imagine wearing designer clothes that few people can see.

Where your handbag distinguishes you from one another, not your face, it was a welcomed experience to see a young women revealing her face in the bathroom …I couldn’t stop staring.

An entire wing of the mall dedicated to high end chocolatiers, who’s treats are as artful as they are sweet.  Seriously beautiful craftsmanship.  These little chocolates are darling.

Maybe it was all the shopping, maybe it was the Indian Palace combo #4 at the beautiful food court, or maybe the heat has finally gotten to me, but between the sprays off the fountain jets and the sweet family life congregated in celebration of commerce and beauty, I found myself at peace,  I was home.

Wait, of course I was at home.  I was at a mall.

Karine Nissim is a Los Angeles photographer, director, producer and blogger. You can follow her journeys to Dubai and beyond on her blog — Karine’s Blog About Everything And Nothing.

Dubai is the perfect place for Europeans to grab cheap holiday deals – on clothing and airfare!

For the full Layover Guide to Dubai, click here!

Gotta pack your bags for your favourite long haul holidays and still muddled about the travel gadgets to carry? The world of travel gadgets can be overwhelming with a ton of new options flooding the market. From military standard water purifiers to high-end USB sticks for data travellers, the market is abuzz with the most innovative and ingenious products. Picking them, therefore, can be slightly confusing.

LayoverGuide.com has selected a list of ultra cool travel gadgets that one should avoid missing, no matter what the destination is:

SOL8: Solar Generator Suitcase
Imagine yourself at a beach while clicking the scenic azure waters and suddenly the battery dies… Well no need to worry when you can recharge those dead cells with this solar generator suitcase that produces powerful 13 watts of power; good to recharge even a car!

Stash Sandals
Travelling with cash and credit cards is always tricky. With a stash sandal, one can hide the money and cards inside the sandal’s sole. Ideal for tourists looking to carry money and yet remain unnoticed.

The Beerbelly
Even though it morphs your six packs into a grotesque paunch, Beerbelly is the perfect partner for those sunny days or trekking. Wrap it around your waist and forget about dehydration.

Casio Pathfinders watch
This masterpiece has a nifty altimeter, thermometer, compass, barometer, tide graph, dive log and depth gauge. On top of that it is solar powered. And they still call it a watch!

Wind up Cell phone charger
Imagine getting trapped at some isolated place while touring, and your cell phone ran out of juice… This wind up charger can help you escape such conditions with literally few rotations. The resultant energy can power up your cell phone for that emergency call.

GPS devices
Right from helping you with directions to marking the trekking trails and helping you upload them on Google maps, there are many types of GPS devices available such as the Sony GPSCS1KA GPS Unit Kit.

USB charged batteries
With laptops becoming as common as phones, USB based devices have become the main surge. Plug these batteries in and recharge them for your multitude of battery-run-devices.

Universal travel adapter
For USBs to run, you need to fuel your laptops or other USB devices. The obvious choice, then, is to pick one of these universal travel adapters that convert the incoming voltage to 120 volts AC power. These adapters are programmed for Europe, Asia, Africa America, Australia or the Caribbean.

Wenger Swiss knife
Got a bottle of beer in hand to open or a thorn in your sandals while trekking to pluck out? A Swiss knife can do all this and more.

Water purifier
Trekking is fun because it’s adventurous but without water it can a hell. With MSR water purifier, one can filter the naturally available water to a drinkable quality and continue the adventure with pause!

So whether you’re traveling in Cambodia or Kathmandu, these travel gadgets can surely make life a lot easier, and fun too.

Which are the best IPhone applications for those on the go? LayoverGuide.com has picked our favorite thirteen travel-related IPhone (and IPad) applications.

1. Gate Maps ($.99)
Wouldn’t it be helpful to have maps of the terminals at the airport when you’re rushing to find your connecting flight? This program gives you a nice visual to help you find that tricky gate.

2. Next Flight ($2.99)
Perfect for those stuck on a layover or looking to catch an earlier flight, Next Flight tracks departures worldwide from over 4,000 airports and 1,000 airlines.

3. FlightTrack Pro ($9.99)
Don’t we all wish we had an assistant to help us out with those pesky travel details? With real-time flight status, live weather updates, route maps and other info, this is a great resource for travelers.

4. Currency (Free)
Better than a calculator, this app gives you the most accurate currency conversion
With the latest rates, the program converts over 90 currencies.

5. Postman ($.99)
Don’t have the energy to buy a postcard and find a stamp while overseas? With this app you can choose a photo and create a custom postcard that you can send out to your friends and family via email, Facebook, and Twitter.

6. Sit or Squat (free)
Travelers everywhere rejoice! This application uses GPS to help you find a bathroom when you’re in an unfamiliar place. Genius and free, what more can you ask?

7. Local Eats ($.99)
While many Iphone users opt for Urban Spoon, we’re going with this app, which ranks the top 100 restaurants in 50 American cities (with reservation numbers and directions). Great if you’re stuck in the U.S. and can’t decide where to go.

8. Flashlight (free)
While the concept is ridiculously simple, travelers know that many times you simply need some light. This app turns the screen white and can help you locate something in your bags, read a map, orient yourself in a dark hotel room, or countless other uses.

9. Taxi! (free)
Ever stuck on a road in some city and can’t find a taxi to save your life? Enter technology. This application finds U.S. taxi services, and dials them for you. Easy peasy.

10. The Weather Channel (free)
The Weather Channel has the updates on, you guessed it, weather around the world. With customized views, it can help you plan your trip and alert you to pack your umbrella.

11. Wi-Fi Finder (free)
Wi-Fi Finder is aware of over 200,000 hotspots in 135 countries. It can save you money by determining free spots that you can connect.

12. How to Get Around (free)
Available for major cities, you can find public transportation maps and routes. You may want to also look up apps for the city you’re traveling to as many times more specialized local options are available.

13. Packing ($1.99)
Always forget to pack something? Socks Toothbrush? With this program you can keep track of packing lists and make sure that you bring everything you need, even the kitchen sink.

Also, check out our article on IPhone apps that help you kill time on a layover.

Have additional favorite traveling IPhone apps? Let us know your favorites!

LA Weekly wrote a great article about how over 12,000 laptops go missing each week at LAX. Yes, each week. That’s a whole heck of a lot of laptops.

Most are left at security checkpoints and only a third of them ever find their rightful owners again. How does this happen? Well, according to LA Weekly:

One employee who works at a Southern California airport and who did not wish to be identified, confirmed how spaced-out flyers become — especially those who show up half an hour before takeoff and think they can just walk straight on to the plane. This employee noted that TSA screeners will page travelers by name when their identities are known. Still, even here, the employee says, travelers will often later admit they heard their names on the public address system after leaving the security checkpoint — but somehow didn’t make the connection that they were being asked to recover lost items.

But more importantly, how can you prevent this from happening to you?

The Livermore Lab newsletter says the best way to ensure that lost laptop gets returned is to leave your name and phone number in its battery compartment — an area not available to prying eyes, but one that screeners are trained to quickly access. Either that, or take the train.

To check out the rest of this interesting article, click here.

Amidst fears of the spread of swine flu, many travelers are left wondering what to do when it comes to air travel.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued this release Tuesday to assist airline flight deck and cabin crew in identifying passengers who may have the Swine Flu:

During the swine influenza outbreak, extra vigilance is required to identify and report passengers with respiratory symptoms or fever. Any passenger who appears ill, or who reports not feeling well, should be observed or queried for the following signs or symptoms:

* Feeling feverish or temperature greater than 100°F (37.8°C) if measured. For children, feeling warm by parent’s report.
* Sore throat
* Cough
* Stuffy or runny nose

Any passengers observed to have or who report having two or more of these symptoms should be reported immediately to the CDC Quarantine Station of jurisdiction where the plane is expected to land.

Flight and cabin crew should follow airline guidelines for preventing spread of infection when interacting with these travelers.

As for your safety when traveling, The New York Times travel health expert, Dr. Mark Gendreau recommended the following tips:

Postpone travel if you are sick. Although it is recommended you postpone travel until you are no longer infectious, in reality this recommendation is not commonly followed by passengers, especially since few travelers purchase travel insurance. In fact, it’s a good idea for all passengers to postpone any nonessential air travel during times of a national or international health emergency, such as the current swine flu outbreak, especially to countries where the outbreak is large.

Minimize exposure while aboard aircraft by keeping the air vent over your seat on low and pointing it so that the airflow is just in front of your face. This may prevent any infectious droplets from landing on your mucous membranes. Most infectious agents gain a foothold in our body through entering the mucous membranes of our eyes, nose and mouth.

Make good hand hygiene part of your travel routine. Good hand hygiene is paramount in reducing the risk of disease transmission. Studies show markedly reduced rates of influenza transmission in public spaces that have alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers. The product should have an alcohol content of at least 50 percent to be effective against viruses.

Consider a face mask. Face masks may help but only need to be used when outbreaks become widespread and are declared a pandemic. The most commonly used simple face masks only filter about 62 percent of very small particles, compared to about 98 percent for professional-grade face masks (these are typically designated N-95). Simple face masks are designed to prevent large droplets that are coughed or sneezed from contaminating the environment rather than protecting the wearer. Bring an extra mask along, and kindly offer it to anyone coughing or sneezing who looks sick. This will keep any droplets from landing on you.

For the full article, click here.

Petflight.com offers this great web page, which links to each airline’s specific pet information details. It covers what the airline allows, the specifications and the owner’s responsibilities, including the types of kennels and sizes.

They also include this page, which lists the airlines that allow you to bring your dog on the plane as a carry on.

DLife.com posted some great tips on flying with diabetes:

* Ask for an aisle seat if you will use the restroom for insulin injections.
* Get your ticket and seat early to prevent bumping.
* If traveling alone, tell the flight attendant you have diabetes.
* Keep your diabetes medicines with you, don’t store them in an overhead bin.
* Don’t inject air into the insulin bottle before drawing up your dose. The air is pressurized.

For additional diabetes traveling tips including “What To Pack” and “Planning Ahead,” you can read the entire article here.

Some terrific security tips, if you can get past the goofy animation…