All this week Eric Rosen has been giving us ideas for some different day trips that you can take from Frankfurt. Any questions or suggestions? Let us know!

Thanks to its huge international airport at the hub of Europe’s domestic air market, not to mention airfares from the U.S. that are cheaper (usually by hundreds of dollars) than to nearby capitals like Berlin and Paris and London, Frankfurt is usually no more than a way-station for in-transit travelers. But next time you’re scheduled through there, think about spending a couple of days exploring Germany’s banking city. You just might be surprised at how much there is to see and do there.
]]> EricRosen 2009-10-30T17:14:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/10/35024/6357

We don't want to wish any serious airport stranding on ourselves, but if and when, then couldn't it be somewhere as bizarre as this, the executive lounge of Turkish Air at Istanbul's Ataturk airport?

We're pretty impressed that some people felt relaxed enough here in this über-decadent airline lounge to not just put their feet on the seats, but actually stretch out--we would be hearing our mother's voice in our ear telling us to behave.

We can't put it better than the photographer who described this place as having a "your flight has been delayed so now you're stranded at Dolmabache Palace" feel to it.

What we can't figure out is why our delays are always at airports where we can't access any decent lounge and end up sleeping on plastic benches at fast food franchises instead. Can anyone tell us which god we have to pray to?

Related Stories:
· Security Guards in Qatar's First Class Lounge Won't Allow Any Pictures [Jaunted]
· Turkey Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong?] ]]> amandak 2009-02-11T09:21:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/21/5150/72266

How's this for your ultimate airport lounge? It's the first class lounge belonging to Qatar Airways at their main hub in Doha and it looks decadent enough for us to think that Qatar Airways might be charging too much for their plane tickets.

Flickr fanatic Stuck in Customs went to a fair bit of trouble to bring us this great travel snapshot:

I was warned many times by grisly-looking security guards not to take any photos of any people in the lounge, especially if they were wearing the national uniform.

And all that on a three-day marathon to fly from snow-bound Atlanta to sticky Kuala Lumpur (and no, Doha is not exactly the most common route for this trip).

The photographer is cool enough to admit he didn't know where Doha was when they sold him a flight there--and we admit we don't know much more about it than a vague spot on the globe and a planned museum that's hidden in a sand dune. In fact, we figure that outside this fancy airport lounge, Doha is just dunes. Right?

Related Stories:
· Architecture Travel: Hidden Museum in the Desert, Doha [Jaunted]
· Doha Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Stuck in Customs] ]]> amandak 2009-01-21T11:31:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/1/12924/65153

We normally disregard all those handy stretching guides in the back of airport magazines, but moving around in the terminal can forestall the plane jitters. That's why we love the Aeroports de Paris plan to offer in-terminal dance lessons at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports this summer.

Learn anything from tango to twist on your layover this month before the program ends on August 17. Visit Gate 17 at Orly South, Gate 40 at Orly West and Gate E51 (Terminal 2E) at Charles de Gaulle to show 'em your best moves.

Related Stories:
· Flying to Cuba? Paris Airports Can Teach You Salsa [AP]
· Dansez à l'Aéroport! [Official Site, in French]
· Dance Dance! At Dance Valley [Jaunted]
· The Beach Volleyball Scene at Munich Airport [Jaunted]

[Photo: napix]]]> egw 2008-08-01T13:30:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/31/153155/190

Alright, kids. You've got a little more than eight hours to submit your winning idea in our Layover Nation contest. At stake, as we're sure you know, is a stay at a swanky hotel in the Caribbean or one of six shiny new smartphones.

So click over to the contest page and drop your entry in the comments by 11:59 tonight. Unless of course you enjoy paying for your trips to the Turks & Caicos.

Finalists will be announced on September 5, and the winner will be declared after Michael Kinsley tries out your tips on a round-the-world trip later this fall.

Related Stories:
· Jaunted Contest: Layover Nation [Jaunted]
· Jaunted Contests coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-07-31T15:32:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/29/16544/0635

OK, procrastinators. We know you've been holding onto those suggestions for our Layover Nation contest, but it's now or never. The deadline is this week, so you might as well drop your idea here to enter.

If your suggestion is top of the heap, you'll win a three-day vacay to the Turks & Caicos. Also up for grabs are six new Palm smartphones so you can stop waiting in line for that second-gen iPhone you want so bad.

Need tips on how to craft a winner? Look no further. Now go enter before it's too late!

Related Stories:
· Jaunted Contest: Layover Nation [Jaunted]
· Jaunted Contests coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-07-29T17:00:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/22/153824/126

The deadline for our Layover Nation Contest is July 31, and if we don't have your cool suggestions for how to kill time at a far-flung airport by then, you won't be winning a free trip to the Caribbean.

But we want you to win stuff! So Wendy Perrin, who's co-hosting this contest on her blog, put together some great tips:

· Come up with something surprising!

· Think like a storyteller

· Think internationally.

For even more specifics, click over to The Perrin Post. And once you've got your winning idea figured out, drop it here.

Related Stories:
· Jaunted Contest: Layover Nation [Jaunted]
· Jaunted Contests coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-07-22T16:30:20-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/