17 airlines offer a certain kind of layover that sometimes comes with lavish perks like a free hotel room or city tours — here's how to master the stopover

Stopover programs allow for travelers to add on a destination either free of charge or at a discounted price.
The programs are mainly offered by flag carriers for passengers transiting through their main hub.
Europe and the Middle East see the greatest number of airlines offering the program, with some offering complimentary hotel stays.
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Layovers are often associated with sitting in airports and passing the time waiting for a connecting flight either to get to a destination or back home at the end of a trip.

Choosing a connecting flight over the nonstop, however, does have if its benefits when passing through certain cities in the form of stopover programs.

A country's flag carrier will often make it easier for travelers to spend an extended amount of time in a capital city or another airline hub city with the goal of promoting tourism.

Most prevalent in Europe and the Middle East, the typically free stopover programs allow for travelers to extend their trips and visit a new city without adding on to the cost of an additional flight. Some airlines will even throw in a free hotel stay or city tour to make the stop more enticing.

Every airline is different and has different booking procedures to take advantage of the programs. Some airlines build in the program on their websites and others require passengers to book a multi-city ticket and contact the airline afterward, so travelers should still check directly with their airlines when booking.

Take a look at which airlines offer stopover programs and how you can get from each of them.

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