Free things at International airports around the world

By Sascha Segan,

Airports aren't known for being full of free goodies. They leverage their captive audiences to get travelers to pay for every minute you're sitting around, whether it's in $2.49 bags of chips or $9.99 Wi-Fi. But some airports stand out: rather than bilking and milking, they understand that travelers will want to return to a city if their first or last impression is a positive one. And what's more positive than getting something for nothing?

Free movies & video games: Singapore Changi AirportSingapore's Changi airport is the ultimate paradise of free stuff. Terminal 3's free movie theater screens big-name Hollywood flicks such as "X-Men: First Class," 24 hours a day. Terminal 2 offers free Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gaming systems. If you want to stream your own movies, there's free Wi-Fi throughout the airport, as well as 500 free Internet kiosks. That's only the tip of Singapore's jumbo jet of airport entertainment, but it'll probably keep you occupied for at least one layover. 

Private hire airport taxi cars

Free Smithsonian Museum: Washington Dulles International AirportOkay, I'm cheating a little bit: the Udvar-Hazy museum adjacent to Washington Dulles airport requires a 50-cent, 15-minute bus ride to get there. But holey moley. This blows other little "airport museums" out of the water. Iit's a set of giant hangars stuffed with things such as an SR-71 Blackbird, the space shuttle Enterprise and the Enola Gay, which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. They also have free tours and an observation tower where you can watch planes landing at Dulles.

Free library: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Free Skype calls: Tallinn Airport, EstoniaSkype was originally written by Estonian programmers, so it's no surprise that the country is relentlessly proud of its best-known major export. In April 2011, the first free Skype video chat booth popped up at Tallinn's airport, and you can use it to make unlimited, free video calls anywhere in the world. If there's too much of a line, you can try sending an email from the 14 free Internet kiosks in the airport, or hooking up your own laptop over the airport's free Wi-Fi.

The Amsterdam airport is big for layovers, and the Dutch are big on reading. Let's combine the two! Schiphol Airport Library is a showcase for Dutch culture, with Dutch literature in translation, Dutch music and even its own Twitter feed (@airprtlibrarian). Nine of the 25 seats have iPads, as well. The library is part of "Holland Boulevard," the cultural area of the airport which also has a (non-free) branch of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum.

Free iPads: JFK International Airport, Terminals 2-3JFK Terminal 3 is the worst airport terminal in America; it's literally crumbling, so Delta has declared it unsalveageable and plans to demolish it. Until then: iPads! Delta has installed 200 iPads at restaurants near the gate areas. Sure, you can use them to order food, but you can also surf the Web, check your email, stream videos or find other ways to anesthetize yourself against the misery of your surroundings. (Delta has done the same at LaGuardia, another one of the nation's worst airports.)

Heathrow taxi chauffeur private hire

Free city tours: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, TaipeiIf you're stuck in the airport for at least a few hours, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau offers free morning and afternoon tours of Taipei from Taoyuan International Airport. The morning tour hits an ancient temple and a center for pottery-making; the afternoon tour takes you to another temple, Taiwan's tallest skyscraper and the home of Taiwan's president. Taipei isn't the only airport offering free city tours -- Singapore's airport also offers free city breaks.

Destinations you can get to for £100

 You'll be surprised how far you can travel for under three figures



But how to spend £100? You could invest prudently on the stock market or spend it entirely on chocolate.

Or, if you're quick, you could travel to exotic destinations from Alicante to Zurich. No - you really could, and here's how:



Alicante
Fancy some spring tanning? Sun is very possible during spring visits to the Spanish port of Alicante, and Monarch has a flight itinerary between 6-9 March for only £84 from London Gatwick. Between (hopefully) bronzing, make sure to see the towering Castle of Santa Bárbara at the top of town, and to amble around the ritzy harbour at the bottom.

Copenhagen
Visiting the home of TV Show The Killing needn't be murderously expensive. easyJet has return flights from Gatwick to Copenhagen for just £68.98, including luggage, travelling 8-12 March. The Danish capital won't be especially warm in winter, but its fine architecture and finer food will more than compensate.

Paris
Go at the right time in winter, and Eurostar's Paris prices from London St Pancras can be incroyable. For a piffling £59 return, departing 21 February, you can spend a week purring over Pont Neuf and sipping chocolat chaud on the Champs Elysees, with ample spending money in your wallet.

Basel
Seemingly-attractive ski-flight prices often come with unfriendly luggage costs - meaning while you might travel cheaply, your skis sure won't. But the carriage of skis, poles and boots is included in the fee of return flights from Manchester to the emerging hub of Basel with SWISS. They cost £73 for a week departing 1 March.

Amsterdam
The tulip markets, bicycles and pretty canals of Amsterdam beckon for those canny cruisers who book DFDS Seaways' two-night cruise to Holland's capital. Departing Newcastle on 20 February, it costs just £97.48 with breakfast.

Berlin
Europe's clubbing capital is only a £98-return away via Ryanair. Flying from Stansted on 2 April, you'll have three nights to visit famed historical sites like the Reichstag or Checkpoint Charlie, to let rip in no-holds-barred clubs that never close, or, ambitiously, you could try both.

Prague
If you've got a sturdy, dependable rump, then consider coach travel as a bargain means for getting to faraway Europe. From 10-17 February (overnight both ways), Eurolines has a Prague trip for £81. The Czech capital's sensational beauty can distract from any stiffness that you might have incurred.

Leipzig
Carpooling is an innovative means for budget travel; you share a ride with willing strangers, who you hope aren't incredibly annoying, and stump up only for petrol. Currently on carpooling.co.uk, one 'Patrick' is currently offering three spaces on a trip to Leipzig, via Dortmund and Essen, for just over £70 each. He leaves on 3 February.

Thessaloniki
Thessa-where? Thessaloniki - it's in Greece, a land so far away and so far south that it might even be warm in February. It'll certainly be warmer than here. Somehow, Opodo has return flights from 22-25 February for a paltry £85. The taverna drinks truly will be on you...

Zurich
Zurich is Switzerland's coolest city thanks to its hipster neighbourhoods, sprawling parks and boho nightlife. It's also a gateway to the country's classic mountain scenery. Departing 17 March, a five-night flight itinerary with ebookers from Luton costs £76.58 - leaving change for entry to some of the capital's popular lidos.