How Meanwhile Travel works

Every plan starts with one question: how much time do you actually have? Then it fills that time with things that fit.

1. The time you really have

A nine-hour layover isn't nine free hours. We take off the time to get off the plane, clear immigration if you're arriving internationally, collect bags if they aren't checked through, ride into town and back, and get through security with a buffer before your next flight. What's left is the time you can use, shown as a simple bar so you can see where it goes.

Example: a 9h 25m domestic layover in Denver leaves about 4h 55m in the city.

2. Real travel times, from the right place

Trips to and from the airport start at the terminal or the airport's train station, not the middle of the airfield. Times come from Google Maps for the actual time of day you'll travel, including the wait for the next train. If transit has stopped running by the time you'd head back, the plan tells you and gives the taxi time instead.

3. Places that are open when you are

Each stop is chosen because it's open at that hour, close to where you are, and fits before the next thing. Breakfast in the morning, a museum while it's open, dinner in the evening. Where opening hours aren't known, the plan says so.

4. A plan you can change

Lock a stop you love so it stays put, swap one for another suggestion, or remove it for more free time. Add an event and the day rearranges around it. Pick a hotel and the whole plan re-centers on it.

5. Take it with you

Save a plan to a private link, sign in to keep plans on every device, add every stop to your calendar, or open a day's route in Google Maps. Install Meanwhile Travel on your phone's home screen and plans you've opened stay readable offline.

Where the information comes from

• Airports: OurAirports
• Places, hours and travel times: Google Maps Platform, with OpenStreetMap as a fallback
• Weather: Open-Meteo
• Events: Ticketmaster and other ticketing services where available
• Flight status: FlightAware where available
• Public holidays: Nager.Date

Everything is an estimate to help you plan. Always check your airline's rules, visa requirements and transit schedules before leaving an airport.