Qatar is probably a place we never would have visited by choice.  Ask someone to tell you a fact about the tiny Arab nation, you’re likely receive blank stares and the question, “Qatar is a country?”  But for some reason, it was cheaper to fly five time zones out of our way to get from Beijing to Sri Lanka, and just like that, a stopover was born.

Stopovers are one of the best ways to see a place – especially one you had little interest in seeing.  What some people see of as a nuisance and a change of airplanes can be viewed as a freebie opportunity to visit somewhere new – that is, if you’re willing to do a little exploring.  And why not?  The most expensive part of any trip is the flight.  If you can finagle a long layover, it’s a golden opportunity to surprise yourself.

That’s how we found ourselves sipping tea in a shop that touted $2,000 hunting falcons to rich oil tycoons.  We were wandering around Qatar’s capital city Doha when we stumbled upon a district filled with shops hawking (pun intended) birds from Iran, Syria and Russia.  It was a bizarre Middle East sporting goods store for the uber rich dressed in flowy white robes.

Had we not scheduled a day in Qatar, we never would have had the chance to don a thick leather glove and hold these beautiful creatures.  Nor would we have spent a delightfully warm evening munching on hummus and smoking apple-flavored sheesha in the souq (market) near our hotel.

We learned that Qatar has the highest per capita income on earth but it has no standing water within its borders.

We learned that camel racing is a favorite pastime, and the animals are controlled using tiny radio controlled robot jockeys.

We learned that on any given Tuesday night, the Gold Soqu is packed with wealthy men and women acquiring gaudy jewelry.

We learned that the government maintains a stable in the middle of downtown Doha for anyone who wants to pet twenty-seven of the most beautiful horses you’ve ever seen.

And we discovered that the little nation is booming with construction due in part to it’s successful bid to host soccer’s World Cup in 2022.

Thanks stopover!

For more Qatar photos click here

Tips for Stopovers:

1. Keep an open mind – sometimes stopovers are in places that don’t sound that interesting like Jordan or Bahrain.  But low expectations can lead to high reward
2. If you have a choice, book the long layover.  Twelve hours gives you enough time to roam, but five hours doesn’t leave you much time to get out of the airport.
3. Iceland is a terrific stopover to and from Europe (see earlier blog post).  Fiji is popular with travelers heading to Australia or New Zealand, and Seoul is a great choice when traveling to and from Asia.  A full day in Seoul gives you enough time to take a Demilitarized Zone tour and set foot in North Korea!
4. If you’re buying tickets online – check for the cheapest route and then use a traditional travel agent to make the layover arrangements.  Or try the Multi-Stop feature on most web sites.