14 hours in Delhi, but no city tour: Traveller discovers one mistake only after boarding her flight
A traveller flying from Hong Kong to London had planned to use her long Delhi layover for a quick city tour, but discovered she needed a visa to leave the airport. She then spent the hours getting a massage, shopping and waiting for her connecting flight.
- Nov 13, 2026,
- Updated Nov 13, 2026 4:00 AM IST
A traveller flying from Hong Kong to London was planning to use her 14-hour layover in Delhi to explore the city. But her plans fell apart after she realised she needed a visa to leave the airport, leaving her with 14 hours to spend inside Delhi airport.
The traveller had booked the long layover thinking it would give her enough time to step out, see Delhi and return for her connecting flight. However, she only discovered the visa requirement after boarding her flight.
“I booked a flight from Hong Kong to London with a 14-hour layover in Delhi because I thought it'd be so cool to just see it for the day,” she said in a video shared on Instagram.
The problem came as a surprise to her only after she had already boarded her flight.
“What I did not know until boarding my flight this morning is that even to do the day out of the airport on your layover, you still need a visa,” she explained.
Her planned Delhi day trip was suddenly off the table.
“I now have 14 hours stranded in Delhi airport, and I am about to just go and kill some time I guess,” she said.
Rather than spending the next 14 hours simply waiting for her connecting flight, she decided to make the most of her unexpected airport stay.
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Airport massage becomes an unexpected consolation
Her first discovery was a massage parlour inside the airport.
After sleeping on the floor of the Hong Kong airport before her journey, she said she could definitely use some rest and pampering.
“I slept on the floor in Hong Kong airport. So I am about to go get a massage in the airport at Delhi,” she said.
The airport massage turned out to be a good consolation. She later described the foot massage as “unreal” and revealed that the combined foot-and-calf massage and back, shoulder and hip massage cost her £32 (Rs 4,000 approx).
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Shopping and more time to kill
With the massage done, the traveller moved on to another classic airport activity: shopping.
“I have just got into the shopping part of the airport now,” she said, adding that she planned to spend some time wandering around before taking a nap and grabbing something to eat.
She still had around six hours before her flight.
The long wait also made her question whether she would have been better off spending hundreds of pounds on another flight rather than spending 14 hours at the airport.
Social media users react
Her unexpected airport stay also drew reactions from social media users.
One user said, “Kinda silly to expect to go out into the city without a visa! Not many airports/ countries offer that”.
Another user noted, “14 hours at Delhi airport sounds like quite an experience! These are the travel situations nobody really plans for. Curious what you wish you'd known before it happened!”
A traveller flying from Hong Kong to London was planning to use her 14-hour layover in Delhi to explore the city. But her plans fell apart after she realised she needed a visa to leave the airport, leaving her with 14 hours to spend inside Delhi airport.
The traveller had booked the long layover thinking it would give her enough time to step out, see Delhi and return for her connecting flight. However, she only discovered the visa requirement after boarding her flight.
“I booked a flight from Hong Kong to London with a 14-hour layover in Delhi because I thought it'd be so cool to just see it for the day,” she said in a video shared on Instagram.
The problem came as a surprise to her only after she had already boarded her flight.
“What I did not know until boarding my flight this morning is that even to do the day out of the airport on your layover, you still need a visa,” she explained.
Her planned Delhi day trip was suddenly off the table.
“I now have 14 hours stranded in Delhi airport, and I am about to just go and kill some time I guess,” she said.
Rather than spending the next 14 hours simply waiting for her connecting flight, she decided to make the most of her unexpected airport stay.
Don't Miss: Real-life Green Goblin? This Chinese inventor built a real flying hoverboard and flew it over mountains
Airport massage becomes an unexpected consolation
Her first discovery was a massage parlour inside the airport.
After sleeping on the floor of the Hong Kong airport before her journey, she said she could definitely use some rest and pampering.
“I slept on the floor in Hong Kong airport. So I am about to go get a massage in the airport at Delhi,” she said.
The airport massage turned out to be a good consolation. She later described the foot massage as “unreal” and revealed that the combined foot-and-calf massage and back, shoulder and hip massage cost her £32 (Rs 4,000 approx).
Must Read: Madurai influencer asked for Diwali sweets, Got fake COD orders worth crores instead
Shopping and more time to kill
With the massage done, the traveller moved on to another classic airport activity: shopping.
“I have just got into the shopping part of the airport now,” she said, adding that she planned to spend some time wandering around before taking a nap and grabbing something to eat.
She still had around six hours before her flight.
The long wait also made her question whether she would have been better off spending hundreds of pounds on another flight rather than spending 14 hours at the airport.
Social media users react
Her unexpected airport stay also drew reactions from social media users.
One user said, “Kinda silly to expect to go out into the city without a visa! Not many airports/ countries offer that”.
Another user noted, “14 hours at Delhi airport sounds like quite an experience! These are the travel situations nobody really plans for. Curious what you wish you'd known before it happened!”