16

airport express

TRAVEL BUDDIES

Tip

FRANKFURT

Space saver

Save space and weight on short

trips by storing skincare in contact
lens cases. Cleanser, moisturiser,
and sun block will keep nicely in
the compartments.

DOHA

Big and beautiful

The Airbus double-decker A380 will have a place to call home when
the New Doha International Airport (NDIA) opens mid-2013. Sitting
on partially reclaimed land on the Arabian Gulf, the airport is customdesigned and built to fit this worlds largest passenger aircraft. With 80
contact gates, multi-storey short- and long-term parking facilities, and
some 25,000sqm of retail space, NDIA is poised to take on 24 million
passengers a year initially, with the potential to handle up to 50 million
from 2015 onwards. www.ndiaproject.com PHILLIP LEE

TAN HUI LING

Experience

Automated entry
Holders of the new EU
passport, which features
an integrated chip, can
save time when travelling
through Terminal 1 of
Frankfurt Airport thanks to
the easyPASS automated
border control. Place your
passport on a scanner
and then step inside
the booth and stare into
a screen, which scans
your face to ensure it
matches the photograph
in your passport. You can
practically breeze this
facility, which is part of
the airport's Great to have
you here! programme.
www.frankfurt-airport.com
NIKI CHEONG

OSAKA

While you check in for your flight at Kansai International

Airport, your beloved pet can check in at the airports Pet
Hotel. There, animal trainers will ensure your pet stays
healthy and happy. Facilities include a playground
and salon, and each bedroom is fitted with
a webcam that streams live feeds so you
can check in on your pet on your laptop or
smartphone.
MAX KOH

Multistorey Parking Building No 2 Opens 24 hours a day, all year round Tel +81 72 456 8755; phone
lines open from 8am-8pm daily www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en

photos (top, left) manzrussali@Shutterstock;

(bottom right)Tim Graham@Clickphotos

Pets pampering

goingplaces mar2013

17

Just like home

Soak in the charm
of Malaysias rustic
villages and idyllic
countryside when
you sign up for a
Malaysia Homestay
Programme, winner
of the World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO)
2012 Ulysses Award
for Innovation in Public
Policy and Governance.
Participants stay
with local families
and are treated like
one of them while
learning about village
lifestyle, culture and
cuisine. Choose from
over 150 homestays
across the country.
www.go2homestay.
com EMMA WU

Attraction

Zip along
The Mutianyu portion of the Great
Wall of China, about an hours
drive north of Beijing, isnt just less
congested and more picturesque; it
also boasts the only toboggan run
from the Wall. The track weaves

through scenic greenery, zigzagging

down 1,500m a fun ride that
provides a mild adrenaline rush, as
long as you dont get caught behind
a slowcoach. TAN HUI LING
Opens 7am-6pm, Apr-Oct;
7.30am-5.30pm, Nov-Mar
www.mutianyugreatwall.net

goingplaces mar2013