This holiday travel season, make sure to bring your hiking shoes—you’re going to need them!

Walking through the airport can feel like an endless journey.

Dave Dzurick recently experienced nearly an hour of walking through the Seattle airport after arriving from Canada. He faced a long trek to customs, then another long hike to the TSA screening, followed by yet another walk to reach his connecting gate.

“It was a nightmare,” Dzurick, a retired broadcast engineer from Tucson, Arizona, lamented.

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Unfortunately, Dzurick’s experience is not unique. The latest airport terminals in places like Dubai, New York, and Los Angeles seem to prioritize size over convenience, resulting in longer walks to the gates rather than shorter ones.

According to a survey by Kuru Footwear conducted in March, Dallas boasts the longest walks among major domestic airports at 2.16 miles, followed by Washington, D.C. (1.62 miles) and Houston (1.52 miles).

“Many large airports continue to grow and build new terminals,” said Victoria Schmid from Kuru.

If you prefer shorter distances, consider flying into smaller airports like Lexington, Kentucky, where getting to the gates is a breeze.

So, is the walk to your gate genuinely longer, or is it just your perception? How will these distances influence your next travel experience? As someone who spends a lot of time in airports, I can address these questions and share how to navigate your next airport experience successfully.

Are Gates Getting Further Away?

While I didn’t come across any recent scientific research on whether the distances travelers walk have increased over time, it certainly feels like it! On a positive note, some major airports have introduced trains that greatly cut down on walking. However, newer airport terminals still seem to be sprawling and extensive.

International airports may be even worse. Claire Ramsdell, a frequent flyer and photographer, recently navigated Istanbul Airport, which boasts a staggering 77 million square feet of space, and thought she’d miss her next flight.

“After I deplaned, I sprinted to the other gate,” recalled Ramsdell. “I had to pause to go through security, halfway there. It was a seemingly endless corridor, security check, then I took an elevator down, raced down another long hallway, ran up some stairs, across the floor, and down yet another set of stairs.”

Fortunately, she managed to catch her flight by finding a quicker security line for international-to-domestic transfers.

I’ve had a similar experience in Istanbul, facing a dauntingly long walk between gates and the nagging anxiety of potentially missing my connection. Nevertheless, I always made it.

How This Affects Your Flight Experience

As someone who has been traveling almost continuously for the past eight years, I’ve been keeping track of my steps with my Google Watch in recent years. On travel days, I worry about staying active and aim for at least 20,000 steps daily.

However, these days, my flights provide ample opportunity to walk, whether I intend to or not, especially in massive airports like Doha, Frankfurt, and London.

For someone like me who enjoys a good stretch, these long walks aren’t a major drawback. Yet, after suffering a severe pelvis injury from a skiing accident, such lengthy distances felt like a daunting challenge for me back then.

I was moving slowly on crutches while carrying luggage.

I know there are readers out there who face similar challenges. They enjoy traveling, but the journey to the gate can feel overwhelming. It seems that the designers of these airport terminals didn’t consider that about 12% of Americans have mobility issues.

Tips from Elliott for coping with a long trek to the airport gate

This holiday season, you might face a long trek to your gate. However, there are strategies to ease this journey.

• Travel light. Avoid burdening yourself with a heavy backpack or oversized carry-on. Packing light will lead to a more relaxed walk to your terminal.
• Wear comfortable shoes. “Opt for comfortable footwear,” suggests Schmid, a representative from Kuru. “Large airports involve much walking and standing, so it’s essential for your foot health and overall well-being to wear supportive, well-fitted footwear.”
• Stay informed. Airport signage can often be hard to navigate, and it’s easy to take a wrong turn in the moment. Most major airports provide an app or website featuring a terminal map. (Sure, your family may tease you for downloading it, but they’ll appreciate it when you arrive at the gate on time.)
• Allow yourself ample time. Before embarking on your terminal journey, ensure you have enough time. If you’re flying out of a major airport like Dallas, allocate at least an hour for getting to your gate.
• Seek assistance. If you’re a slower walker or have a disability or injury, don’t hesitate to request help from your airline or airport personnel. They offer services for individuals with disabilities that can transport you to minimize walking. Note that you may need to prearrange a wheelchair with your airline.

The best piece of advice I’ve received is to completely avoid the lengthy walk whenever possible. Opt for a nonstop flight to sidestep layovers in places like Dallas or Denver. This way, you’ll only need to navigate to and from your departure and arrival gates once each.

If you have to book a connecting flight, ensure you allow sufficient time to reach your next gate without sprinting. This becomes even more crucial during winter travel in the Northern Hemisphere when everyone is encumbered by heavy winter attire. It’s simply not worth the hassle.

Perhaps we should welcome the trek

In the end, walking long distances is an integral part of travel, and maybe these expansive airport terminals are doing us a favor. After all, would we rather just stay home and binge-watch our favorite travel shows? No way! It’s better to get moving and get some exercise.

“We see the long walk to the gate as an opportunity for exercise during travel,” says Laurel Barton, a seasoned traveler and author of travel guides from Forest Grove, Ore.

She frequently flies through London’s vast Heathrow airport, where there’s a tunnel to the C Gates in Terminal 5 that requires about a 20-minute walk.

“We choose to walk instead of using the moving walkways,” she explained. “But that’s because we write hiking guidebooks.”