The best Airport in the World!

I've traveled around the world and I have to say, Singapore's Changi Airport is the best airport out there. I usually can't wait to leave airports, but I decided to put Changi's title to the test by spending a whole day there. And let me tell you, even without a flight, I had a blast touring the gardens, the $1. billion lifestyle hub, and the rooftop pool. It got me thinking - why did this tiny island nation invest so much money into building such an impressive airport? And what's it really like to spend a layover here?

Most of the cool stuff at Changi is airside, meaning you need a flight to see it. But there's one exception - the Jewel. This giant donut-shaped shopping mall is located landside, between the control tower and terminal one. It took four years to build and was funded with private investments. And the best part? There are no gates here, so you can visit the Jewel without a plane ticket.

If you're airside, you can take the train between Terminal 2 and 3, which cuts right through the dome. As a reporter, I've covered this airport three times before, but this was my first time actually experiencing it. And let me tell you, it was like the best roller coaster I've ever been on. The view was so amazing it almost didn't look real - just like in the pictures.

If you're on land and don't have a plane ticket, you can still visit the Jewel. You can enter through a Footbridge from terminal 3 ticketing. There are 10 floors to the Jewel - five below ground and five above. In the middle sits the rain vortex. At 130 feet tall, it's the tallest indoor waterfall in the world. It runs 24/7 using mostly recycled rainwater. At night, the waterfall is a canvas for a 360-degree light show. The city of Singapore is known for its gardens, so the airport captured that theme inside Jewel with this tiered vegetation. And 99 of these plants are real! You would never believe that planes are taking off on the other side of this canopy.

Park sits at the top of the Dome and costs about six dollars. The mirror and hedge mazes cost a bit extra. You can change the gate to block off other people when they come around next time. A third of passengers transit through Changi, so they don't leave the airport. This means that amenities here airside and hotels like the transit hotel are really important to keep people here.

So this room is right on the transit side, so your view means overlooking the tarmac flights taking off. Rooms this size cost about 330 dollars a night. But even if you're not staying in the hotel, the 24-hour gym and the pool are open to the public. So we're just gonna wait for the sky train. If you want to plug your phone in here, you gotta do some cycling. I don't know how much more charge I want, actually. Nice little workout before your plane.

Also airside, a free butterfly garden! Oh my God, it's so toasty. There are about a thousand butterflies in here, ranging 40 different species. And we're at an airport! They're teasing me. I just want to pet one. And I loved this koi pond.

So get this: in 2023, Singapore's Changi Airport took back the Skytrax title and they plan on staying on top by outdoing Seoul, Tokyo, and Hong Kong in international flight traffic. They're starting by building Terminal 5, which is a whopping $10 billion. But why would a tiny country like Singapore invest so much in an airport? Well, let me tell you.

First of all, the airport makes a ton of money. Even though only about 6 million people live in Singapore, the airport hosts between 30 and 70 million travelers every year. That's a lot of moolah - over a tenth of the country's GDP, in fact. The airport also creates 375,000 jobs on the island. Second, the new infrastructure in Terminal 5 will allow Changi to handle an additional 50 million passengers, which means more flights and more revenue. And third, the airport has to reflect the luxury that Singapore is known for, especially with their main airline, Singapore Airlines. This focus on luxury has started a trend in Asia for the fanciest airports in the world. Qatar, South Korea, and Japan have all invested billions in their airports to create these luxury travel escapes, which has effectively pushed less fancy North American airports out of the top rankings.

So, after spending 10 hours in Changi without even catching a flight, I can tell you that this airport is definitely one to add to your bucket list.