For most of my life I thought airport lounges were for wealthy people who traveled “all the time” and flew first class. Not any more. Olivia and I have been using airport lounges for about 3 years now and have found them to be money-saving, convenient, and fun. For those who don’t use airport lounges when traveling, I hope this post gives you a sense of what they offer.

Before I share some photos, regular lounge access for most travelers these days means getting a Priority Pass membership, which gives you access to a network of over 1000 airport lounges around the world. Membership in Priority Pass is included with most premium credit cards (I recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve). The membership includes one or more free guests, depending on which credit card you’re gaining access through. The annual cost of a Priority Pass membership is $399 so this is quite the benefit, especially if you use it as much as we do.

Finding lounges can sometimes be the hardest part. The Priority Pass app does a good job of explaining which terminal and where in the terminal a given lounge is located. An important thing to pay attention to is whether the lounge is landside (before security check-in) or airside (after security). We’ve been burned after passing through security, only to realize the lounge is landslide.

From there we follow the signage, which can be better or worse, depending on the airport. Outside the lounge there is often a poster of memberships accepted and we look for the gold P of Priority Pass to confirm we’re welcome.

On entering the lounge we’re greeted by the front desk staff who scan our Priority Pass card and ask for our signature. They often share the wifi password with you (another perk of almost all lounges) and let you know whether or not they announce flight departures (we prefer fewer overhead announcements and do a pretty good job keeping track of time ourselves).

Next we find a seat and head to the food! The best perk of lounges is the food. The quality varies widely between lounges, with some offering a very nice hot food bar and others offering only cold snacks, but we can always find something to eat. Rarely we’ve been greeted by an omelette bar or other made-to-order options which is an extra-special treat. There’s usually a coffee machine with often tastier-than-you’d-expect cappuccinos, lattes, and Americanos.

As for drinks, there’s a self-service fridge with juices, sodas, sparkling and still water. Free alcohol can also be a nice perk if it is the right time of day. Usually this means beer (sometimes draught), wine, and often make-your-own cocktails. Sometimes lounges have cash bars (a minority) with a bartender mixing cocktails for free.

At a minimum, lounges provide a safe, clean, and usually quiet space to chill out. There are bathrooms and occasionally showers (usually for a fee). You can charge your devices, find a newspaper, or curl up on a couch if you’re tired and laying over on a long international itinerary.

If you travel a lot, consider getting a lounge membership by signing up for a premium credit card (you can find a list of our recommended Top 5 Credit Cards here). The annual fee sticker shock is real, but between the airline credits, Global Entry reimbursement, and then a Priority Pass membership, we have found it to be more than worth it.

Photos in this post are from the Plaza Premium Lounge in Hong Kong Terminal 2, a mid to higher end lounge we visited recently.