Condé Nast Traveler consumer news editor Wendy Perrin just heard from layover guinea pig Michael Kinsley this morning--from Seattle, where he arrived in time to catch last night's presidential debate. Read his recap on highlights from his past few days in Dubai, London, and Iceland on the Perrin Post.

Now that he's tested all six winning entries in our Layover Nation Contest, Mike must choose which he liked best. That lucky (or just plain savvy) person will win the grand prize: three nights for two at The Regent Palms Turks and Caicos (plus airfare from the U.S. or Canada).

The Palms resort is still as buzz-worthy as it was when it opened in 2005. Its 72 rooms--marble floors support custom-made mahogany furniture--are housed in five buildings that form a semicircle around an infinity pool. And what a pool: serpentine, bordered by circular beds, and with a swim-up bar and restaurant. More formal is Parallel 23, where newly appointed executive chef Torsten Rumprecht (formerly at La Semanna on St-Maarten) shows his culinary talents. And indulgence reaches its zenith at the 15,000-square-foot spa. Don't fret about the hurricane: The Palms has recovered beautifully.

If you were Michael Kinsley, which layover would you choose as the winner?

Just looking at this board makes you feel cosmopolitan. Siem Reap, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Dubai . . . Hey, wait! I'm really going to Dubai!

Michael Kinsley continues on his quest to test the six winning entries in our Airport Layover Contest. His itinerary: Seattle-Los Angeles-Auckland-Singapore-Dubai-Zurich-Amsterdam-London-Reykjavik-Copenhagen-Seattle.

I've always wanted to see Singapore, and maybe someday I will. But on this occasion I've opted to stay entirely in the airport. Supposedly, it is the best in the world, with elaborate facilities for virtually anything you might like to do to pass the time (presumably as long as it fits with Lee Kwan Yew's general philosophy of cleanliness and propriety). Anyway, they have free Internet terminals in the corridors connecting the gates--I'm using one now, having stepped off the plane five minutes ago--and that is dream enough for the moment.

Further reading:
* Layover Nation: New Zealand by Segway
* Layover Nation: LAX and One Deserted Beach 
* Let's Go (Slightly) Crazy in Singapore
* Entries from the Airport Layover Contest
* The winning layover ideas

Mike Brady, Segway entrepreneur.

Michael Kinsley is one brave reporter. His goal: Test the six winning entries in our Airport Layover Contest. His itinerary: Seattle-Los Angeles-Auckland-Singapore-Dubai-Zurich-Amsterdam-London-Reykjavik-Copenhagen-Seattle. Let's hope his neck cushion is well inflated.

Where was I before the computer died? Oh yes. This happened to be the night of the first presidential debate, so I splurged and rented a hotel room near LAX for half a day--and I'm glad I did. I was in it for only about four hours--I showered and changed and watched the debate and then headed to the airport just in time. I had checked whether the Air New Zealand business class lounge had showers, and was told they did, "of course," but they weren't all that appealing, and although there were several TVs in the lounge, they all were tuned to sports events. It would have taken more courage than I could muster to try to change the channel over the objections of a room full of Kiwis.

Next stop: Auckland.

The plane arrived on time at 7:15 a.m.--don't ask me what day. Not only did we cross the international date line, but New Zealand went on daylight savings while we were en route. (In the southern hemisphere, do you fall forward and spring back or what?)

My plan was to go to a charming suburb called Devenport and take a tour by Segway. Segways are those stand-up electric scooters that use gyroscopic principles to make it almost impossible to tip over.

I hopped on an express bus, which leaves every 15 minutes, for the 30-minute journey to the downtown ferry terminal, where a ferry to Devenport leaves every half hour. Easy. If you aren't checking luggage and luck out on the immigration line, you can be on the bus at 7:45, or say 8 a.m., and in Devenport by 9.

Except that there is no Segway tour at that hour. But if there were and if you told Mike Brady, the guy in the picture, that an hour is sufficient, you'd be done by 10, catch the 10:15 ferry and be back at the airport at 11.

Brady, by the way, runs a combined FM radio station (playing mostly old standards)/Segway tour business out of a storefront in the ferry terminal. He started it last year after seeing a Segway tour in Paris. One problem? Devenport isn't Paris. But Mike is a great talker, befitting his other occupation, and his hour tour was enjoyable. Unfortunately, the official tour is two and a half hours. Mike was glad to accommodate me, though, when I said I had a plane to catch.

I'm not sure how often you actually face a layover in New Zealand (except to go somewhere else in New Zealand). It does seem to be sort of the end of the line. (No offense--it's nice at the end of the line.) But let's see.

By the way, if you ARE transferring to an internal New Zealand flight, you don't have to save any time for security. There is none. No metal detector, no x-rays, no show-your-ID, etc. No fooling. You do have to have a boarding pass. But if you do, you just walk onto the plane like in the good old days. A trusting people.

Further reading:
* Layover Nation: LAX on One Deserted Beach
* Layover entries mapped: Australia and New Zealand
* Entries from the Airport Layover Contest
* The winning layover ideas

Note to self:  Bring flip-flops

Finally. On Friday Michael Kinsley bid adieu to Seattle and set out to test the six winning entries in our Airport Layover Contest. His itinerary: Seattle-Los Angeles-Auckland-Singapore-Dubai-Zurich-Amsterdam-London-Reykjavik-Copenhagen-Seattle. Whew! His first post comes from Los Angeles. Take it away, Michael.

So far so good.

First stop was LAX. Goal was to take a dip in the Pacific Ocean and a stroll along the beach. The plane from Seattle landed early (thank you, United!). I hopped in a cab--an option often overlooked in Los Angeles and therefore easy--rarely much of a wait. The closest beach is right behind the airport and takes about five minutes to get to. Called Dockweiler State Beach, it has palm trees and picnic tables and is generally underpopulated. Or, on this warm sunny day when all the beaches in LA were underpopulated, Dockweiler was close to deserted.

The trouble with Dockweiler is airplane noise (yes, it's that close) and the lack of a commercial strip. Across from the beach is the unattractive back end of the airport, plus some industrial something that could be anything from a sanitation plant to a chemical warfare research facility.

So I got the cab to take me to a 24 Hour Fitness branch in Manhattan Beach, the next town down. There, I paid the day rate of only ten bucks (an option to keep in mind at almost any layover in America, though the price can vary) in the hopes of getting some exercise in preparation for my next leg of 13 hours by 1:15, and by 2 p.m. (well, maybe 2:30) had been picked up by some friends and was headed to the beach. Late lunch at a funky burger joint, a quick dip in the ocean, and at that point I could have headed back to the airport and caught a 6 p.m. plane if necessary. It would have been tight. But this also happened to be the night of the first presidential debate, and my plane didn't really leave until 10:30 p.m. 

Further reading:
* Entries from the Airport Layover Contest
* The winning layover ideas
* How Dockweiler State Beach was chosen
* Layover entries mapped: Latin America and the Caribbean
* Layover entries mapped: Australia and New Zealand

Starting tomorrow, author, pundit, and Condé Nast Traveler contributor Michael Kinsley will jet off on his round-the-world adventure, blogging here on the DT as he goes.

It's the moment we've been waiting all summer for: Kinsley is about to test the six winning entries in our Airport Layover Contest. His itinerary: Seattle-Los Angeles-Auckland-Singapore-Dubai-Zurich-Amsterdam-London-Reykjavik-Copenhagen-Seattle. In L.A. he'll go to the beach, in Auckland he'll take a Segway tour of the city, in Dubai he'll hit the Mall of the Emirates for shopping and skiing, in Amsterdam he'll go to the Red Light District to smoke a joint, at Heathrow he'll dine at The Fat Duck in nearby Bray--IF we can get him off the wait list!--and in Reykjavik he'll soak in the Blue Lagoon.

As you may recall, each of the six finalists won a Palm Centro smartphone. But only one lucky winner will come away with the grand prize: three nights for two at The Regent Palms Turks and Caicos (plus air fare from the U.S. or Canada). The finalist who recommended the layover that ends up being Mike's absolute favorite will win the free trip.

Until then, everybody please wish him a bon voyage!