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Remember to pack your hiking shoes this holiday travel season, as you’ll need them more than ever.

It’s a long walk through the airport — a long, long walk.

When he recently arrived from Canada, Dave Dzurick spent almost an hour trekking through Seattle’s terminals. First, he extended his walk to customs, then hiked to the TSA screening area, and then marched to his connecting gate.

“It was a nightmare,” says Dzurick, a retired broadcast engineer from Tucson, Ariz.

His problem is becoming more common. Just look at the newest airport terminals opening in Dubai, New York or Los Angeles, and you’ll see that almost no effort has been made to shorten the walk to the gate. If anything, it takes longer to get to the plane.

But these aren’t the worst offenders regarding walking times from check-in to your gate. A recent survey by Kuru Footwear found that Dallas had the most extended walks among large domestic airports (2.16 miles) followed by Washington, D.C. (1.62 miles) and Houston (1.52 miles).

“Many large airports across the country continue to expand and build new terminals,” notes Victoria Schmid, a spokeswoman for Kuru.

If you want a short walk to the terminal, try a smaller airport like Lexington, Ky., where it’s just a hop, skip and jump to the gates.

But does it take longer to get to the gate, or is it your imagination? And how will these distances affect your next trip? As someone who practically lives in an airport terminal, I have the answer to all these questions. Plus, I’ll tell you how to survive your next airport adventure.

Is it getting farther to the airport gate?

Of course, there are no scientific studies on how far passengers have to walk or if they have to walk farther now than before. But it sure feels that way. In fairness, some large airports have added new trains, significantly reducing walking time. Still, the latest airport terminals aren’t exactly getting any smaller.

The problem may be worse overseas. Claire Ramsdell recently connected at Istanbul Airport, which features a gleaming new terminal stretching over 77 million square feet, and thought she wouldn’t make it.

“When I got off the plane I ran full speed to the other gate,” remembers Ramsell, a photographer and frequent traveller. “I had to stop to go through security halfway through. I went down a long never-ending hallway, through security, took an elevator down a floor, ran down a long hallway again, then ran up some stairs, across that floor, and then down another staircase.”

She made her flight after finding a faster security line specifically for international-to-domestic transfers.

I’ve had the same problem in Istanbul—a ridiculously long walk between gates and that sinking feeling that I wouldn’t make it to my next flight. But somehow, I always did.

Why this could affect your next flight.

I’ve been travelling almost nonstop for the last eight years, but I’ve carefully tracked my steps on my Google Watch for the last few years. On a travel day, I’m always worried that I won’t get enough exercise — I try to walk at least 20,000 steps a day.

But lately, when I fly, I always get plenty of steps. Enormous airports like Doha, Frankfurt and London always give me enough opportunity to walk, whether I want to or not.

For someone like me who wants to stretch his legs, the long walk isn’t a problem. But a few years ago, after I broke my pelvis in a horrific ski accident, these long walks seemed like an insurmountable obstacle because I was hobbling slowly on crutches and with luggage.

I have readers who are in the same situation. They love to travel, but the walk to the gate is almost too much. The architects who built these terminals didn’t consider the 12 percent of Americans with mobility impairments.

Elliott’s tips for surviving a long walk to the airport gate.

You may have to endure a forced march to the gate this holiday travel season. But there are ways to make it easier.

Go light. The worst thing you can do is weigh yourself with a heavy backpack or overloaded carry-on luggage. Pack light to ensure a stress-free walk to your gate.
Grab a comfortable pair of shoes. “Wear comfortable footwear,” advises Schmid, the Kuru spokeswoman. “Large airports require a lot of walking and standing, and your foot and overall health need to ensure you have supportive and well-fitting shoes.

Get informed. Airport signage can be confusing, and in the heat of the moment, you can easily make a turn and head in the wrong direction. Most big airports have an app or a website with a terminal map. (Oh, I know, your family will call you a nerd for downloading it, but they will also thank you when you get to the gate on time.)

Give yourself time. Before you prepare for your trek through the terminal, ensure time is on your side. If you’re flying out of Dallas or one of the big airports in the Kuru survey, give yourself an hour to get to your gate.

Get help. If you’re a slow walker or have an injury or disability, don’t hesitate to ask your airline or the airport for help. They have disability services that provide rides to help you avoid a lengthy walk. Note: You may need to contact your airline in advance to reserve a wheelchair.

But the best advice I’ve ever heard is to avoid the walk entirely. Book a nonstop flight to avoid transiting through Dallas or Denver. That way, you only have to worry about hiking to your gate twice.

If you must book a connecting flight, ensure enough time to reach your next gate without running. That’s particularly important during the winter travel season in the Northern Hemisphere when everyone is weighed down with heavy winter clothing. It’s just not worth the trouble.

Maybe we should embrace the hike.

Ultimately, walking long distances is part of travel, and maybe these sprawling airport terminals are doing many of us a favour. What else will we do, sit at home and watch reruns of our favourite travel show? Nah. It is better to get out there and get some exercise.

“We embrace the hike to the gate as good exercise on a travel day,” says Laurel Barton, a frequent traveller and guidebook author from Forest Grove, Ore.

She often flies through London’s massive Heathrow airport, and a tunnel to the C Gates at Terminal 5 takes about 20 minutes to walk.

“We skip the travelators and hoof it willingly,” she says. “But then, we write hiking guidebooks.”