Aussie TikTok star Maddy Macrae lives at airport for one week

News.com.au

18 hours ago

An Aussie TikTok star has gone viral for living inside an airport for a week.
Maddy Macrae, 32, from Sydney, decided to stay at Changi Airport in Singapore as part of a 'social experiment'.
'I am a big fan of the movie The Terminal and chose Changi because it's the best airport in the world (that's won all these awards),' she told news.com.au.
'But obviously I wasn't going to be making beds out of the seats in the airport,' she laughed.
Instead, she stayed at Crown Plaza that's located at Terminal 3 – a rare hotel that allows guests to 'go outside'.
'I wanted to see what it would be like, to see if I would go crazy, would I go insane but I didn't, it just felt like a holiday,' Maddy said.
The TikToker went live every day, detailing what she did to her 1.9 million followers.
'This is the most insane airport,' she said in her first viral clip. 'My first stop was the Jewel to see the waterfall – absolutely breathtaking. It's also a huge mall so I had a quick walk through before grabbing a milk tea and hopping on a skytrain to get to my hotel.'
'The pool is right next to my room and this is just insane it's here for a layover.'
While Maddy stayed at the hotel for a week, guests with long layovers can book in six-hour blocks for $305 or $330 for an eight-hour stay.
'The worst thing about layovers is you're stuck inside but the hotel has a pool that's outdoors,' she said.
'Having that fresh air available to you is so nice, so is having access to a nice shower and gym.'
While a social experiement, Maddy acknowledged that she was approached by the hotel to experience everything the airport in full.
She also wanted to see what all the fuss was about Changi Airport given it was also recently recognised as the world's best airport hotel by Skytrax.
'There's so much great cultural food and experiences you can do without leaving the airport,' she said.
'I spent about $50 a day – you can get a great Singaporean dish between $7 and $15 – and a lot of the activities are free.'
She said she never ran out of things to do having visited the 40m-tall waterfall surrounded by more than 900 trees and palms in the Forest Valley, Butterfly or Sunflower Garden.
She was shocked to discover the airport hosts free outside tours for passengers with long layovers.
'I did do a free tour which took me to the river and Marina Bay,' she said.
'It's actually available to people who haven't even cleared immigration. You can be on the airport side and have a long layover and go on this free tour.
'If you're in the arrival side and haven't come through you can still do it.'
Maddy's followers, while some sceptical about her living at an airport for a week, were mostly excited about how her 'experiment'.
'Going to Singapore in 6 weeks but im going to need a good reason to leave the airport,' one user wrote.
'My dream? There's a literal hedge maze in an airport!! It's giving Bridgerton meets The Terminal, and that's exactly the kind of storyline I belong in,' said another.
'That sounds like an amazing opportunity! Excited to see how the week-long layover unfolds. Changi Airport is definitely a great place to start the adventure,' a third added.
Maddy said one of the weirdest things is how 'time doesn't exist'.
'The phenomenon around airport limbo exists even when you live there,' she said. 'So time is a construct and having a cocktail at 7am whether you're living there or not is absolutely on the cards.
'I had a cocktail once at 10am – nobody will frown at you for doing that,' she laughed.
She said overall it was a 'fun challenge' and perfect airport for a long layover.