After a wonderful and amazing trip you had, it’s time to take your flight back home. You have booked your ticket flight, packed your travel bag, and now you are waiting at the airport. And we all know how boring airports can be!
To pass time and kill the boredom you decide to go for airport shopping which is totally not a smart idea! The prices are skyrockets and your pocket is in real danger.
#1 – Water
Water is cheap that’s what you think but no worries you will soon change your mind as soon as you are in an airport. Bottles of water can cost as much as $5 per each. It’s true that buying one bottle of water at an airport won’t leave you broke or bankrupt you, but it can add up fast if you are a large family!
Still, staying hydrated while waiting for your flight or between connecting flights is crucial. This way, we recommend bringing with you an empty bottle of water that is refillable and put it in your carry-on bag so that you can reload water from the several water fountains at the terminals or very simple from a tap.
So, you will both save money and the airport shopping gouge and at the same time stay fresh and well hydrated! This way, you will kill two birds with only one stone. This also applies to food. So, you’d better buy your snacks and sandwiches before you ever step your feet in the airport!
#2 – Souvenirs
Always plan ahead and buy all the gifts and souvenirs you want to take back home with you for friends and loved ones as buying them from airports can be really expensive and the prices of the same goods you might have seen in your destination shops are doubled or even tripled. In addition to this, the choice of goodies in airports is very limited!
We understand that when you are a traveler all you are wishing to do is discovering the place you are visiting the maximum possible and you try to postpone the shopping until the very last moment which is not on your favor!
Since you will buy those souvenirs, plan to buy them one or two days prior to your flight date. This way, you can even pack them properly, encourage your destination local economy and finally avoid wasting your money! You see, it’s always a win-win.
#3 – Duty-Free
Buying items from Duty-Free is absolutely not a healthy choice, trust me! The prices are normally higher than they really are outside the airport. So, automatically you will be paying much more money than you normally should!
Unless you are a lucky traveler! Sometimes duty-free provides very temptingly, special offers that you should not miss. They can, for instance, propose a very good deal where they offer you the product with the same price you find it out of the airport plus to receiving a novelty item as well! Sounds cool, right!
To be always the winner, grab that smartphone of yours and rapidly check on Mr. Google or use amazon app to know how huge or little is the difference in the prices before you ever make any decision!
#4 – Exchange Currency
It is acceptable to forget buying souvenirs but forgetting to exchange the currency is what I can hardly understand. I mean, are you really aware that airports are never affording the best exchange rate? Are you again fully aware of the fact that only the transaction fees alone are very high?
If you think that exchanging currency at the airport will help you save time then guess what? It will ruin your pocket. The wisest thing to do is find the time to exchange the currency at your destination and never ever postpone it till you are finally in the airport.
#5 – Airport Wi-Fi
Is it really necessary to have wifi to kill the boredom you are feeling while waiting for your next flight? The answer is No. There are many things you can do instead!
For example, you can make more connection, network with the other travelers or just take time to speak with other travel partners, try to figure out what things to do when you arrive at your destination, places you would like to visit there, the foods you wanna try.
If you are tired and don’t feel like speaking, enjoy reading a book or listening to music. You have plenty of choices, you just have to set yourself free from something called wifi.
However, if your addiction is very strong, then, I recommend looking for a nice cafeteria or restaurant and purchase a cup of coffee. This way, you will also get the wifi password for free. This idea remains better than buying wifi for up to $10 for access!