How to Save at the Airport?
Airport money on the day of departure has finally arrived! You have certainly spent a lot of money on your plane ticket and have carefully established your vacation budget, which is
Not expandable! Before going on an adventure, one last step awaits you: the airport! Indeed, waiting in an airport is often an opportunity to spend a lot more money than we would have expected. Here are some tips to help you outsmart the expense items one by one and (almost) not spend money at the airport.
Transport
Before even setting foot at the airport, transportation to get there is already a major expense. If possible, avoid the taxi and choose public transport instead, or better yet, get dropped off by an understanding friend.
In New York, to get to JFK airport a taxi can charge up to $ 70 while on the subway/bus it would have cost you only $ 10. If your plane takes off very early in the morning, rather than opting for the expensive hotel solution, you can go to the terminal the day before and make arrangements to sleep at the airport and have a good night’s sleep on a bench.
Baggage
When packing your bags, check with the airline to find out the legal weight and size of the baggage you plan to take with you. If your trip includes a stopover, consider looking at the criteria of all the airlines you are going to fly, the rules are sometimes different!
It’s always annoying to have to pay extra baggage for a few pounds that you could easily have done without, or for a carry-on suitcase that is a few inches over the legal size. If, however, an additional suitcase is essential, be aware that registering it on the airline’s website will allow you to save on the price offered at the boarding desk. It is also important to pay particular attention to the contents of your hand luggage, in order to make the passage to security as easy as possible. For more tips, check out our airport survival guide!
Budget Travel Food
When you think about how to Save at the Airport? the big airport trap is food and drink. How to avoid going to a cafe or a restaurant when you have several hours to wait? The best solution is to bring your own food. A good sandwich made at home will often be better than what you can get in a cafe and not come back to you at all for the same price. You can also take dried fruits and granola bars, always recommended to stave off hunger and boredom.
Regarding the drink, it is recommended to take with you a water bottle or an empty gourd, which you can fill at the tap once the security has passed. However, if you feel the need to drink a little alcohol to relax, the most profitable solution is to buy one (or more) mignonettes at the duty-free shop rather than to consume in a café. Besides, the duty-free shop offers good prices for alcohol and tobacco, but everything else is generally quite expensive.
Money
When you think about How to Save at the Airport? It is strongly advised not to change money at the airport, as the exchange rate there is really excessive. It is better to change it in advance by checking the rate that we can offer you. On the other hand, you must check with your bank beforehand, what are the conditions for withdrawing cash in the country to which you are going (fees and maximum withdrawal amount). Often, this is the cheapest way to manage your money while traveling.
Save on Internet
If there is one place where Wi-Fi should be free, it is at an international airport! And yet, this is not always the case. Sometimes the first hour connected can be free, but it is common to see an hour of connection charged at 5 euros. Faced with this, two solutions: either there is a cafe where the connection is free, or you sit as close as possible to the VIP restroom, hoping that the connection works. If the Internet is poor and you have long hours to kill, consider preparing a few movies or series in advance to watch on your computer without an Internet connection.
Budget Travel Purchases
Buying souvenirs at the airport is not a great idea. You will find souvenirs there that are not always very authentic, and especially at prices that are always prohibitive. Obviously, if you forgot your little niece to whom you promised to bring back a souvenir, this remains your last chance to make up for your omission.
Another small essential accessory to buy upstream: a pair of headphones! On some flights, they are chargeable, and it would be a shame to miss the film library offered on the flight.
Finally, a good novel is the best way to avoid passing the time and to avoid all the temptations that will make you spend money.
A little last for the road.
If you have time to kill before take-off, it might be time for a final check: do you have your passport, your visa…. and your travel insurance? To get away from it all, we strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance!
You will no longer have any questions to ask yourself in the event of medical expenses or even hospitalization or repatriation. A few hours or even a few minutes before your flight, this is the last opportunity you have to subscribe before the big departure! At ACS, the subscription is done online in 5 short minutes, and you automatically receive your insurance certificate by email, so there is still time.
