These 25 Airport Travel Hacks make your trips run smoother, more comfortable, and more enjoyable.
Discover what you should do pre-departure and in the airport, along with in-flight travel hacks and post-flight tips.
Before You Go
1. Check In Online 24hrs Before For Free Seat Selection
If you are not too particular about your seats, checking in 24 hours before your flight allows you to choose your seats for free on most airlines, saving you those pre-purchased seat fees.
Plus, if you have checked in online, downloaded your boarding pass, and only have hand luggage, you can head straight to the security gate, saving a bunch of time.
2. Hack Your Way To The Perfect Seat
A travel hack to choosing seats if you are travelling as two is to book the window and aisle seats, leaving the middle seat vacant. This will allow you to get the whole row to yourselves as no one would willingly book the seat in between.
This hack has worked for me in the past with me and my travel companion having the whole row to ourselves. And if someone does have the middle seat due to a full flight, you can offer them one of your seats so you and your travel companion can sit together.
The other seat hack is choosing the right seat for you. Choose the window seat if you like to sleep and look at the views. Choose a seat near the front of the plane if you want to exit first.
Or If you are like me and always need to go to the toilet, choose an aisle seat. The worst is to keep asking others to get up when you need the bathroom.
If you dislike turbulence, choose seats at the front of the plane or over the wing to experience less turbulence.
For extra legroom seats, select the exit-row and bulkhead seats.
I won’t talk about the middle seat as I don’t believe anyone likes it, but if you do let me know in the comments.
3. Have Boarding Passes & Important Information Saved In Your Phone
Internet may not always be available to you, so instead of panicking trying to get online access to retrieve your boarding pass or hotel details.
Before you go, download your boarding passes and visas offline, along with screenshots of your hotel booking and address.
4. Keep Your Important Documents Together
I love to keep all my important documents together in my plastic Disney zip bag. It makes it easy to access everything I need.
Pack in any printed documents such as Visa’s travel insurance, transfer or tour vouchers, plus your passport. It also keeps everything protected too.
5. Weigh Your Bags Ahead Of Time
We all feel that dread of getting our luggage weighed at the airport. Having that bit of sweat on our forehead as we watch the numbers increase on the scale and hope we don’t have to take anything out or pay an overweight fee.
A pre-airport travel hack to take that stress away by weighing your luggage at home so there is no surprises at the airport.
You can also purchase a hand-held luggage scale which is excellent for if you plan on bringing things back. I used one on my last trip, and it was great and compact to travel with.
6. Add Something To Your Luggage
Make sure you add a luggage tag to your suitcase with your name and contact details so it can be easily identifiable to you and others if your luggage gets lost.
Also, adding a colorful ribbon, keychain, or sticker to your luggage helps it stand out when you spot it on the conveyer belt and show others it does not belong to them.
7. Invest In an Air Tag
Scared of losing your luggage? Then invest in an air tag to keep track of your luggage at all times through the Find My app on Apple.
However, check the airport you are travelling from allow tracking devices in your suitcase.
8. Pack Dry Snacks To Save Money
We all know airport and airplane snacks can be pricey. So an airport travel hack to save money is to pack some dry snacks into your carry-on bag.
Airport Travel Hacks
9. Take A Photo Of Where You Parked
If you are driving to the airport and leaving your car parked until your return, take a photo of where you parked and save it to your favorites. Nothing is worse than returning from your trip tired and trying to locate where you parked the car.
10. Don't Turn Up At The Airport To Early
A mistake some people make is turning up too early to the airport for their flight. Some airlines only check in bags 2 hours before the flight.
If you get there too early and have luggage to check in, you may have to sit and wait for your check-in gate to open before going through security and enjoying duty-free. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have that extra hour in bed if I can’t get to the airport early.
11. Keep Your Luggage Receipt
The little receipt they give you after checking in your luggage, KEEP IT! If your luggage gets lost, the airline will ask for your luggage receipt. It will also help to track it down better.
12. Pre-Pack Your Liquid Bags
Save all the faffing about at the airport and pre-pack your liquids together at home to speed your way through security.
Take A Few Airport Liquid Bags For Next Time
A little airport travel hack I like to do is taking a couple of plastic liquid bags with me, ready for my next trip.
It means next time, I can pre-pack my liquids into the bag before getting to the airport, saving time transferring my liquids, and I know everything I want to take fits into the bag required.
13. Purchase Your Toiletries Post Security
I’m sure everyone is sick of those liquid rules travelling from the UK. Until the liquid rule is banished, an airport hack to get around it is to buy your liquids at the airport if you require more than you are allowed.
After security, no one checks your bags, meaning you can purchase whatever you like post-security in the airport.
If you are worried they will not have everything you need, a pro airport hack is to do an online order a few days before, and instead of ordering to your home address, choose pickup from the airport Boots post-security.
14. Take An Empty Refillable Water Bottle With You
Always carry an empty refillable water bottle with you to the airport. After security, most airports will have refillable water stations and fountains where you can fill up your water bottle for free, saving you money.
15. Take Advantage Of Airport Lounges In Long Layovers
An airport travel hack everyone should be hacking into is airport lounges. The general notion is that airport lounges are only for the rich and elite, but it couldn’t be further away from the truth.
Airport lounges are the best-kept secret as it offers unlimited, yes, you read correct, unlimited soft and alcoholic drinks, food, and comfortable seating for a fixed fee of £35-£45 for up to 3hours before your flight.
Some lounges also provide complimentary showers, runway views, and relaxation rooms, which was great on my long layover and flight to Peru. It was so nice to freshen up after many hours and enjoy unlimited food and drinks, including alcohol.
I highly recommend it if you have a long layover or plan on eating and drinking, as it’s more cost-effective.
Also, check whether your airline, Groupon, or credit card offers lounge access deals.
16. Pack A USB-A Charging Cable In Your Hand Luggage
Sometimes we forget to charge our devices or run down our battery life through Netflix shows or audiobooks.
To avoid your devices running out of juice, always carry a USB-A charging cable, as most airports, aircrafts and places around the world will have a USB-A charging socket allowing you to plug in without the hassle of a plug or adapter.
17. Carry A Portable Charger
If you cannot reach, a socket or your aircraft has no charging point. Portal chargers will become your best travel companion keeping your devices fully charged on the go. Just make sure they are fully charged before you set out.
18. Have a Packet of Handy Wipes In Your Carry On
Airports can be dirty, from the tables and chairs, meal trays on the plane, and the toilets. Always carry some handy wipes to keep germs at bay.
In-Flight Travel Hacks
19. Pack A Little Extra
Prepare for the worst, and always pack a few extra things in your hand luggage in case of long delays or loss of luggage. Nothing is worse than having a long layover due to a cancellation and not having any clean underwear to change into or the worst-case scenario of your luggage getting lost and you having nothing to get you through a few days.
Always pack a change of underwear toothbrush, a couple of light packable outfits, a warm jumper, a swimsuit, and some key mini toiletries or any personal essentials you would not want to be without.
Get Some FREE Beauty Samples
A pro travel tip is to go to your most loved beauty counters before your trip and pick up some small samples to put in your hand luggage. The size is perfect to cover you for a few days.
Of course, Clarins is my go-to offering the best service and sampling. I may be biased; sorry, not sorry.
20: Pack Your On-Flight Essentials In A Small Bag
The most annoying thing on a flight is to keep rummaging through your carry-on to find what you need throughout the flight. Get a small foldable bum bag, and just before you board, pack all your in-flight essentials into it and leave your carry-on overhead.
In mine, I like to have my headphones, water, snacks, scarf, portable charger, pen, lip balm, and an eye mask.
21. Always Have a Pen Handy
How many times have you had to ask to borrow a pen or wait until you exit the plane to fill in your immigration forms? Yep, me too. So now I always ensure I have a pen to hand in case I need to fill anything out.
22. Carry On Socks & A Scarf With You
Even if you are heading to a hot country, the aircraft can sometimes be quite chilly due to the aircon. So always carry a scarf or shawl with you. You can wrap it around you to keep the chill off and keep warm.
Socks are also a great thing to carry with you. Feet can swell up on the plane, so having a break from your shoes and having some nice cosy socks on helps and can make your flight more comfortable.
If you suffer from swelling, invest in getting some compression socks to reduce the discomfort and swelling.
23. Stay Hydrated
While in flight, staying hydrated is crucial because the plane has low humidity and a lack of oxygen, causing dehydration, headaches, discomfort, and dull skin.
Drink water throughout to keep your body hydrated and reduce dehydration and discomfort.
Post Airport Travel Hacks
24. Get Connected Through A Local Sim Card
Purchasing a local sim card can stop those hefty phone charges of using your mobile abroad. Ensure your phone is unlocked and can accept any sim card, and buy yourself a local sim card at the airport.
It’s great because you can make unlimited local calls and texts and access 247 internet data, making it much easier to use online maps and stay in touch with friends and family.
25. Know Your Passenger Rights For Flight Delays & Cancellations
Know your passenger rights when it comes to flight delays and cancellations. You may be entitled to airport food vouchers and overnight hotel stays with expenses paid and or compensation.
In the past, I have been given food vouchers to use at the airport. On another occasion, my flight got delayed until the following day, and I received a free hotel nights stay, including dinner and breakfast paid for along with £500 compensation.
Don’t just brush it off and forget about it. Find out where you can get food vouchers from for long delays. Fill out the necessary forms on the airlines website directly and get something for the inconvenience caused.
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Let me know what your airport travel hacks are in the comments
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