Most of us set a budget before we head out on vacation. We plan for a place to stay, food, plane tickets, and entertainment. What many of us forget to budget for is airport expenses. When you have a quick flight with no layover this might not be an issue, but if you’re flying far away your bound to get stuck in hustle and bustle of airport life. I think the endless boredom is what makes people want to spend money. Either that or you have security issues and they make you throw away “prohibited items”. Here are a few tips that will help you out in the airport.

1)   Bring empty water bottles- If you’re spending all day traveling, you’re bound to get thirsty. It’s tempting to hit up Starbucks or any other miscellaneous shop that will meet your needs. However, if you didn’t budget for that expense, you should save your money for your destination. If you have empty water bottles you can get them through security and fill them up on the other side. I’d say that on this trip (did I mention I’m on vacation?) it has easily saved us $30 (because we’ve had such long layovers).

2) Bring snacks with you- Just like being thirsty, you’re probably going to get hungry at the airport. Once they have you trapped in the terminal, the food prices go up tremendously! There are few rules against taking snack into the airport (Here is a list of prohibited items). On our trip we have easily saved money (probably $40) by eating these snacks for meals.

3) Put your toiletries in a 1 quart zip lock bag- This is a basic rule that most frequent fliers know by heart, but if you’re not a frequent flier, it can be easily forgotten. These items are three times more expensive at the airport then they would be at a normal store! I did forget the bag, and I had to buy all new stuff when I landed. Even if you remember your zip lock you could bring extras incase whomever you’re traveling with forgets!

If you do these three things it will definitely help your travel budget. You’ll still be bored, but saving money always feels good. Do you know of any other airport tricks to help save money?