It’s no big secret, I LOVE to travel, but have you seen the prices they’re charging at the airport lately for snacks? It’s like shopping in another country! Seriously, where do they some up the these prices?
Plus, you pay an even higher premium if you want real, honest to goodness food, not just processed crap.
Well, enough is enough. Mavis is saying, “no!” No more stuffing the pockets of companies trying to take advantage of the fact that you are stuck in an airport, with no other options. {Do I sound angry? I am going for angry.}
If you are traveling by plane anytime soon, here’s a couple of plan-ahead tricks to save you cash and leave you feeling just the right amount of self-righteous {ha!}:
First, always plan ahead…and expect delays. Traveling by plane is like building a house, your timeline really doesn’t mean a whole lot. Admittedly, a lot goes into making sure planes take off and land on time, and any delay, anywhere, can affect your flight. Remember those people that were stuck waiting on a plane for 8 hours not too long ago? Not good on the old blood sugar, my friends, not good.
Pick travel friendly foods, like dried fruit, trail mix, protein bars, etc. the bulk bins at WinCo are awesome for travel food. {Fruit, like bananas and apples, tend to get bounced around until they’re nearly inedible, so sadly, it’s best to avoid them.}
If possible, wait to get a beverage on your flight–most flights still offer a complimentary beverage service. If you have really honed in on the art of simplistic living, bring an empty water bottle and ask to fill it up at one of the airport restaurants or water fountains. I’ve asked tons of places if they mind, and excluding one McDonalds, they have all been willing to let me fill mine, and my families water bottles. I’m pretty sure I heard them mumble “cheap-skate” under their breaths, but whatever. It’s no tea, but it’s free–and it leaves money to spend on the actual trip instead.
If you have to get a snack at the airport, avoid the meal type restaurants {i.e. sit down and/or fast food chains}. The mark-up on the meals is offensive. Stick to snack items, like pre-packaged sandwiches that are sold at smaller little kiosks. They are usually cheaper, and they will probably be healthier anyway.
How about you, do you pack your own snacks when you travel?
~Mavis
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Charla Echlin says
I definitely pack my own snacks! I usually pack crackers, cheese and fruit, like grapes- these will hold me over- sometimes even a PBJ will come along too. I will usually put them in a little flat tupper ware container- that way the crackers don’t get smashed. I’ve traveled to Hawaii 3 times this past 2 months and am getting ready to go again to help with my brother who is ill. So these 6 hour flights get to be really long.. On my return flight I’ll do the same, but I usually have a few local favorites that travel well – musubi (rice & spam in a seaweed wrap) and my all time fave- manapua- (a sweet bun filled with charsiu pork)- probably an acquired taste for some 🙂 My last flight was on Allegiant and when they say no frills they mean no frills- everything costs money- so I bought a nice iced coffee in a bottle at the gate and was lucky enough to get some ice from the stewardess- lasted me the whole flight. But hey- $300 RT ticket to Hawaii- it’s worth it.
sandra says
I always take powdered lemonade and ice tea in a zip lock bag and our empty water bottles. They are good for our family wherever we go for day trips as well.
Renee says
The Country Time lemonade and Crystal Light type powdered pour-ins are great when you want something with flavor or only bad tasting water fountain water is available. (also good for hotel rooms to avoid the vending machines) They also make collapsible water bottles (Walmart, Target, outdoor activity supply stores). They lay flat and expand when filled, then pack flat again. They will fit in your purse or pocket. Fill them inside the security area.
One more travel tip when you have toddlers on a plane. Get a book of cheap stickers from Dollar Tree or Walmart office/school supply section. When your toddler gets restless mid flight, have them stick stickers all over you and themselves. Yes, you may look ridiculous, but everyone is happy, your seat neighbors are happy, and really they are just cheap stickers, they come right off and you are not going to see any of these people again. It is a easy activity to pack since they are flat.
Jennifer says
I pack snacks in my carry on. Granola bars, apples, beef jerky, and crackers all travel pretty well. If it comes in a large size, I will pack snack sized ziplocks for the kids to each have their own bag. If you are traveling with small kids, bring an empty sippy cup. You can get a bottle of juice in the airport, or better yet wait till you get on the plane and they will fill it for free.
Alaska Airlines has very tasty, and fairly affordable snack/meal boxes. Most are only $6-7, and feature yummy local foods that are reasonably healthy.
Shereen Travels Cheap says
I always pack snacks, but I get to the airport way early (just in case!) and include a meal at a sit-down restaurant into my travel budget. Our airport seems to have decent prices on the actual restaurant food. It’s the snack food that you end up paying out the nose for, so I splurge on a giant bottle of water once through security (which is still only a few dollars) and then wait for my flight. I pack a ton of munchies for the flight and my trip and I never have to worry about going hungry on my flight or while I’m out sightseeing 🙂 We also always bring the ice tea packets for jazzing up our water when we’re out and about.
Kendra says
For those of you who enjoy adult beverages, you can take minis through security! My husband and I generally take a few on each trip then use the free drinks from the plane as mixers.
One thing I like about SeaTac is that when they built the new food court they required the restaurants to have the same pricing as outside the airport.
Diane says
I ALWAYS pack food – trail mix, apples, string cheese – sometimes a Trader Joe’s wrap that I buy the day before or the morning of travel. The only time I buy airport food is when I’m stuck because of a delayed or cancelled flight. Then I look for a Chinese-style restaurant, where I can get some vegies and order a la carte. It’s a better use of my money than buying the snack junk that’s available, even if it costs more in absolute dollars..
Katie says
Lately, I’ve found that buying sandwiches or snack packs ON the plane is cheaper than buying them in the airport kiosks–by a few dollars!! That makes NO sense. I also pack some tasty snacks.
I always fill my water bottle at the airport. A few airports even have the handy filling stations for water bottles!
Carol says
Thanks for all the tips! My sister and I are planning a trip to Turkey next spring and I need to save every penny possible!
Gwenn says
Perfect timing, my hubby and I are flying to NYC next week for a long weekend. I pack protein and granola bars, dried fruit and crunchy snacks. We also bring “Britta” bottles that we use not only when we fly but also when we are traveling…I hate paying for something like water, and packs of tea bags and crystal light pur. Beef jerky is a good idea, think I’ll make some this weekend. Our goal in NYC is to do as much free stuff as as can, which in NYC is a lot.
LisaRose says
Hey Gwen!
We’re headed to NYC in September for a week. I’d love to hear your tips on free things to do, if you don’t mind sharing. I can be reached at: lisarosebarnes (at) gmail dot com.
Thanks in advance!
LisaRose
Debra says
We always pack snacks. A favorite travel breakfast for our family – especially early morning flights – is scrambled egg and cheese “quesadillas”. Flour tortillas travel so much better than bread! It’s a nice, high protein food that holds us for a long flight.
I am loving some of the other suggestions in the comments on this thread!
Heather says
We plan ahead. With the extra fruit around the house… I put my dehydrator to work. I will get my fruit for super cheap and make our own snack packs. The kids pick their own blend so there tends to be less “left over.”
We went to Disneyland last year and I had 2 gallon size ziploc bags that kept a variety of adults and children to the tune of about 12 people happy with snacks for a few days. We love to travel and go on GREAT adventures so we try to save as much money as we can. However the first water bottle I bought at Disneyland almost sent me to the hospital with a heart attack. All I could keep telling my husband is that I don’t even pay that for a pack of 24 water bottles. Finally my son looked at me and said ” Mom you coupon so we can have fun on these trips..” Ha HA Who knew a bottle of water would spark such interesting conversations.
Thanks for the suggestions. I will now be shopping for the flat water bottles.
Amanda Meyer says
My family likes to tease me about this. I definitely pack snacks! Being gluten-free, I also tend to pack some things that I can eat in a bind if everyone else is eating foods I can’t have. I pack my own gluten-free oats (and if bringing plain oats, cinnamon and raisins to go with it), whole fruits (apples, oranges, bananas), nuts, crackers, granola/snack/protein bars, etc. If I am going to have access to a fridge, I also bring some other snacks—some GF bread sometimes, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, etc. in a lunch bag with an ice pack. Since everyone always wants to buy the candy/snacky-type treats on the plane, I try to pick up a couple kinds of candy for the plane, too. Then, we just pass it around. I also pack an empty water bottle for the precise purpose you mentioned!
CS says
Please, please, please, for the sake of other travelers, do not bring hard boiled eggs on to a plane to eat. They smell horrible and your plane mates will not be happy.
Gwenn says
I always pack food when I travel. Some standards for me are dried fruit (raisins, dried apricots and plums), almonds, pretzel nuggets, string cheese and usually a PBJ in a flat gladware container. I bring a water bottle to fill up past the gate and drink flavor packs (they make them with Stevie now) and usually a travel mug for tea. Some places will either give you hot water in your own cup or charge a small amount for hot water and I bring tea bags…cause I like the tea I like. I travel more for work than pleasure and I get $40/day for all my meals and I don’t like spending any of my precious food money at the airport. I’d rather go out for a nice dinner at my destination.