10 Airport Mistakes I See Travelers Make — and What You Should Do Instead to Save Time and Money

I live for luxury travel, and I don't mind spending money on thoughtful indulgences at my destination. But what I don't like to do is spend my hard-earned cash on overpriced essentials at the airport when I can avoid the expense by coming prepared instead. 

You'll never catch me spending beaucoup bucks on an environmentally problematic, single-use plastic bottle full of literal water! Instead, I come prepared with my own refillable water bottle, first-aid essentials, over-the-counter medicines, and other key tools for comfort and safety. This way, I can save my money for the travel expenses that are more rewarding (like a perfectly-made, poolside cocktail or, say, a Tahitian black pearl).

As a frequent flier and travel writer, my advice is to do the same. These are the 10 things I pack every time to save time and money at the airport, starting at just $6 at Amazon.

Don't buy: Plastic, single-use airport water bottle

Bring this instead: Platypus SoftBottle

One thing about me: I absolutely refuse to pay $6 for a bottle of water at the airport. (My mom didn't raise a fool.) That means I come prepared with my own plan for hydration. I love a soft, portable water bottle that you can refill at filtered water stations available in many airports, including my home base of LAX. This one weighs next to nothing so you can keep it with you throughout your travels and refill over and over. (It's the environmentally-friendlier choice, too.)

Don't buy: Expensive airport neck pillow

Bring this instead: NapFun neck pillow

Walk around most any airport and you'll see endless rows of overpriced neck pillows on offer, just begging for your last-minute cash. Don't do it: Instead, pack your own affordably-priced neck pillow (currently on sale for about the same price as an airport bloody mary). The memory foam pillow packs into its own travel bag, so you'll always have it ready for your next trip.

Don't buy: Overpriced airport food

Bring this instead: Soft, packable lunch bag

These days, you can hardly guarantee you'll be fed, even on a long-haul flight, if you bought the most affordable, available ticket. But buying food at the airport or on the plane can be so unsatisfying. A couple of wedges of cheese, some crackers, and a handful of grapes in a ton of wasteful packaging for $18? No thanks. I'd rather bring my own sustenance from home in a made-to-last lunch bag that insulates and packs small and light for use during travels, too.

Don't buy: Airport shop charging cables

Bring this instead: Cable organizer

If you've ever forgotten a single important cable for charging your essentials, you know there are usually shops in the airport that are happy to sell you what you need to get by — at a massive markup. I aim to avoid this opportunistic extortion by coming prepared with redundant versions of my most-used cables, and keeping them all carefully organized in my neoprene Dagne Dover tech organizer. If $70 is a little steep, there's a similar one at Amazon with 17,000-plus five-star ratings that's on sale for $8 right now. 

Don't buy: Airport luggage identifier

Bring this instead: Durable luggage tag

It's absolutely critical to have all your bags labeled at the airport. But if you get there and realize you've forgotten to handle your business, your options are hand writing your details on those dubious paper strips provided by the airline at the check-in counter, or buying some overpriced and potentially hokey luggage tags at the airport. I opt for the preparation with my go-to Nappa leather luggage tags from Quince; they have a durable buckle and a sleeve that covers your info for discretion while you travel. These Amazon-favorite ones also do the trick for $9.

Don't buy: Single-dose airport medicine

Bring this instead: travel pill organizer 

I hate that feeling of needing some ordinary over-the-counter medication — say, a painkiller — and having to shell out a hugely-inflated fee for a dinky single-dose sleeve at airport prices. So I always stay stocked up with my own OTC medicines for any event, and I keep them organized in my favorite secure, leakproof, durable, and cool-looking solution: Cadence travel capsules, which connect magnetically. Over at Amazon, travelers swear by this trusty, $10 travel pill organizer, which has four compartments for your everyday medications, supplements, and more. 

Don't buy: Airport bandaids

Bring this instead: Mini first-aid kit

Same thinking here: I like to travel with a basic first-aid kit so that everyday discomforts don't become expensive airport purchases. A small pack of bandaids in the airport will set you back several dollars for no good reason. I always have them with me — they're so useful for everything from a cut to a broken nail to a toe blister from a shoe that rubs. This little kit drops in a backpack or purse and has bandages, scissors, safety pins, and lots more helpful travel tools.

Don't buy: Airport hand sanitizer

Bring this instead: Touchland hand sanitizer spray

I interviewed a flight attendant about her favorite travel essentials, and she got me obsessed with this Touchland hand sanitizer, which she called both "essential and bougie." I always carry it with me so that I have an elevated, pleasant-to-use, and nicely fragrant hand sanitizer in my bag, and this keeps me from having to buy a more ordinary version at a marked-up airport price point.

Don't buy: Airport entertainment for kids

Bring this instead: Kids activity book

These days, my kids are old enough to be entertained by screen time alone. But when they were smaller, it took so much creative thinking and preparation to keep them entertained on long flights. If I didn't come prepared, I'd end up spending big money on airport diversions (desperate times call for desperate measures). So I always preferred to come prepared with my own, like this lightweight paperback activity book. 

Don't buy: Duty-free beauty or skincare

Bring this instead: Personal healing balm

My lips always get so chapped in that dry airplane cabin air, but I'd hate to spend too much money on some tube of waxy chapstick in an airport gift shop. So I always come prepared with the good stuff: a multipurpose balm that works as a smoothing, healing lip balm and remedy for dry skin patches, cuticles, elbows, and more when I'm traveling. Farmacy's Honey Savior Healing Balm is perfect for the job, or you can stock up on something tried-and-true like these travel-sized Aquaphor tubes. 

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