Do You Take Your Own Snacks to the Airport?
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Going on holiday is expensive enough, then you reach the airport and fork out another £100 on food before you head off.
Does anyone take their own food/snacks? I seen a family eating packed lunches they had brought with them and thought it was a fantastic idea 
Good for them. If more people did this then they would have to lower their prices. I don't even think duty free is cheaper than some mainland shops.
Lynibis I think it’s brilliant. We paid £48 for two small cooked breakfasts and two coffees. If you were a family of 4 it would be almost £100!
I have never been abroad, but if I was to go to an airport then I would take my own food as I imagine airport food would cost the earth, much like with motorway services.
RegularComper91 the airports must make a fortune. Even a packet of crisps was £2.50. We are going away in October and I’ll be doing us packed lunches lol
We went to Northern Ireland 9th-19th August, we always book the Airport Lounge, yes it's around £90 but you can eat what you want & go back for more, Juice,Tae & Coffee included also certain Alcoholic Beverages..
My partner got £10 off so around £80 for three adults
janphoenix51 that’s a great deal. We booked the lounge going to barbados from Heathrow and paid similar. We would have spent more on lunch and a few wines
janphoenix51 I may do that next time we fly just to make it easier and seen recently to use lounges
janphoenix51 We are booked into the airport lounge in Barbados for our return flight. We are cruising from Southampton and flying back. It was a really good price plus you get air conditioning which you don’t get in the department area. We have used the Heathrow one before and the one at Lanzarote airport, well worth it.
Jerseydrew...We flew from Manchester 2 years ago around lunchtime, the menu was fantastic
janphoenix51 I didn't know about the paying to go into til after my last flight so next will do it
janphoenix51 reckon it must better if delayed as it'll more comfortable and less crowded
Sometimes depends on where we are going. If I get snacks beforehand yes but not practical for us as we have to go through 2 lots of airports so more hassle then it's worth
Passport ran out in 2016, don't think l will ever renew or go abroad again in my lifetime but l never use to take a pack lunch, getting to the airport and buying a pub lunch, meal deal from boots or a coffee and danish was always the start of my holiday spend. Those were the good olde days 
Yes, food and souvenirs aren't cheap so don't buy it at an airport.
A few years ago I went to the Stanstead airport (I think) to travel and people were using the floor as if it were their bed. I couldn't do that it'd feel so unhygienic and unsafe.
I don’t think I could do that either PayItForward That was like 2-3am, but I'd still not do that. I'd rather just stay awake and sleep later.
There is enough to remember when going to the airport without the added complication of packing food etc,
I always do this, maybe not sandwiches but enough crisps etc for the wait and the journey. I refuse to pay the inflated prices
jms19 absolutely. I also don’t understand why burger king is more than double the price of what it normally is
PayItForward same in motorway service stations, a meal at burger king is close to £15! I suppose it’s paying for the convenience
jms19 Sandwich deal (sandwich + crisps + drink for £3ish) at M&S Airports is decently priced unless it went up again?
Or just buy it hours before or a day before for it to stay fresh.
PhilipMarc I always thought if you buy food from the chiller department it must be eaten straight away or kept refrigerated and eaten before the use by date (or on that date).
jam45 Lasts 1-2 days or more, but the longer it stays the more stale it becomes as it wasn't meant to be kept for so long.
I bought apple juice from Sainsbury's not that long ago (maybe a week) and it tasted a bit sour, so once it's opened... Better drink it than keep it for too long.
...
We had 2 Taes, 1 Cappuccino 1 Latte, 2 slices of Toast & Jam, 2 slices of Toast & Jam & a Breakfast Bap with extra Potato Bread from this place at Belfast International Airport...Around £30!!
We never book Lounge on way home but wish we had!!
Order taken on your phone & delivered by one of 4 Robots like the one in the photo though the place does have human staff milling around..
janphoenix51 wow. I haven’t encountered these at the airport yet. At least you wouldn’t need to tip them lol
PhilipMarc...I found it kind of weird but my partner & daughter had settled down at a table & were ordering food!
I prefer to see a friendly face serving us NOT some blinkin robot..
As my Whovian mad 25 year old daughter said...
Like something out of Dr Who!!!!!
I didn’t know you could do this until I last went on holiday, I seen people do the exact same. I will be doing the same in future for sure x
possy I was speaking with my dad last night. He was saying my stepmum makes bacon butties for them to take
I have always taken my own food to the airport. Usually just snacks. I then get a meal deal from Boots, eat the wrap and save the rest for the journey. I always have an empty bottle which I fill up with water at the airport. Most airports now have proper water taps. Saying that last time we got to the airport early and went to Wetherspoons, pretty reasonable.
eyeballkerry good tips here on your post. That’s a good point about the water - you can’t take it through security, but you can fill up a bottle when through. Love it
PayItForward I have seen people on social media say they freeze their water then take it through. I just prefer to get it at the airport. I also pick up shampoo and conditioner at the airport if I need to save weight on my main luggage. My toiletries seem to weigh an awful lot!
eyeballkerry I don’t know anyone that has done the frozen water thing. The shampoo and conditioner tip is a good one - it weighs so much!
PayItForward ...Why not buy a Shampoo & Conditioner Bar instead of carrying bottles?
My globe trotting daughter taught me that one, she took one to Ghana when she was on her Student Radiographer overseas placement, then Italy with her old school friends & finally to Northern Ireland with her Da & I the other year.
janphoenix51 My daughter uses those bars but unfortunately I have psoriasis so I have to use certain shampoos. I always pack the mini bars of soaps you get from hotels. Especially handy for washing your hands where places do not provide soap.
eyeballkerry ....I feel your pain! My younger brother & I suffer from Psoriasis,when we get it we are absolutely covered head to toe...
I had it for the first time in 17 years in November 2019 on my first holiday in Portugal, had a virus just before my partner, daughter & I went away!
P's daughter had Psoriasis for the first time on her 23rd birthday last August 22nd, she wouldn't go out to celebrate & stayed home with her bf. My late nephew D had Psoriasis, his sister A also has it & my cousin L has Psoriatic Arthritis
A nice young colleague G has Psoriatic Arthritis, he's 20, diagnosed at 18..
janphoenix51 I have psoriatic arthritis as well as osteoarthritis. I only know one other person with psoriasis. I have tried many different medications but always get side effects. I was injecting myself with methotrexate but as well as side effects it is not an easy medication to travel with. You have to keep it at a certain temperature. Camper van , Australia was not a good mix!
eyeballkerry i have psoriasis on my scalp too. But I wash my hair with normal shanpoo after as the one I’m prescribed is quite stinky and I feel it leaves a smell in my hair. I’m allergic to lavender, so I carry this pocket sized tub that has little paper soaps (you use one for washing your hands). They are great. Unfortunately so many hotels and restaurant toilets use lavender containing soaps I don’t take the chance anymore
I haven't been to the Airport for at least 12 years. I've been to pick up my mother in law but that's it. We always took our own snacks with us. Airports were always expensive.
MrsCraig some airports are definitely more expensive than others. Friends of ours got delayed on a connecting flight and paid £54 for 4 beers. I was nearly sick when I heard that
If we're at an airport then we do get a meal as it's the beginning of our holiday so a nice treat.
HEDGEHOGS if that’s how you like to start your holiday, hats off to you
For bigger families a packed lunch might be best for them. The price of meals at airports would take you out for dinner twice on holiday
No, we always have enough to do and think about when travelling via an airport without worrying about taking food as well . We usually leave early and stop somewhere and eat on route to the airport ,or grab a meal deal in Boots or WH Smiths at the airport.
Mango4 I have to pack my own kombucha in my case anyway in a cool bag (I buy locally made stuff). If I’m doing that, I could always bring us sushi to eat
Yes, we always take our own packed lunches but have to be strict about not leaving them in the fridge before we leave which has happened more than once! I prefer my own fillings as some bought sandwiches do not suit me as I allergic to egg.
SueWard absolutely. Especially if you have allergies and want to make sure you have something you can eat, it’s a great idea
I like hot food so unfortunately I’d treat myself to a hot meal before a flight, although I know it’s expensive. Snacks just don’t fill the void for me
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