There’s an amazing feeling of freedom in being able to fly to your chosen destination. But the time you spend in an airport is anything but free. What you do not know is that your stay at that airport can be expensive if you make the mistake of buying any of these items shared by Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, while you’re there.
- Wi-Fi
While waiting at the airport lounge you may exhaust your data. You turn to the airport Wi-Fi to continue your browsing. However, you have to pay for it. If this is the case, do not. First off, the Wi-Fi is slow and overpriced.
- Electronics
If you’ve decided you can pass up the airport Wi-Fi, then perhaps you’ll be open to passing up the opportunity to impulse-purchase electronics from those overpriced airport kiosks, even those little items like chargers and headsets you may have forgotten to pack. Electronics purchased at the airport will cost you significantly more than if you had bought them ahead of time.
- Foreign currency
It’s probably one of the last things you’ll think about when planning a trip, but don’t exchange your money for foreign currency at the airport. It’s well-known that travellers are arriving unprepared, and given the lack of competition among currency exchange booths at the airport, those booths tend to charge high fees and far from the best exchange rates. You should wait until you arrive at your destination and take out money from an ATM there.
- Medicine
Whatever over the counter medications you think you might need for your trip, don’t buy them at the airport because the prices are always inflated as compared to what you’d pay outside the airport. Try your best to plan ahead, and have what you need on hand in your carry-on.
- Souvenirs
Whatever you do, don’t buy souvenirs at the airport. There is a high mark-up on souvenirs at the airport. So plan ahead, and purchase souvenirs at your destination, rather than while in transit.
- Water
Air travel can dehydrate you, among other physical side effects, but know that you do not need to buy water at the airport. Instead, you should keep a water bottle on you. Since you can’t have liquids during a security check, you just pack an empty bottle water in your carry on. This way, you can just fill it up whenever you can.
- Contributed by Adeniyi Ogunfowoke, PR Associate, Jumia Travel & Food
