TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

Not exactly a surprising tip, but you do need to head to the airport with *plenty* of time to spare. An hour before your flight won't cut it.

With today's extra security checks, it's recommended that you give yourself at least an extra 3 hours before your flight. Give yourself even more time if you have a long drive into the airport from your home. Delays can pop up on public transport, and traffic snarls can slow down your taxi.

Better to get up at the crack of dawn, than to miss your precious flight.

At the airport, all bags look pretty much the same. It is a good idea to buy colorful bags or use luggage straps with bold colors and your name printed on them. It makes the bag easier for you to identify, and harder for another passenger to take it by mistake. It also helps airlines identify your bag, should it go astray.

Ensure your bag has a secure label attached with your contact details on and consider writing your name and address on the inside of the suitcase in permanent ink too.

With all the recent changes in airport security procedures, one thing remains fairly constant: the metal detector scan. It's just part of travel life, so plan for it and make your trip through security quicker.

Don't wear clothing with too many zippers, snaps or metal buttons. Don't have your pockets filled with keys, change, phones or other gadgets. Try to have such odds and ends in a single purse or bag so security can check it all quickly without you having to dump each pocket out as you go.

For body jewelry that you can't simply remove for the flight, have any metal jewelry removed beforehand and replaced with plastic or bone pieces so you don't set off the detector.

Ah, the infamous duty-free shop. A prominent part of any airport visit, filled with such items as alcohol, cigarettes, and jewelry. I do find it odd that anyone would weigh themselves down with such items while traveling, but to each his own.

My point is whether or not the prices at a duty-free shop are really the bargains that we all assume. Taxes and duty differ from country to country, so the amount you will save will depend on where you are going (and what you want to buy).

If you think you might want to get some duty-free items on your trip, do your research before you go. It's not unheard of to find the same things at a regular store at home, for the same price or even less.

If you are traveling alone, have a long layover and you need a nap, you can often seek shelter in the airport's chapel. Most people don't realize that airports even have chapels, but many of them do.

If the chapel is empty, you can try to catch a few winks.

Did you know that an empty suitcase can weigh 12lbs (5.5kg) or more? That is a big chunk out of your 40lb (18kg) total allowance, which severely restricts the amount of luggage you can take. Choose a lightweight bag to start with and avoid those excess luggage fees.

Also biggest is not always best. A large suitcase fully packed with clothing will certainly weigh more than the weight allowance permitted, leaving you to either pay the hefty excess baggage fee or pack things so loosely that they slide around and crumple.

Your wisest and most economical choice is a lightweight, medium-sized bag which is well-made and has wheels.