Copy article

Travel hacks for airports – the more obscure the better

ended 26. January 2026

Holidaymakers are heading abroad or holidaying in the UK to beat the January blues.

But what travel hacks do you have for the airport or the plane or the car for UK trips? Anything to make the trip easier, cheaper, better in any way.

The weirder the better.

Responses by Monday morning.

3 responses from the Newspage community

Copy all

Copy

Editor
Samuel Mather-Holgate
Managing Director & IFA at Mather and Murray Financial
No one likes getting allocated that middle seat on the plane, so to avoid this check in as late as possible. Ryanair tend to allocate the worst seats to try and incentives you to pay, but once the worst seats are gone the best ones are left, so the later you check in the more likely you are to bag yourself a window view.
Copy

Kundan Bhaduri
Entrepreneur, Investor and Landlord at The Kushman Group
Did you know that humans are biased towards their dominant hand so ninety percent of people drift to the right hand lanes. Go left, go far left, and you will often find an empty lane and a bored security officer.

Also, stop obsessing over airline status lounges which have become glorified school canteens thanks to credit card perks. The real hack is to download the specific airport app rather than the airline app. The airport's data on gate numbers and delays is often five minutes ahead of the screens because the airport's commercial team wants you shopping in Duty Free, not waiting at the gate.

Finally, never drink the coffee on the plane. The water tanks are rarely cleaned. Bring a high quality empty thermos and pay the barista in the terminal to fill it. It is a small investment that separates the civilised traveller from the caffeine deprived masses.
Copy

Colette Mason
AI Ethics Consultant at Clever Clogs AI
My top recommentation is a 12v electric (bento) lunchbox. (Check out the models that also come with a mains lead.) You can reheat meals in your vehicle, or at a hotel. At around £20, it pays for itself in one meal. If you're on the road a lot, and you want more choice about what you eat, it's amazing. It's also good for taking a taste of home with you when you're away. Also at 12v you can run it off your van's leisure battery, or high-spec portable power pack when you're parked up, and make quite a few meals. You can heat things up when you drive, park up at the services and eat, which saves a lot of time on a long run.

I'm not sponsored by Stanley, but their 2L Classic Legendary flask keeps water hot enough to make instant coffee for 24-36 hours, which is a really convenient too, especially if you're camping. You can make a coffee and a couple of porridges out of one fill from home. No faffing with gas and stoves, and no wait.