My flight leaves at 0600 (weather willing)--yeah, there was a reason it was so cheap. ;-) However, 0600 actually makes it easier for me, because I'm out of Heathrow in this go round, so I have a quiet overnight of travel, starting at 23.40 from my corner of Essex, with two overnight buses which will deposit me at the door of Heathrow. In some ways it's a lot easier than traveling during the day when everyone is out and about...
One of my biggest frugal irritations is the cost of food in the airport, and that you're a bored and captive audience. How do I combat this issue?
I bring my own food. I pack along food on the assumption that I won't be fed on the plane, or that I'll be stuck at the airport for 12+ hours.
To start, I eat before leaving the house. Tonight I'm out the door at 23.40, so I had dinner and then an additional little meal, along with a beer to boot. So the below rations are what will get me through the next 12+ hours.
Starting at the top right:
-a leftover salad from lunch at Nosh today. They make a nice vegetarian spinach and cous cous with feta cheese and advocado salad. I wasn't overly hungry today, so half of it comes along.
-bottom right - two fried egg whites. Sometimes I boil eggs, other times I fry them. I like a little protein to carry along.
-bottom center - two granola bars. If all goes well, I won't touch these. I carry these along as insurance, in case there is suddenly a freak snowstorm grounding all planes or if the airline somehow doesn't have my veg meal.
-bottom left and center top - marked down goodies from Marks & Spencer. I find M&S's veg options to be top of the line but too expensive for daily use. However, they do great markdowns when items are nearing their best buy as these were. Left is a salad with lots of vitamin goodness for 1.50 GBP, top is a melon mix for 1 GBP. Both were more than half off their regular prices and fit my needs as I will consume them within 24 hours.
-top left - a bottle for water - i've yet to have a problem with taking an empty bottle through security and refilling it from the water fountain on the other side. plus, i don't usually travel beyond the industrialized countries of Europe and the US, so I've not so exposed to water which may cause issues with different bacteria, etc.
What else? Yeah, I carry along a spork and napkins always.
What will I buy at the airport?
Coffee. A black coffee is usually one of the cheapest items anywhere, and I loathe instant.
Back when I lived in Germany, I would tote along a beer or two as that was socially acceptable if you were on the train or stuck waiting at the airport, etc. One could carry along a beer for a fraction of the airport cost and only lose the .08 cents deposit. Now that I'm in the UK I've modified my behavior back to the US style. I may have a beer or two on the way out but I won't carry further and will probably wait until I'm on the (Euro carrier) airplane to (freely) indulge.
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