Airports are weird. Common sense goes out the window. And even the most veteran travelers fall victim to accidentally making airport mistakes from time to time.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to check out our monthly vacation travel special.
To save you the trouble of learning the hard way, I’ve put together 10 airport tips and tricks I’ve learned through making my fair share of blunders over the past 6 years of full-time travel.
Some of these flying tips and airport hacks are totally counterintuitive to what you would do in normal life, so don’t feel bad if you’ve made them before.
***For even more travel hacks and ways to travel cheap, this free download shows 15 tricks travel experts use to slash their costs:
Mentioned:
TRAVEL eSIMs (each company has pros/cons depending on your destination and type of trip):
⭐️Holafly eSIMs: (use code PROJECTUNTETHERED for a discount)
⭐️Airalo travel eSIMs: (use referral code MITCH9827 when signing up for free credit)
⭐️Flexiroam travel eSIMs:
💳 The credit card I use for free lounge access worldwide and other perks: https://capital.one/356DPDn
___
🔴M O R E C O O L V I D E O S 😎 :
▶ SNEAKY Tips for Packing a Free Personal Item Backpacks: https://youtu.be/arPv33f2bU0
▶ How to find the CHEAPEST flights (Google Flights hacks): https://youtu.be/z8INlJ09nTw
▶ Best Cheap Flight Websites NOBODY Talks About: https://youtu.be/gl9mtgSI2P4
▶ Fly from US to Europe for $5 (TRAVEL HACKING for Beginners): https://youtu.be/Uebb4EA3g50
▶ Clever tips for flying with Spirit Airlines (+ our nightmare experience) here: https://youtu.be/HC0z5WSZ9eQ
▶ How to find CHEAP HOTEL deals like a BOSS: https://youtu.be/YnjGt8YVJxU
▶ 10 little-known tips for traveling cheaply (SHHH!): https://youtu.be/QT9QaVNBJmU
___
🟢T O P R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S :
→ BEST TRAVEL PLANNING RESOURCES: Here’s everything you need to plan your trip—from cheap flights, to accommodation, to packing lists, and more:
→ FREE ACCOMMODATION: Stay for free in awesome houses around the world by agreeing to look after the owner’s pets:
→ CHEAP TRAVEL INSURANCE: My new favorite travel insurance that saved me over $15,000 after a motorcycle accident in Thailand (if you’re currently traveling without insurance, get yourself protected ASAP):
___
🔵A W E S O M E R E S O U R C E S :
117 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY TRAVELING:
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TRAVEL JOB FOR YOU (FREE WORKBOOK):
EARN YOUR FIRST $1K FREELANCING (FREE COURSE):
___
🟡S U B S C R I B E
▶ WANT TO FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY AND LEARN WHAT LIFE IS REALLY LIKE TRAVELING FULL TIME AND WORKING ONLINE?
Hit the SUBSCRIBE button and the notification bell on this page so you don’t miss any new Project Untethered videos (This really helps us a lot, so thanks in advance! 🙌): https://bit.ly/3f2OdwF
___
🟣A L I T T L E A B O U T U S
Heyo! Mitch and Day here 👋🏼
We’re just your typical American-Colombian couple determined to live every second of our precious time here on earth to the fullest. After a 10-month solo backpacking trip through South America, I (Mitch) stopped in Cali, Colombia to take salsa dancing classes 💃🏻. I only planned to stay for a couple weeks, but God had other plans for me. I met a cute Colombian girl (Day) in class, those couple weeks turned into a couple years, and before we knew it…we were married 👰🏻🤵🏼
Now we’re traveling the world full time as digital nomads, supporting ourselves by working online 👨💻👩💻
Our goal with these videos is to inspire you to step outside your comfort zone, give you an inside peek at our crazy imperfect lives, and show you that you don’t have to be rich to live an extraordinary life…all you need to do is make the choice!
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:25 Airport mistake 1
1:32 Bonus airport tip
1:49 Airport mistake 2
2:21 Airport mistake 3
3:00 Airport mistake 4
3:41 Airport mistake 5
4:06 Airport mistake 6
5:05 Airport mistake 7
5:51 Airport mistake 8
6:08 Airport mistake 9
6:26 Airport mistake 10
___
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission (at no additional charge to you!). I believe in and have experience with everything I recommend. Thank you for supporting ProjectUntethered.com so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Airports are weird sometimes things make Common sense in normal life but as soon As you get to the airport it's the Opposite this makes it easy to make Mistakes no matter how clever you are Sometimes you just don't know what you Don't know and the only way to learn is To make these airport mistakes for Yourself or you can just watch this Video and save yourself the headache Let's go [Music] Airport mistake number one is locking Your checked bags you'd think using Those little tsa approved locks to close Your zippers and secure things would be A good idea but that's not always the Case the idea is that these tsa agents Have a universal key for these locks and So they can open them if they need to Check inside your bags for anything but In reality they just prefer to wreck Your bag every single time i lock my Zippers my luggage arrives with the Zippers cut off one time i even tried to Make it easy for them by closing my Zippers with carabiners instead of locks And they still cut off my zippers and They stole my carabiners one better Alternative option if you want to secure Your bag is to use saran wrap which Sometimes you can get at the airport or If you want to do it cheaper you can Just do it yourself at home another
Solution i've used is zip tying your Zipper shut but that also comes with the Same risk with the tsa agents they might Decide it's more fun to cut off your Zippers instead of just cutting off the Zip ties and honestly that wouldn't Surprise me now i imagine these ruthless Luggage attacks wouldn't happen if they Had no reason to check inside your bags And that brings me to a related tip put Anything that might be considered Suspicious like liquids or powders or Medicines or whatever in one of the Outside top pockets that's not locked That's easy to access if you make it Easy for them to examine your bags Hopefully it won't arrive tear the Shreds airport mistake number two is not Protecting your skin this is something i Actually never bothered to do but i'll Share with you because most people don't Know it and for some people it might be Important a research study showed that Pilots and cabin crew members are twice As likely to get melanomas than the General population one theory for this Is that the uv radiation is way higher When you're way up in the air than it is Down on earth because of this sunscreen Might not be a bad idea or at the very Least don't fall asleep with your face Drooling up against the window airport Mistake number three is not having a Data plan ready for you when you arrive
You'd think that all airports have free Wi-fi nowadays but that is not the case And let me tell you it is not fun Arriving to one of these wi-fi less Airports and trying to arrange a ride or Meet with someone who's there to pick You up or try to find a way to get to Your accommodation it's always a good Idea to research beforehand if the Airport you're going to be arriving in Has wi-fi or if they sell data plans in The airport another option is to simply Buy a travel e-sim before you leave so That you have connection as soon as you Land if you do decide to go that route Make sure to grab the project untether Discount in the description alrighty Mistake number four is overspending on Food the airport is the last place you Want to be with a growling stomach food Can be outrageously expensive and so i Recommend two different options the First is pretty obvious and that is to Always pack snacks the second option is To consider getting lounge access which Usually includes free food our favorite Credit card gives us lounge access in Over a thousand lounges worldwide and if You're interested in that i'll put my Referral friend link down in the Description but another option if you Don't fly that much is to just buy a One-off pass when you get to the airport One of these passes might not cost that
Much extra than just buying a full meal In the airport and plus you'll have a Comfortable place to stay while you wait For your flight mistake number five is Not being strategic when your flights Are canceled if your flight gets Canceled people are going to rush to the Counter to try to get help to get their Flight rescheduled you should do this Too but while waiting in line call the Customer service number because you Never know you might get a hold of them Before you get to the front of the line That'll give you a better chance of Getting on the next flight out and you Also won't have to deal with a grumpy Customer service agent that everyone's Been yelling at on the same line as Getting flights canceled number six is Getting too excited when an airline Offers free vouchers to bump you to the Next flight it's common practice for Airlines to overbook their flights with The hopes that some people just don't Show up but if everyone shows up they Won't have enough seats when this Happens they'll start making Announcements offering free flight Vouchers for anyone who's willing to Wait until the next flight and in some Cases if you check in light you might Not even get an option and you Automatically get bumped this is what Happened to me when i tried to fly to
Brazil for the olympics because everyone Who bought their flight went on the Flight and nobody missed the thing is When they start offering these freebies They start by lowballing you to see if Anyone bites that means it's usually not The best idea to take the first offer Also if you do get bumped make sure to Ask for cash instead of a voucher the Amount of cash they can offer will Depend on the country you're in the Amount of the delay that there is and The type of flight but in some cases They can offer up to four times as much As a one-way ticket so we're talking Potentially over a thousand dollars Before we get to the last couple i'm Making another video on things that Airports don't want you to know and so Make sure to subscribe to get notified When that one drops mistake number seven Is forgetting to measure your luggage Beforehand most airlines aren't going to Measure your luggage or carry-on bags Unless they're obviously way too big but It's always a risk the risk is usually Biggest on budget airlines where they Try to nickel and dime you for Everything the strangest airline that We've flown on is ryanair and their Personal item size is way smaller than Most other airlines and so if you're not Careful you might get caught in their Trap and have to pay extra for your
Personal item if it doesn't fit in their Bins if you're having trouble fitting Everything into a small backpack check Out this packing hacks video next for Some clever tips to make it happen Mistake number eight is trusting the Gate on your boarding pass if you trust The gate on your boarding pass you may Walk way to the end of one side of the Airport and realize that your gate was Changed and if it changed and you don't Realize it you really might be in Trouble to avoid this always confirm Your gate on the departure screens in The airport mistake number nine is Staying hydrated flying days are days Where it's actually a smart idea to Dehydrate yourself at least it's smart If you prefer not to bug your neighbors Every 20 minutes to get up and go pee It's also a good idea to hit the Bathroom before boarding your plane so You'd never have to use the dirty nasty Airplane bathroom speaking of germs the Next mistake is forgetting to pack Sanitizing wipes or sanitizing gel Airport tray tables are nasty and one of The dirtiest places on a plane you never Know if the last person had their fungus Feet slathered all over the tray table That you're about to eat on or rest your Head on if you don't believe me check Out the passenger shaming instagram Account where you can see all the nasty
Things that flyers do on a plane for Peace of mind it's always a good idea to Sanitize your trade table yourself as Soon as you get on the plane guys if you Want to avoid spending more than you Have to on your next trip check out this Playlist next which is jam-packed of Cheap travel hacks to save money alright Guys bye-bye