To fly cheaply, bring blanket

An article published on Travelmole today offers tips on how to enjoy your flight and still be cheap. All tips offered by CheapOair.com, all comments on the practicalities of being cheap are my own…

1. Act like a toddler. Bring a “blankie” and small, inflatable pillow and wake up rested at your destination.

Nice idea but how will you find space to fit ‘Blankie’ into your onboard luggage. Luggage that you have to carry on as you didn’t want to pay £12 to check your bags!

2. Be like a camel. Bring an empty water bottle through security and fill it up at a water fountain near your gate.

This one I like… saves you £2 for a tiny bottle of water in WHSmiths anyway. Make your seatmates jealous. Don’t pay £5 for stale bread and cheese. Pack a turkey wrap with fresh cheese, avocado and yummy sides. Fresh popcorn, pitas with hummus… or even your favorite chocolate bar.

Hmmm… not so sure about this one, sounds like a nice idea but I for one never have time to do a ‘pack up’ before rushing to the airport, I vote you just save your £5 for arrival when you can usually buy and enjoy a fantastic meal for the same price as a stale sandwich. I mean.. most short haul flights are less than 2 hours so do you really need to eat during that time?

4. You shouldn’t have to amuse yourself… but you kinda have to. Bring your own headphones to watch the in-board movie or listen to music.

In flight movie – aren’t those a thing of the past? Who wrote these tips? A good book is all you need.

5. Use your luggage as a workout. If you have to pay £12 to check your bag, get your money’s worth. Before checking the bag, use it for arm raises or use it to hold an impromptu step class. £12 is much cheaper than paying for a personal training session.

If I’m paying £12 to check my bags, I get my money’s worth by packing all the things I know I will probably not wear but at least I’ll have the choice. You can keep the workout, if I don’t have a bikini body by the time I’m at the airport then a few arm curls aren’t going to do it.

How far would you go to save money and fly cheap?