The facts from The Women’s Travel Group:
- You are already burdened by carrying stuff you should have checked.
- Duty Free items can be boring: liquor, tobacco, perfumes, accessories, food, electronics.
- Merchants do not pay duty/taxes so items might be cheaper inside an airport. But not necessarily!
What is a deal then? If there are branches of local stores, you might find deals unavailable at home. Examples: Boots cosmetics and medicine in UK airports. These cosmetics are sold at Walgreens in the US but marked up egregiously. Boots ‘holistic items’ are just not sold in the US. Another example: Istanbul’s Airport has a branch of Vakko. Vakko is only sold in Turkey. It has the most fabulously designed scarves, clothes and accessories. Vakko is equivalent to haute couture in the US but affordable in Istanbul.
Food deals? Dare we mention Foie Gras which is sold in many European airports and not widely found in the US. Olive oils from Italian Airports are finer quality. (If you are connecting in the US, beware of oil, as you are now carrying a liquid, and a second flight might not allow it). Unusual food like chocolate covered dates from Dubai Airport, chili infused chocolate from Mexico City Airport, Turkish Delight in many flavors from Istanbul. A wooden box of French cheeses in Paris is a must buy.
So much is discounted in the US, it is hard to find deals in Duty Free. If the airport destination has a deflated currency like the Mexican Peso or Turkish Lira, then you might luck out. If the country no longer returns VAT, again duty free will be a bit cheaper. (UK ended VAT rebates with Brexit).
For liquor, there are 2 things to consider. Are you buying what you think you are? Amounts can be different from store bought bottles and only seem cheaper. The supposed age of liquor, like single malt scotch can be hidden. It will be sold in elegant bottles with new unfamiliar titles.
The big stuff from Hermes, Chanel etc. in airports might or might not be this year’s styles. And jewelry from Cartier; buy it in Paris where you will have more time and more choices.
—Like everything in life, do your homework first.
—Have your boarding pass and credit card handy.
—Use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees.
—Keep receipts for US customs.
—Look for airport discount coupons ahead of time and bring them with you.
Collect airport shopping points– especially if you travel often to the same places. Sign up when prompted on arrival (point systems pop up when you log onto airport wifi).
Finally even if you don’t use the airport much, you might enjoy being greeted. Here is what I see when entering Heathrow: Welcome back Phyllis.
Travel tips from award winning tour company, The Women’s Travel Group. Contact us at https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/contact/ Our Paris, Turkey, Greece, Italy trips are still adding a few more of you.
