departing the airport

You may be full of excitement as you're taking your first flight to begin your trip. Or you may be tired after several months of backpacking.  Either way, you'll still have to navigate the airport and get onto your flight.

Whenever you are departing the airport, be prepared to wait.  This can be whilst you are queueing to have your bags scanned through the x-ray, lining up to check your baggage in, lining up at immigration, lining up to have your hand luggage checked, lining up at the checkout to buy your duty free goods or sitting at the departure gate waiting to board the plane.  There is plenty of waiting involved. Make sure you have a good book or an Ipod to keep you entertained when departing the airport.  There's only so much duty free shopping you can do.

Here's a few things to consider as you are departing the airport.  It doesn't matter whether you take slightly longer at one point, it just means that you'll be waiting for less amount of time at another point.  I really don't understand the people who must be first.  Take it easy and try to avoid the crowds!

Baggage allowances

Checked luggage

Checked luggage is usually 20kg per person. Occassionally (flying over the Pacific ocean) you are allowed 32kg per person. Depending on the airline (and the attendant at the desk), you may be required to pay extra if your baggage is overweight. The rates vary.

When departing the airport on a Malaysian airlines flight I had 29 kilos in my checked luggage. I was required to pay for 4kg because they allowed a limit of 25kg, rather than the 20kg stated in the terms and conditions of the ticket. So some airlines may have a baggage allowance which is greater than what is actually in the official terms and conditions.  So there may be some leeway after you have spent all your money shopping just before you head home.

Hand luggage

The requirements for hand luggage are now usually a maximum of 7kg.  Be wary that there is are also the limitations on carrying liquids and you can only bring in liquids in containers which are no larger than 100ml. I've been caught out with some sunscreen which I bought and forgot about in my day pack. It's 200ml of sunscreen which I won’t get back.

Checking in and getting your boarding pass

The only thing to note is that some countries require proof that you are leaving their country as part of their tourist visa (ie Thailand grants tourists a free 30 day stay as long as they have proof of exit).  As a result of this, some check in attendants will require you to show your proof of exit before they issue you with a ticket.  This may be a problem if you don't have concrete plans and want to do your travel spontaneously.

Each time I have been asked, I've always had a proof of exit.  I really have no idea what the attendant will do if you don't have proof of exit.  You have already purchased your ticket and have made a trip out to the airport. Would they really stop you from getting onto the plane? Do the airlines even have an obligation to police a country's immigration laws?  I think not.  If they did, do they have the ability to enforce the immigration laws?  I seriously doubt it.  It seems like you should be able to argue your way onto the plane if the airline is stubborn and doesn't want to issue you with your boarding pass.  Anyway, it should be up to you whether you will obey a country's immigration laws rather than the airline imposing the obligation on you.

I haven't been in the situation of not having proof of exit but I have passed through immigration at my destination (Thailand) without showing any proof of exit.  If immigration doesn't care to ask, why should the airline? 

If you are worried about being asked about having proof of exit and are not confident in explaining the situation, you can always try to find cheap international flights on the internet.  The dates won’t matter, as long as it is within the requirements specified by the country's immigration laws. 

Duty free alcohol

Every time I am departing the airport terminal I think, do I buy my full quota of duty free alcohol? (No, I'm not an alcoholic but I do enjoy my drinks!) Duty free alcohol may be the cheapest alcohol you can buy in any developed country. This is a reflection of the large taxes imposed on normal alcohol purchases.

Coming home, I tend to always buy my quota.  As I said, it's some of the cheapest alcohol you can buy in a developed country and it's great to have a few drinks at home.

But if you're on your way out or in the middle of a trip, do you buy a bottle or two? If you do, it makes for a great way to meet people over a few drinks in the hostel.  You're going to be very popular when you're offering free spirits. 

However, if you are departing the airport towards a destination where alcohol is comparatively cheap, then it may not be worth buying the duty free alcohol.  It is far more flexible to buy it as you go and you don't have to carry it around if you don't drink it.  A litre bottle can become quite a weight in your backpack after a while.

Read about:

• being in transit at airports
• arriving at airports
• airport security

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