Everyone knows that your vacation starts as soon as you check your cases into the airport. One of the perks to being there so early is that you can enjoy a bit of duty-free shopping and an inappropriately-early drink. Many of us will also head to one of the food outlets to get a bite to eat before boarding, but there are some things you may not have considered when choosing what to chow down on before your travels.
It might not be so clean
When you are looking for a new place to enjoy in your everyday life, chances are you have at least a cursory glance over the food safety rating before committing to ingesting the food. However, in the excitement of travel, we tend to forget about that, and you might be surprised to hear how some airports rate. For example, back in 2015, the FDA reported poor sanitation in the LAX kitchens, and due to the nature of the building, it seems some ingredients can end up sitting out for a lot longer than they would do in a restaurant.
Busy is a good thing!
Although you might want to avoid standing in a queue when you could be enjoying a drink or grabbing a book for the trip, the busier the food counter, the better. This is for a few reasons. The first being that if somewhere is popular, it’s likely popular for a reason. Frequent fliers have probably tried most of the offerings and chosen the best, so follow their lead. Also, if somewhere is busy, the food will be replaced regularly, so you know it won’t have been sitting out for too long – meaning fewer bacteria and less chance of soggy pizza.
Chains are boring but safe
Sure, when you’re on your vacation, you don’t want to be eating at McDonald’s when you have a whole country’s local dishes to sample, but when it comes to the airport, you might be safer sticking with what you know. The beauty of a chain restaurant, from Shake Shack to KFC, is that they offer the same quality of food whether they are in a mall or an airport, so you know what to expect. Sure, it’s hardly gourmet dining, but there will be plenty of time for that and for now, it’s nice to have something safe and reliable.
Quicker isn’t always better
It’s tempting to head for an express food station where the sandwiches are simple, but already made and you know what you’re getting. However, this comes at a price! The food will be significantly marked up to account for the convenience. Not only that, but you can’t be sure how long the food has been out for, so it might be a little stale, or soggy. If you do have the time, try to aim for somewhere that you know the food is cooked fresh or made to order.
Start your trip off in the right way, with good, hearty food to fuel your traveling and keep you going until you touch down. In-flight food can often be a little disappointing, and you don’t want to be stuck in the air feeling ravenous, so make sure you eat plenty beforehand and take a few small snacks on board with you too. Bon appetit and happy travels!
