Gift Shopping at the Airport: Can You Get Away With It?

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

See recent posts by Christine Sarkis

I was horrified to learn that, before we met, my husband used to routinely do all of his Christmas shopping at the airport on his way home to see his family. John Grisham novels and electronic coin sorters for everybody! But with more major retailers and local stores opening airport locations, I started to wonder: Can you buy gifts at the airport without giving yourself away as a last-minute-shopper?

To find an answer, I went for a virtual shop at a few major U.S. airports. Here are some of the more promising gift shops I found:

JFK Airport- New York: Cartier, Clinique, Mont Blanc, Kids Works, Discovery Channel Store, Virgin Books/Music, Metropolitan Museum of Art Store, Muji
La Guardia Airport- New York: Discovery Channel Store, Metropolitan Museum of Art Store, PGA Tour Shop
McCarran International Airport- Las Vegas: Kids Korner II, Fossil, Crabtree & Evelyn, Swarovski, Bose, Borders
Los Angeles International Airport: The Body Shop, Life is Good, Kids Works, Brookstone
Miami International Airport: Havana Shirt Store, Hugo Boss, Island Styles, Leather & Co., L’Occitane, Borders
San Francisco International Airport : San Francisco Museum of Modern Art MuseumStore, The Body Shop, Gucci, PGA Tour Shop, Sephora, MNG by Mango

Based on these examples, it seems like you might actually have better luck shopping at the airport nowadays than at a local mall. However, shop options do vary, so be sure to check store listings at your departure and arrival airports in advance. Many [[Airports | airports]] post store and restaurant directories on their websites.

And remember flight carry-on restrictions. Many airlines allow you to carry one shopping bag as your personal item in addition to your carry-on, but it’s worth checking in advance and shopping strategically.

Do you have more airport shopping ideas? Share your suggestions by submitting a comment below!

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.