Monday, July 11, 2011

Duty-Free Shops: Deal or No Deal?


Are airport duty-free shops a rip-off -- or is it actually possible to find a decent travel deal at one of those ubiquitous duty-free stores?

Freelance writer Lisa Cheng (formerly of Travel + Leisure) tackled the tough topic for Frommers.com, which gained the attention of both USA Today and Rudy Maxa of the radio show "Rudy Maxa's World."

Since I edited the piece, I was asked to share some of Lisa's findings on last Saturday's "Rudy Maxa's World" broadcast. Listen to learn if it's worth buying designer bags, watches, cosmetics, cigarettes, or other items at airport duty-free shops. (I come on at the 23-minute mark).

Photo Caption: Duty-free cigarettes and alcohol are for sale by the departure gates at New York's JFK Airport. Photo by Amy Chen