Travel Tip: How to get free food at this international airport

Every week, 9Travel shares top travel tips from our readers or something our writers find. Have something to share? Email us at travel@nine.com.au for a chance to be featured in an upcoming story.

Everyone loves a free lunch, as the saying goes.

Especially at an airport, where the prices never fail to be jaw-dropping.

And on a recent trip back to the UK, I stumbled across a freebie worth having.

READ MORE: Forget a power bank, this is the most effective way to charge your phone while travelling

If you're flying through Hamad International Airport in Doha Airport with Qatar Airlines (including on the new Virgin Australia codeshare) you can claim 30 bucks ($US20) to spend on food.

Granted, that's not that much by airport standards.

And it was small change considering I had spent over $3000 on the flight.

But still, these days, anything free is worth having.

You can use the credit at multiple places.

I spent mine on pancakes and a cup of tea at a cafe... I think it was breakfast but it could well have been supper. Time doesn't really exist in an airport.

All you have to do is join the Qatar Airways Privilege Club and then add your Privilege Club membership number to your booking.

Or you can use your Virgin Velocity Club membership if you're on the codeshare.

You can do this online or via the app.

On the way out, I left it too late to figure out and had to stump up $45 for a pizza.

READ MORE: 'Secret' cruise ship codes and what they actually mean

But on the return journey I was all set when the waiter asked if I had flown with Qatar and if I could show my boarding pass.

There's a lengthy list of 50 places you can use it, which basically covers all of the venues at the airport.

Meanwhile, I was pretty impressed by the airport itself.

It has a huge indoor garden, which was so stunning I kept banging into people who had suddenly stopped to take a photo (annoying).

Meanwhile, if you're stuck in a bad plane seat, like I was heading to Qatar, there are things you can do.

I was assigned an aisle seat for eight hours next to a couple who looked at me glumly as I put my backpack down.

So I decided to try something I wouldn't usually do.

"Excuse me!" I asked the crew member as she passed. "Would you possibly have any extra leg room seats available?"

"Let me see," she said. After tapping on an iPad-style device she told me a seat number at the back of the plane.

It wasn't an extra leg seat. But it was better. I followed to her to not one, not two but three glorious seats - a whole row.

If I had not have asked, no doubt somebody would have nabbed those right after take off.

Drop us an email with all your wisdom to travel@nine.com.au, and your tip could be featured in an upcoming story on 9Travel.