Travel Hacks To Ensure A Carefree Vacation

Published

3 years ago

February 10, 2022

Money + Investing Staff

In today’s climate, traveling has become something you need to plan ahead for even more than before. Everyone is itching to get out, and making sure you do so safely, cheaply and efficiently is essential for everyone.

Whether flying or road-tripping, there’s lots of tricks that can help make your journey easier, and here at Bon Voyaged we’ve combined all the best travel tips from essential packing hacks, to making sure you have the crucial supplies to navigate any location. Click “Start Slideshow” to begin!

Bring A Reusable Water Bottle

Always remember to have an empty water bottle handy so that you don’t have to buy one, and can constantly refill it throughout your trip to ensure you stay hydrated.

Browse Flights In A Private Browser

Most people don’t realize that when you search for flights in your usual browser, cookies skew results that only show pricier options. Instead, search in incognito to find the cheapest choices.

Roll Your Clothes

One packing hack that’s extremely useful is rolling your clothes for optimal organization and space. This way you can fit nearly twice the clothes, avoid wrinkles, and rearrange easily.

Use USBs On Other Electronics

Forgetting or losing your charging block is the worst, but if you have the cable or need to charge a second device, don’t look further than other technology nearby such as TVs, smart speakers, and even some other table centerpieces that are equipped with USB ports of their own.

Get Portable Phone Charger

Portable phone charges are relatively cheap these days, and having one can save you a lot of trouble if you’re making long journeys and use your phone for entertainment, and it sure beats competing with other patrons for outlets.

Email Yourself A Copy Of Your Passport

Trust us, you’ll be thankful you did this if you ever end up losing or misplacing your passport somewhere. This way you have a copy to prove your identity, and can easily make your case and obtain the proper temporary documents upon showing your copy to the embassy.

Personal TV

Watch your preferred videos or movies on the plane by hanging your phone horizontally inside a plastic bag, which you can hook to the tray table’s clasp. Just like where the usual screen is!

Mark Your Baggage “Fragile”

Even if it’s not necessarily the case, this ensures workers at the airport will handle your luggage more carefully, and it will prevent any excess movement damages, or spill inside your bag.

Get Flight Insurance/Check Change Fees

Especially with the uncertainty of the pandemic, securing flight insurance is crucial. Although many airlines are offering little to no change fees now, it’ll still grant you peace of mind, and give you confidence you’ll be okay if something out of the ordinary happens.

Exchange Currency As Cheap As Possible

If you didn’t know, your chance at the cheapest currency exchange is usually at the airport because there aren’t fees, but once you’re out and about and need more, ATMs typically offer the lowest withdrawal rates, and allow you to avoid any potential scams or mark-ups.

Fight Off Your Jet Lag

Even though it might be tempting to give into the time difference upon arrival, your body will thank you if you’re able to combat it and treat the clock as it is where you landed. You’ll not only get the most out of your vacation time, but your internal clock will adjust quicker than you think.

Use Apps To Find Travel Buddies

It can be especially daunting to travel abroad on your own, but there are many apps such as Backpackr and Travel Buddies where you can find other travelers in your area who might be up for a nice hike or walk through city centers so you’re not alone.

Get Impromptu Flights For The Lowest

There are a good amount of sites who specialize in last-minute airfare, and if you’re not picky and looking for the best deal possible, check out the available flights from your nearest airport to see where you can travel to for a fraction of the cost.

Mix Dryer Sheets In Your Suitcase

If you’re someone who travels often, you know the longer you’re on the move, the more you’re mixing clean and worn clothes. However, if you toss a couple dryer sheets in your bag, you’ll be relieved to notice everything will smell decent, more or less, along with keeping the lot fresh.

Use Your Airline’s App

Considering paper tickets and boarding passes being handled isn’t Covid-friendly, you can access these things, along with checking in, on your Airline’s app. You can also follow the up-to-the-minute flight schedules here as well.

Use Google Lens

Can’t afford or find a tour guide that’s quite your speed? Just install Google Lens, take pictures of your surroundings, and the app will respond with history, general culture, and any other relevant information about the area you’re visiting!

Refrigerate Rechargeable Batteries

If you’re someone who’s traveling with reusable batteries for your camera, walkie-talkie or other handy gadgets, placing them in the fridge overnight will help them retain their charge for longer.

Keep A Dummy Wallet

If you’re worried about pickpockets or just want to fool any might-be thiefs, buy yourself a phony wallet and leave it in the most accessible spot, while concealing your real one in a much safer location.

Give Up Your Seats For Upgrades]

If you’re not in any rush or are willing to be flexible, oftentimes airlines are willing to provide you perks or discounts if you delay your flight a bit, but you can win by being upgraded or getting paid accommodations in the city you’re in.

Bring Hand Sanitizer & Gloves

With the emphasis on staying sanitary and keeping your hands as clean as possible, traveling with gloves and hand sanitizer is a must, and will keep you reassured despite having to touch many high-traffic surfaces.

Build Your Own Pub Crawl

Not only is it overpriced to pay for toured pub crawls, but you can just research their routes ahead of time and trek them yourself, all while adding in any desired spots of your own.

Mooch Off Premium Wifi

In airports, hang near the first class lounges and feed off the wifi that’s exclusively in that area for faster connection. And if you’re on the street, find fancier restaurants or boutiques and check online for wifi passcodes, which are commonly shared on apps like FourSquare and others.

Create Your Own Lantern

Sun going down and have a bottle of water laying around? Simply place it on top of your camera and you’ll enjoy nice subdued lighting, and even better if you have a head light of some kind, which you can then strap on to the bottle itself.

Waterproof Your Bag With Bin Liner

This can save you lots of trouble if your things happen to get wet. Simply insert a weatherproof trash bag around the perimeter of each pocket and that way it’ll have extra protection, even if your bag’s already waterproof.

Use Beeswax To Waterproof Everything Else

You may not realize that beeswax is a great waterproofing substance, so stock up and apply it to everything from the outside of your bag to your jacket and shoes, and it will even smell good!

Sanitize Your Surroundings

Try and bring as many disinfecting wipes as you can on your journey, that way you can scrub down any surfaces you may encounter while moving about, plus you can wipe down credit cards and your phone along with other things that may be transferring hands on your trip.

Build Your Own Phone Speaker

Find yourself without a proper phone speaker? Well, look no further than a toilet paper roll, or plastic cup! Both of these common devices can amplify sound and enhance your hangout.

Take Home Spices In Mini Containers

Found a rather fanciful spice you want to bring back home with you? Just use an empty Tic-Tak container or other small holding device to sprinkle some into, and there you have some to-go!

Carry A Pack Of Crayons

If you didn’t know, lighting a crayon on fire will allow it to burn for around 30 minutes, which makes it a great survival tool in case you’re caught in the dark for any reason.

Buy A Filtered Straw

There’s a lot of brands out there who offer a filtration straw, which allows you to drink out of nearly every body of water, whether it’s contaminated, salinated, or what have you. This is truly a revolutionary device, as you can stay hydrated, and in some cases, alive if in emergency.

Estimate Sunsets Like A Pro

Happen to still be on your hike as the sun is waning? Worried if you have time to get back before dark? Just line your fingers up in between the sun and the horizon, and each finger in between represents 15 minutes before it’s down for good.

Bring A Portable Power Strip

Everyone knows the fight over outlets can be contentious, and charge is more important than ever when traveling, so packing a power strip to ensure everything is full of juice will please everyone.

Use Google Maps Offline

This is probably our favorite one, especially when abroad. Most people don’t know Google Maps still knows your location without wifi, so if you search your destination beforehand, you can follow the directions even when leaving the building and wifi, allowing you to reach safely and not requiring the use of a data plan.

Put Fragrances In Plastic Spray Bottles

It’s hard enough to fit your clunky colognes and perfumes in toiletry bags, so pouring a small amount into travel-size spray bottles will not only help you travel light, but ensure they don’t break as well.

Log Foods And Recipes

While traveling, one of the greatest experiences is the food. But while it’s hard to recreate these tastes at home or even at restaurants, you can jot down dishes and ask servers for recipes to try and bring the cuisine to your own kitchen.

Keep Travel Detergent With You

You never know when you might get the opportunity to use a washing machine while on the move, or if you just spilled on your clothes, you can easily wash them out in the sink.

Use WhatsApp To Talk To Family

This is another one that’s particularly helpful abroad, as messaging rates are still a pain, even if you can iMessage on wifi. WhatsApp allows data free messaging regardless of phone plans, but also works across borders with great convenience.

Hang Out With The Locals

This may seem obvious, or perhaps intimidating for some, but no one can show you the gems in an area quite like friendly locals. General bar banter is always fun, but if you’re courageous enough, spark up a conversation and see what kind of recommendations you can find!

Market Research For Freebies

Different businesses and restaurants around the world are always in search of people who are willing to try their products and leave valuable feedback. You can often apply for these opportunities to incite travel plans, but also search them online on the fly!

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