Travel hacks that will save you time, money and space? That’s right! We gathered all the tips and tricks we know to help you become a better traveler. Some of them we learned from experts, others from our mistakes, but we guarantee you that all of them are life-saving! Did we wish to know them earlier? 100%. Now you have all of them below!
BEFORE DEPARTURE
1. Roll clothes for more space
Most of us are used to the traditional way of folding clothes when travelling somewhere. However, that’s not the best method to make the most of your luggage. Roll them instead! If you stumble, you might find Marie Kondo’s video very useful.
2. Put stuff in those shoes
What’s common sense is not always common practice. It’s as easy as it sounds! Don’t waste that space within your shoes! Stuff them with socks, a shampoo or other small and fragile things you carry with you! (If you don’t know what to pack with you, try PackPoint App).
3. Electronic Copy of Important Docs
This is a must. Get a legalised copy of your important documents, such as ID or Passport. You might lose the originals, forget them in the hotel room or someone might simply steal your wallet. The struggle of getting new documents back through the embassy of your country is simply not worthy. This will save you a lot of time (and your holiday).
4. Tic Tac container for spices
There’s not one time when we regretted taking extra salt, pepper, basil or paprika with us. Imagine waking up in your AirBnB and realise that there’s no salt for your avocado toast. You don’t want that. If you are not a Tic Tac fan (like us), you might find paper clips containers as a good alternative! Check out our article on eating healthy while travelling!
5. Download offline maps
There’s nothing worse than needing a map while you don’t have any 3/4G connection. This can be easily avoided by downloading the offline map of the place you want to visit before departure! It’s very easy, doesn’t take much space (unless you download the map of the whole country) and can save you from many troubles.
- Open Google Maps and look for your main destination.
- Select “Download” Button on the slider below the destination details.
- Play around with the range you want to download (zoom in/out for a wider area).
6. Itinerary Custom Map
Create your own itinerary with a custom map on Google Maps. You can literally add everything you want to visit and then download the map to use it offline. Follow the steps below!
- Open MyMaps in your Google Account.
- Select “Create a New Map”.
- Search the place where you want to go in the Search Bar and click on “Add to Map”. You can also draw Lines, add Markers, pre-make Directions.
7. Offline Google Translation
As said with the offline maps, you never know when you need to translate something and there’s no Wi-Fi connection. Simply select the language you want to translate from and press the download icon on the right side of your screen. You can use the translator even by taking a photo of what you need translated!
8. Save Credit Card Details as a Phone Contact
As weird as it might sound, nobody would think to check your phone contacts to steal your credit card details. Give the contact a weird family name you can remember and you’ll always have it there in case of anything. You can even add details like the secret question answer you need when you call the bank. You never know. Thank us later!
9. Put a sticker with “Fragile”
A small sticker makes the whole difference in the way airport baggage handlers will treat your luggage. Simply print a small sticker and make sure you put it somewhere visible (download ours here). If it’s more handy for you, ask for one when you are checking-in your bag at the airport, they have plenty! Hopefully this tip will help you avoid uncomfortable situations like getting your luggage broken (happened to us several times).
10. Neck Pillow
If you are travelling by plane for more than 2 or 3 hours this one will save your neck from a lot of pain and make your flight way more comfortable. Plus, you won’t have to struggle with having a cozy nap or worse, accidentally fall asleep on the shoulder of the person seated next to you.
TIP: Bring some eye blinds with you as well so the airplane lights won’t disturb your precious sleep.
11. Sealed Bags
This one goes for all your liquids you carry in your luggage. Be it the shampoo, sunscreen lotion, perfume or anything else, you just don’t want them to accidentally open and ruin your electronics or even worse, documents. We know this is common sense, but as we said, it’s not a common practice.
12. Vacuum Bags
If you find yourself in the situation of having too many clothes to pack in a small bag, try vacuum bags. Simply put all your clothes there, nicely folded and vacuum out the air with a vacuum cleaner or pump.
13. Security selfie
Make sure that there’s a selfie of you on every camera you carry with you. In case you lose it, it will be easier for the one who finds it to get back to you if there’s a selfie stored on the memory card!
14. SeatGuru
If you are the kind of person that loves having a great experience while flying, make sure you check the best seats on your flight beforehand. SeatGuru allows you to check what kind of airplane you will be on board and tell you which seats are the best. Pretty cool, right?
WHILE TRAVELLING
15. Duty-free Bag
If you have too many things and you can’t carry them within your luggage, simply ask for a bag from the duty-free. This won’t count as a second bag, therefore you don’t need to pay extra.
16. Ask for that seat if it’s empty
After the crew announces that everyone is on board and you see an empty seat, just kindly ask for it. If you don’t do it, someone else might do it. The worst case scenario is getting a “no”. We think it’s worth the chance!
17. Wear the heaviest clothes/shoes
If you really need to save some space/weight, take on the heaviest jacket, shoes, trousers or anything else you have and leave the lightest clothes in the bag. If it’s autumn/winter, we would always take the boots on the plane and leave lighter shoes in the luggage, even if it’s warm enough.
18. Wifi Passwords
If you really need Wi-Fi and can’t find any open & secure network, you can download Foursquare to see the passwords in popular locations. People will always keep the lists updated in the review section of the place. However, if you don’t find anything, try your luck with this Map. (Bonus Secret TIP: Just look for kids. Where they gather there’s also WiFi. Thank us later!)
WHEN ARRIVED BACK HOME
19. Take everything out!
When I (Theo) was in Mountain Rescue Camps, I used to take everything out of my hiking backpack and review what I packed. Every time there was at least 30% of things I didn’t use. Save yourself from those. Just lay everything down and go through them one-by-one to avoid packing them next time.
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