Traveling can be super fun – plus it is good for your health, your brain, and your creativity. But, it can also be incredibly stressful thanks to long airport security lines, forgetting important items at home, and the big hits to your wallet.
Not every trip can or will go smoothly – no matter if it is on the road or in the air –, but there are things you can do to help you avoid some of the most common frustrations. Traveling doesn’t have to be complicated because there are many hacks to help you reduce your stress level.
If you want to save time and money, try these 20 hacks and tips that work within the existing rules and realities of traveling. This isn’t a list of super secret knowledge that only the most experienced traveler can do. These are simple tricks that can help you do anything from getting a free flight to organizing your luggage.
If you are smart about preparing for your next vacation – and use these some of these 20 hacks and tips – you can save yourself a lot of hassle. And when you finally arrive at your destination, you will find yourself with more time and possibly more cash in your pocket.
20 20. Get Bumped From Your Flight
When you get to the airport and check-in for your flight, the kiosk will often ask you if you are willing to volunteer to be bumped to a different flight. This is the airline’s way of telling you that they have overbooked the flight, and they need people off the plane.
If they kick you off the flight, you will get airline credit, and sometimes that can be as much as $1200. To increase your chances of getting airline credit you need to fly on the busiest travel days – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – and make sure to get to the gate as fast as possible and let the gate agent know that if they need to bump someone to the next flight, you are ready and willing.
19 19. Lost Phone Chargers/TV Charger
It is incredibly easy to forget to pack your phone charger when you are trying to remember every other vacation detail. But, before you go to a store to buy another charger, call down to your hotel’s front desk and ask if they have one you can use. Believe it or not, phone chargers are the number one item left behind in hotel rooms. So, the chances of them having an extra one for you to use are extremely high.
Also, if you have the cord part of the charger, you can plug it into the USB port in the back of your hotel television to charge your phone (make sure you turn your TV on). This works especially well when you are overseas, and you don’t have an outlet adapter.
18 18. Don’t Pay For Bottled Water
We all know that you can’t bring more than three ounces of liquid onto an airplane. So, getting any kind of beverage past the security screening is impossible. But, buying a bottle of water in the airport is extremely expensive, and sometimes can cost as high as $5 a bottle.
So, be sure to save yourself and your family a lot of cash by carrying an empty water bottle with you. Once you get past security, you can fill up your empty bottle by using the water fountain. And, if you want a little flavor, it is completely legal to bring flavor packets in your purse or carry-on bag.
17 17. Screenshot All Traveling Info and Identification
The nightmare of losing your travel information and/or identification is something you don’t want to deal with. Before you leave home, make sure to take screenshots of your travel itinerary – including flight or train details, hotel reservations, and car rental info –, plus a digital copy of your driver’s license and passport.
Then, save those pics to your phone, tablet, or laptop, so if you lose your wallet, purse, or luggage, you will have access to the information, even if you aren’t connected to the internet. It is easier than carrying around paper printouts, and if anything, ever goes wrong, you will thank yourself for having this information.
16 16. Pack Dryer Sheets/Scented Soap with Laundry Bag
During a vacation, the items in your luggage can quickly start to smell like old socks. If you want to keep your clothes fresh while traveling, slip in one or two dryer sheets. But, it’s best to take an entire box on your trip because you can use them to freshen up a hotel pillowcase or deodorize stinky shoes. Plus, having an entire box is handy because you can replace the sheets in your luggage when they start to lose their potency.
Also, be sure to bring a laundry bag for your dirty clothes and keep a bar of scented soap inside to keep your laundry from stinking up your luggage before you get the chance to get to a laundromat.
15 15. Sandwich Seats
If you are traveling with a companion, seasoned travelers know that it is always best to book sandwich seats – which means an aisle seat and a window seat in a row of three. Unless your flight is completely sold out, chances are that nobody will book the middle seat. And that means the two of you will have the entire row to yourselves.
If by chance someone does end up sitting in the middle, simply ask to switch seats so you and your partner can sit next to each other. To get the perfect seat for any flight, you can use a seating app like SeatGuru.
14 14. Go Incognito
When you are looking for travel deals, airlines and travel sites can record your activity by installing cookies on your browser. This can cause the prices they show you to rise because of your previous searches. They will know when you want to travel and raise their rates accordingly. This is a trick to persuade you to buy your flights sooner and it also encourages impulse buying.
So, when you are checking airlines fares and hotel rates, first go into incognito mode so you can avoid giving airlines and hotels too much information about your travel plans while getting the best rate possible.
13 13. Shower Caddy and Shoe Organizer for Road Trips
When you are on a road trip with little ones, you can keep the kids entertained in the back seat by hanging a shoe organizer over the front seats to help keep them busy. You can fill the pockets with snacks, juice boxes, small toys, travel-sized games, or anything else you can think of that would be useful for a long ride in the car.
A shower caddy can also come in handy as a great place for the kids to keep fast food while eating in the car. It gives you a place to keep your burger, fries, and drink while you enjoy the open road.
12 12. Plenty Of Drinks
Back to airport traveling, if you want to get around the liquid rules at airport security, but you also need something to help you calm your nerves while traveling, bring a few shots of liquor. The small bottles are less than three ounces, so security will allow you to keep them in your carry on.
However, you must check with the airline to find out if you are able to drink them on the plane. You may end up having a drink or two while waiting in the terminal. But you won’t have to pay the high prices at the bar.
11 11. Wearable Luggage
The size of an allowed carry on seems to get smaller and smaller. If you have a lot of things to carry onto a plane, it’s best to wear cargo pants and a jacket – even if it is 90 degrees outside. The pockets in the pants and jacket are great places to keep your keys, glasses, wallet, and other loose items you may have on you while going through airport security, making the process easier.
Plus, a jacket can make a perfect pillow or blanket during your flight. The cargo pants may not be the best fashion choice, but they are extremely practical for air travel.
10 10. Tic Tac Containers/Altoid Tins
If you are carrying small items like hair pins or safety pins, it’s smart to use old Tic-Tac containers or Altoid tins to store the items, so they don’t end up spread out all over the bottom of your luggage.
You can also use the Tic-Tac containers for spices and seasonings, making them part of a portable spice rack if you are out camping and making the perfect meal on an open fire.
These small containers are also great places for storing jewelry, cotton swabs, or anything else that is tiny that you don’t want to lose.
9 9. Chapstick/Sanitary Napkin Wrapper for Hidden Cash
Unfortunately, when you are traveling, you can be a target of thieves who want to take any cash you may have. If somebody wants to steal, chances are they are going to look for wallets or money clips. So, if you are traveling with cash, empty out a container of lip balm, roll up your bills, and stuff them inside.
Another good place to store cash that people won’t touch is a sanitary napkin wrapper. Put your cash inside a small envelope, and then fold the envelope into the pretty pink or purple wrapper. You will be sure to fool almost every thief.
8 8. Luggage Ribbons & Marking It Fragile
If you ever have had a hard time finding your luggage at baggage claim, you can fix this problem by tying some colorful ribbons around the handle. This will make your bags stand out and make them a lot easier for you to find.
And, if you want to get your luggage quickly and make sure airline staff handles it well, tag your bags as “fragile.” Most airlines put fragile bags on top, which makes them the first to be unloaded and placed on the baggage claim carousel.
It may be a little white lie, but it will save you a lot of time when you are trying to get out of the airport.
7 7. TSA PreCheck
There is nothing fun about getting caught up in the massive lines and delays at airport security checkpoints. So, before your trip, you can sign up online for a TSA PreCheck, which is an expedited program that they provide for passengers they consider to be low risk.
If your chosen airline has a KTN option – known traveler number – apply for one so you can use it to book your flight. Once they approve you, then you can use the shorter screening lines. They are much faster because you don’t have to take off your jacket, shoes, or belt. And, you don’t have to open your laptop or 3-1-1 liquids.
6 6. Sit Or Squat, iExit, & Gas Buddy
Going on a road trip is a much cheaper option than flying, and it gives you a chance to see more of the country. However, when it is time to stop for food, gas, or a bathroom, figuring out where to pull over can be a challenge.
Luckily, there are great apps you can put on your phone to help you get answers to these questions. Do you want to know where the nearest bathroom is and its cleanliness level? Then, SitOrSquat is the app you need. iExit will give you alerts to upcoming gas stations and tourist stops – so you don’t have to rely on billboards –, and GasBuddy will help you find the lowest gas prices wherever you are.
5 5. Call Your Credit Card Company/Use ATM’s
If you are planning on traveling to a foreign country, it is always a good idea to call your credit card company to let them know when you will be in someplace new or a seldom-visited location. If they see unexpected activity, it is possible they will freeze your account.
And, when you are needing to get your hands on local currency, instead of using a currency exchange kiosk at the airport, simply use an ATM. You want to make sure that your bank has an international branch. And, if it does, you will be able to withdraw cash like a local and avoid the huge fees and rip-off exchange rates.
4 4. Sunglasses Cases for Power Cords
Packing for a trip can be a daunting task and keeping your cell phone and laptop power cords organized – not to mention your earbuds – can be a huge pain when traveling. However, you can easily avoid this hassle with a simple sunglasses case, or two, depending on how many cords you have.
If you pack your cords neatly inside a hardshell case, it will keep your cords from tangling and make them easy to find. This may seem like a small thing, but it can be a huge help and it will keep you from losing your mind.
3 3. Pill Bottles for Lotion/Shampoo/Conditioner
It is just plain silly to travel with full-size bottles of shampoo, condition, lotions, and moisturizers – or a full-size tube of toothpaste. But it also unnecessary to buy miniatures for your trip. Instead, use empty prescription pill bottles and fill them up with the products you need to take with you. They are easy to label and a perfect travel size.
Or, if you travel often and already have travel-size bottles, simply refill them with part of your full-size bottles instead of buying the travel size over and over.
And, always take advantage of the hotel miniature products in your room. Make sure to stash any unused soap, shampoo, and toothpaste in your luggage because you will never know when it will come in handy.
2 2. Book Your Travel on a Tuesday
According to experts, a good rule to follow is that Tuesday is the cheapest day to book air travel (remember to search for rates on a private browser). And, airlines usually advertise their best fares about 6 to 8 weeks before your planned departure, with 50 days in advance seemingly being the perfect to buy your tickets.
If you can, book an evening flight because, except for Fridays, the most affordable flights take off between 6 p.m. and midnight.
And, if you wait until three days before flying, you will pay the highest prices. Prices do change up to three times each day, and Sunday is usually the most expensive day to fly.
1 1. Paper Clips and Folder Clips
The power of paper clips and folder clips during travel cannot be overstated. If your razor has ever attacked you while you are digging through your luggage, it can often result in your fingers coming into contact with an exposed blade. But, you can easily avoid a sliced finger and blood stains by covering your blade with a folder clip.
You can also use paper and folder clips to pin money or keys to yourself if you don’t want to carry a wallet or purse. And, a binder clip also comes in handy for keeping power cords wound during travel and holding cords at the edge of a table or desk in your hotel room.