Best Travel Hacks (10 & Counting…)

Travel hacks are ways of traveling by attaining flights, hotels and other amenities at little or no cost by using rewards, shortcuts, and tricks to avoid cost, increase productivity or to make traveling easier. 

Here are some simple travel hacks that I think could be useful for you while hitting the roads. If you know some more travel tips & tricks, have your say in the comment section down below.

Days before your trip

1. Use downloadable offline maps

I've mentioned about this great feature in a recent post. Pioneered by Google, downloadable offline maps are now available in every popular digital mapping service. You can entirely replace your paper map by your own smartphone or tablet. All you have to do is choose your soon-to-visit destination, save it for later use. No internet is required at all.

2. Save the pdf copy of your passport

If you’re using cloud storage service such as iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive, save the pdf copy of your passport up there. By doing so, you easily can print it whenever you need it.

Packing

3. Roll your t-shirts

Stop folding your t-shirts like you want to put it in your wardrobe. Roll it as if you’re making a burrito so you can save up lots of space and avoid wrinkles. This is one of the most simple yet surprisingly useful travel packing hacks. Pants should also be folded in half then roll up from the bottom.

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4. Hide your emergency paper

In worst-case scenario, your emergency paper can turn out to be vital. Take good care of it!

At the airport

5. Ask your checked luggage to be labeled “fragile”

So the staffs at the airport will not put other luggage on top of it and when arriving, you can take yours first.

6. Know which security lines to avoid

I don’t mean any disrespect, but queuing in a line full of 60+ and 70+ travelers and/or children can be quite frustrating and time-consuming.

7. Follow the flight crews for the best eating spots

Pilots and flight attendants are all patron customers in the airports. They also work in the service industry so they know which restaurants and cafes offer the best food and service.

8. Take water after security pass in the fountain

This way you still have some free water to survive with dehydration during your long-haul flight.

During flight

9. Learn some local languages

You don’t have to take some classes to do this. Spend one hour on the plane learning how the locals say hello, goodbye, thank you, how they call the waiter, how the numbers are pronounced. You don’t have to be perfect on pronunciation either. The locals may laugh at you, but don’t feel offended, that’s a sign of appreciation. If wifi is not available in your flight, print out your learning material or save it for offline use prior to your flight.

At the hotel

10. Ask for a better room or free upgrade when checking in at your hotel.

to be continued…