“If you’re not sure of the neighborhood you’re booking your hotel or rental stay in, go to Google Street View and “walk around” in the neighborhood. You can see if it looks pleasant, has nearby cafes or local grocery stores, etc etc.”
“One of my favorite obscure travel hacks is to use Google Maps offline. Before my trip, I download the maps of the areas I’ll be visiting. This way, I can navigate, find attractions, and even search for restaurants without needing an internet connection. It’s especially useful in places with spotty Wi-Fi or when I want to save on data usage. Plus, it saves a ton of stress and helps me feel more confident exploring new places.”
“I always keep a safety pin pinned inside my backpack; this was originally for changing SIM cards, but it turns out to be quite handy while traveling.
I also take one of my pens and wrap/roll a bunch of masking tape around it, so I always have a little supply of tape; again, constantly useful, mostly for covering up bright LED lights inside the hotel room.”
“Always carry a sarong with you when travelling. It’s basically an all in one lightweight tool. You can use it as clothes, raincoat, a rope, a bandage, a beach towel/picnic rug, a bag or a blanket.”
“If you have to cancel a hotel less than 24 hours in advance, call and tell them you need to bump the reservation back a week. Then call the next day and cancel it penalty free because it’s 6 days prior to the reservation.”
“Use the bathrooms by the baggage claim. They’re always clean and empty.”
“If flying between the US and Canada, ALWAYS look at buying separate one-way tickets each direction. More often than not, you’ll save $100+ due to their strange exchange rate and tax calculations. It doesn’t work on every single route, but is always worth a check, and I’ve been amazed how often it’s been much cheaper.”
“If you’re flying internationally into the US and are a US citizen, do the mobile passport option if the airport has it. It’s an app and takes 30 seconds to do. It’s just as fast as global entry. I’ve passed 100s of people waiting at passport control.”
“I always pack a mini LED flashlight. They’re a few bucks on Amazon and eBay. It was quite useful recently when I visited a Belizean island with no street lights. Got jump scared by a few land crabs, too.”
“In my luggage I always pack an empty 30 gallon trash bag, for my dirty clothes. I tend to sweat a lot in hotter climates, and having my dirty clothes in a trash bag (which is often lined with an odor eliminator) and separate from my clean clothes keeps my suitcase from becoming smelly. And it makes unpacking at the end of the trip dirt-simple: the trash bag full of clothes goes into the laundry.”
“Merino wool clothes keep you smelling fresh so you can pack less. Never thought I would be wearing a wool Tshirt, but it works! Pricey though.”
"When going through security, put all of your pocket belongings into your backpack.
Then, you don’t have to worry about using the small trays, or gathering up important things from the conveyor belt :)."
“I fly long haul flights that are 14+, and so compression socks are a must. If I take my shoes off to put on my sling, I’ll also bring fuzzy socks so my feet don’t get cold.
Have a small baggie of hydrating powder for water, Advil, ear plugs, Imodium. I have a headband that hooks onto my mask so I don’t have to have my mask behind my ears, which can sometimes make them sore.”
“Traveling International? Bring a pen with you. The longest lines you wait for at customs is for the damn pen.
Pack a plastic fork and spoon with you. I hate showing up to my hotel with some instant noodles and then having to use the coffee stirring sticks like chopsticks to eat it.
If you’re tall, mention you have problems with your knees at the check in counter. Sometimes they’ll find you a seat with more leg room. “
“Random one but saline spray in the carry on! I feel that spritzing my nose a few times every flight helps prevent me from getting sick (I used to ALWAYS get sick on flights)!”
“I always try to have an extended layover (like 10 hours or more) so I can visit the layover city. This way I’ve been able to visit Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, Singapore without going on a specific trip to those destinations. It takes a bit of fiddling around to book those flights (airlines present you with the ‘most convenient’ flight) but it’s worth it.”
“Southwest starts drink service at rows 1,8,15,22. If you have a choice of row 9 or 15, go to 15. You get your drink first and have a better chance at getting more than one.”
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