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When we last wrote about the top 15 travel hacks you should know about, we planned to give you even more because there really are dozens more to share. There are so many ways you can manipulate your travel plans to fly more enjoyably and more efficiently.
Whether you travel often for business or for pleasure, or just want to know how to make a one-time trip more fun and less challenging, we suggest you check out these 15 additional travel hacks that all flyers should know about.
1. Don’t Travel with a Lot of Cash
When you travel, you don’t need to have a lot of cash with you. Carrying tons of money just puts you in a situation where it can get lost or stolen.
Most countries have some kind of ATM’s or cash withdrawal outlets. Simply keep cash on hand for necessities, for a day or two, and then make sure you have access to the rest.
2. Avoid Exchanging Money in Your Hotel
Hotels don’t usually have the best exchange rates.
The best thing to do when you need money to spend is to use a credit card for purchases, ideally one that doesn’t charge foreign exchange fees. Y
ou don’t need to travel with travelers’ cheques. Using a credit card, or debit card, is usually a better option.
3. Book a Guide
When traveling to a foreign destination, it can be fun to reserve a travel guide to take you to places the locals love.
Use a guide from the area to find out about hidden hiking spots, great shopping locals, top restaurants in the city, and more.
4. Stay Flexible
Throughout your travels, there are bound to be situations that come up that can leave you feeling out of control.
This, quite frankly, is part of traveling.
If you stay flexible while traveling, you can find quicker and cheaper ways from here to there, uncover new hotels and places you didn’t know about, and open your world to unknown experiences that will ultimately make your trip better.
5. Get Used to a New Sleep Schedule
If you want to avoid jet lag, try to sync your sleep with the patterns of the places you’re visiting.
As hard as it might be, go to bed and wake up at the same time as the locals.
You’ll feel more rested and you’ll probably be able to do and see a lot more when you’re on their time frame.
6. Realize that People Might Not Understand You
When you travel, you might find that a lot of people just don’t understand what you’re trying to say.
Even if someone looks like they speak your language or know your customs, the reality is they probably don’t.
Try your best to communicate with others in a way that they can comprehend, whether it’s through learning a few words of a language, gesturing, or pointing out things you want to say in pictures.
7. Pack Playing Cards
It may feel silly packing playing cards when you go on a trip, but you never know when you might find yourself with time to kill.
Flights can be delayed and you’ll likely get bored on the plane.
With a pack of cards in hand, you can play solitaire or enjoy a fun game with friends you know or meet.
8. Stay Loyal to a Carrier
To get the best air rates and perks, it pays to stay loyal to an air carrier.
Even if you join a couple of frequent flyer programs (one for domestic flights and one for international), you should be able to consolidate all of your flying to one airline so that you can accrue miles and points for discounts off future travel.
9. Get Travel Insurance
Some people swear by travel insurance (actual purchased travel insurance, not the free insurance that comes with credit cards).
Travel insurance can save you when you need to book a hotel due to a cancelled flight or have other things go wrong while you’re traveling.
10. Travel With a Natural Herbal Ointment
Keeping a natural herbal ointment (like Tiger Balm) with you when you travel can help you if you have aches from sitting for a long time, and it can assist you if get bitten by little critters.
A good natural ointment can act as a pain reliever and bug repellent in one, and it comes in a small handy container that you can pack anywhere.
11. Plan to Not Plan
Sometimes, the best trips are those where your schedule is open and you don’t have a perfect plan for every moment of the day.
When you travel for business, you can plan on leaving time after meetings to explore and just see where life takes you.
Leisure trips are naturally conducive to letting plans happen as they will.
12. Stick to DIY Travel
There are plenty of companies who will offer to plan your entire trip for you.
If you absolutely have no idea what you want to see or do, this could be a viable option.
But, if you want to get the most out of a destination, and see and do things that matter to you, be your own tour guide and DIY.
13. Take it at a Leisurely Pace
You don’t always have to be in a rush to get from here to there.
As you plan your trip, make sure that you allow plenty of time in between transportation pickups and drop offs, flights, and activities to simply enjoy the experience of being in a new place.
14. Learn to Let Go
There will be times during your travels that unexpected things happen and people you meet do things you don’t agree with.
Try to let the little things go and just focus on what you want to get out of your trip, which is likely an enjoyable or successful experience.
15. Open Up
Traveling opens one up to all kinds of new people, places, and experiences.
It’s rewarding to embrace all of the newness and opportunities, and to open yourself to learning about things you didn’t know before.
Talk to others, explore a destination completely, try things that are unknown to you.
Also, consider how those in a foreign place might benefit from you opening up about your life, your experiences, and your views of the world.
Hopefully, these travel hacks will help you to enjoy a travel experience and destination in the best way possible.
If you have any travel hacks that you’d like to share, feel free to leave them in the comments below.
