20 Best Travel Hacks Everybody Should Know

Travelling is meant to be fun and relaxing but quite often, we find ourselves stressing over certain aspects. Fortunately, we have created some great travel hacks to help your trip go by more smoothly.

• It is rather difficult to fall asleep on an airplane; make sure to bring your eye masks and earplugs along with you in order to get a good night’s rest on your plane and/or your lodgings.
• One of the most annoying things while on a trip is when you are trying to capture a good photo but there are just too many tourists wandering around in the background. Apparently there is a life hack to get rid of this problem. “Put your camera on a tripod; take about 15 pictures about every 10 seconds; open them all in Photoshop from File->Scripts->Statistics; choose median.”
• It doesn’t hurt to ask questions sometimes; when you get to your hotel, try this out and ask your hotel for a free upgrade and you may actually get one!
• In some cases, you might be travelling to a place where theft occurs often and so using a money belt or sewing a pocket on the inside of your clothes can prevent you from losing any valuables.
• Considering it is not allowed to bring in water bottles through security; bring an empty bottle with you and fill it up when at the airport.
• While booking a room for your trip, call your hotel directly and ask if there are any better deals.
• Make sure you spread out your cash in different places, for instance, your shoes, your jacket, your wallet, and your luggage.
• If you happen to be travelling with another individual and you end up with a row of three seats, book the window seat and the aisle seat and leave the middle empty. People usually choose to book those two seats and so the middle seat will remain empty. If it happens to be taken, the person in the middle will usually agree to switch with one of you.
• Arrive to the airport early so you won’t have to rush and fight against time to make your flight. Also, so you can avoid unexpected incidents such as traffic, or forgetting something.
• Withdrawal cash from an ATM while travelling; in most places, you will end up with a much better rate. Make sure to check if this applies to the destination you are going to.
• Bring an unlocked phone with you and sign up for a pay-as-you-go plan.
• Bring clothes that are easy to dry so you are able to wash them at the end of the day and wear them again the next. This will also decrease the amount of clothes you bring with you on the trip.  
• Having plastic bags with you will come in handy for separating your dirty clothes from the rest of your belongings in your luggage.
• Phone batteries drain out pretty quickly and that could be a problem if you are relying on the GPS. Get an external battery or a car charger if you are taking a road trip.
• You will probably feel better learning more about your destination and the crime rates in the area you are staying. The prices might be low but it might not be worth staying in an area where you are afraid.
• You can now access and use Google Maps offline without using an international plan. Kartik Ayyar explains, “You can use this feature by simply zooming to a map area you want offline in the maps app and typing “OK maps” into the search box, and then this data will be available even when you don’t have data connectivity . Works in both the iOS and Android apps. I also suggest ‘starring’ places of interest since you can’t search or route when offline.” And as for routes, “take screenshots of searches when you are online . . . and use them as guides.”
• It is a good idea to board on your plane early in order to find enough overhead space for your carry-on luggage to slip into.
• Keep a copy of your passport on your phone or e-mail so you can print it out if you ever lose it. And this will make the process of retaining it later much easier.
• If you are travelling to a country in which English is not their first language, carrying a phrase book will help you get around and communicate with others better.
• Bring along a power strip so you will only need to use one or two adapters.
• If you are in need of a charger, ask Mary-am Hotel; we always have extra chargers for different devices.