Travelling can be an illuminating experience; for starters, you get to meet and interact with new people and become more familiar with their style of living. But it can also be a stressful experience which is why you need to plan well ahead before any travel trip.

Here are a few travel hacks which should come in handy, when you take one those unexpected trips.

Top 35 Incredible Travel Hacks

• Set up a price alert App

The first thing that you need to do is to set up a price alert app on your phone; granted it could be several months before you head out on that plane trip but with the right price app, you should get an advance notification as to when the price is just right for air tickets, and a few travel apps even help list out travel packages that come with a hefty discount.

• Use the 24hrs rule

If you have to head out on a sudden trip, then you have no choice but to book your tickets right away. The only thing that you can do is to pay for air tickets after finding the best prices for the same.

But if you do come across better prices, then you can cancel your earlier tickets within 24 hrs, without any booking charges, get a complete refund and book your new tickets at a better rate.

Wear a jacket

Irrespective of whether you are travelling to a warm destination or not, it is a good idea to wear a jacket for your plane ride; furthermore, it comes with various pockets which can use to store essential and important items.

• Do the roll

So, it’s time to get packing but it seems hard to pack all your clothes within that small suitcase. If you’re feeling stressed out, then don’t – for all you have to do is to roll those clothes, but neatly and soon, you should have more space in your suitcase.

• Set some space aside in your suitcase

When heading out on a trip, chances are that you may want to purchase something to remind you of your trip, so always leave a little room in your suitcase for travel-related purchases.

• Scan your passport

By scanning and uploading the file to your phone will enable you to replace your passport if it gets lost overseas. For any traveller, being stuck overseas without a passport is a nightmare which is all the more reason as to why you would want to get it scanned.

• Toiletries

Remember that you are heading out on an overseas trip and space is at a premium. There’s no reason as to why you would want to carry full-sized shampoo bottles with you, instead, use pocket-sized Toiletries as they take up less space.

• Frayed cables

Most travellers often find the issue of frayed cables, irksome and with good reason. Often, most charging cables, connector cables get frayed as a result of the long travel which is why you may want to store the same safely.

• Use the spring in your pen for your cables

The best way to protect the cables is to re-use the original packing, but that would only take more space in your suitcase. So, the better option is to use the springs in your pen, to protect the respective charging cords and cables

• The seat

Getting the seat that you wanted, whether it is in the aisle or a window seat is easier said than done. One way to land the seats you want is to book your tickets way ahead of the due date.

Or if you have booked your tickets at the last minute, then you need to use a seating app to get the seats you want, with the perfect view.

• Go Incognito

It may sound like a spy thriller but the fact remains that most airlines, often use cookie history on your computer to determine your travel plans, and have even been known to hike their rates, just before you book your tickets.

Granted that sounds a tad paranoid, but it is always better to go into the incognito mode when before you booking your tickets.

• Bring an empty water bottle

As nutty as it sounds, the TSA does not permit you to carry bottled water for free while screening your luggage and they usually charge extra for the same, so it makes sense to use an empty water bottle rather than a full one.

• Freeze your water bottle

One of the effective ways to get around TSA rules is to freeze your water and carry that frozen water bottle as you get on your flight, and according to TSA rules, you would not incur any extra charges for carrying a frozen bottle of drinking water.

• Use cargo pants

Granted, they are not designer wear but cargo pants make the perfect apparel for any long-distance travelling.

The best part is that most cargo pants are comfortable, easy to wear and come with multiple pouches and pockets that you can use for holding several important items including your tickets, stubs, and your wallet as well.

• Mark your travel gear as ‘fragile’

Consider this a little white lie but when you tag your bags and suitcases as fragile, most airlines often park them right on top of other luggage so they are often the first ones to be unloaded.

This could save you valuable time at the airport as you wait for your luggage.

• Smelling fresh

Getting your clothes to smell fresh, especially on a long travel trip can be easier said than done. Unless you had the same freshly laundered, it is going to be downright impossible.

However, there is a way to get around it, all you need is to include some dryer sheets with your hand baggage as well as your suitcase, that’s it.

• Pre-order your airport meal

Getting to the airport in time can be quite stressful and then you would have to wait on endless queues for that airport meal which may as well push you over the edge.

That’s why; it is a good idea to use some of the available apps to pre-book your airport meal well ahead so you do not have to wait in line.

• Wi-Fi password

You are bound to spend some downtime at the airport or in one of the transit airports. Rather than attempt to play “guess the password” with that airport’s Wi-Fi system, you may want to check out a few apps that can help list the current and up to date Wi-Fi passwords of all the major airports.

• Sunglasses case

Nope, we are not asking you to pack your sunglasses unless you feel that you need it anyway. Rather, you may want to pack in your sunglasses case, as they can help protect your charging cord or any of the other cables from any travel related damage.

• Make your own entertainment

Most airlines do not carry mini-sized televisions at the back of all seats, and the ones that do, often charge a premium to allow you to watch some of the popular channels.

A way to get around the same is to stream content and save it on your phone for watching later.

• Relax

If you happen to be one of those who is extremely anxious about travelling on metal tubes, thousands of feet in the air, then chances are that you may find it hard to relax during the rest of your flight.

A good idea would be to listen to some relaxing music as a way to help you relax altogether.

• Pack a first-aid kit

This is one of the first items that you need to pack in your travel bag or suitcase; while any nation that you plan to fly to has its own version of hospitals and emergency rooms that can provide you with adequate medical care.

Nevertheless, you need to be prepared as you head overseas; so make sure that you pack in some anti-bacterial cream, some stomach antacids, cold and flu meds, throat lozenges, antibiotics, some cotton and gauze pad along with a thermometer.

• Get local currency

When you are travelling overseas, then you are better off getting the local currency of the airport ATMs. Please keep in mind that some countries have an upper cap on how much you can withdraw at any one time.

It is a good idea to use the ATMs to get the local currency you need rather than get it at some foreign exchange kiosk.

• Try avoiding crowds

When you arrive at your destination, you may want to keep some distance away from crowds and long queues.

There are various reasons that you may want to try and avoid crowded places and one of the top reasons is to prevent your wallet from being stolen.

• Do not hire taxis at the stand

Take the taxi for example; most travellers often make a beeline to the car stand to book a cab which in turn would charge an exorbitant rate.

You would be better off trundling your luggage to the departure gate, and you should be able to flag a taxi just as it drops off another customer. And they should also charge a lot less than the ones at the stand.

• Jet lag

Depending on where you travel to, you may have to deal with jet lag. There are various methods to help you combat jet lag and the feeling of sluggishness but one of the most effective ones happen to exercise.

Just do your regular workouts and as you carry them out, your body would soon release more adrenaline and dopamine, both of which can help you combat jetlag more effectively than anything else.

• Charge your phone using the TV

If you have forgotten to bring your charger on your trip, then all you have to do is to connect your phone to the USB slot at the back of the TV and get it charged.

• Use your lip balm tube

Wallets are one of the most easily stolen items, this is why you may want to store your money in a lip balm tube as no one gives it a second look.

• Party with the local

If you love parties, then you may want to find out where the locals head to, in order to party and join the group. There are various apps that would help you connect with a local.

• Fake wallet

It does seem a tad silly, but given the increasing rise in a number of stolen wallets among tourists, it is a good idea to pack in a fake wallet.

You are just taking a few extra measures to better protect your real one.

• Using hand as a watch

If you have locked away your watch in your hotel safe, well, you can always use your hand as one.

Just hold up your sky and count the number of finger widths between the sun and the Horizon and that should give you the time.

• Convert your phone into speakers

Granted every phone out there comes with some great technology but did you know that you can also convert it into loudspeakers.

Just take a paper towel roll, cut small phone sized hole into it, and insert the phone in, that’s it.

• Linen creases

When you are sleeping in a strange bedroom, thousands of miles away from your residence, it makes sense to check your bedding and see if the linen used is fresh.

If it comes with a fresh linen crease, then it has been freshly laundered and is therefore safe to sleep on.

• Washroom visits

If you are travelling on the road, and have to go, you may want to stop at a local restaurant or shop. But before you use the facilities, always spread some napkin around the bowl before using it.

• Be polite

You are in a foreign country and you need to go out of your way to be polite. Try smiling at some of the locals as that may well win you some brownie points.

Final Thoughts

With these travel hacks and tips posted here, you should be able to look forward to a hassle-free trip. Make sure that you are well prepared and packed for your trip along with all the important numbers that you think you would need and which has been listed neatly in your diary.

Make sure that you inform your doctor as to where you are planning to head to, and he would advise you on what to avoid so that you can better protect your health. Travelling widely is fun, but all the more so, when you are duly prepared for the trip.