Traveling tips and hacks are no longer rare. From booking flights, accommodation to itineraries, finding Instagram-worthy spots, best places to eat and budgeting. Planning your dream trip is now just a mouse or a swipe away.
While getting on a plane or going to a place you’ve never been can be so exciting and exhilarating, travel logistics can make it stressful.
And there’s a lot that can go wrong when you travel – the weather, airlines, your fellow passengers. The list is endless….
But you can control your level of preparation and back-up plan.
With that said, here are 10 travel hacks to help you make the most of your trip, so you can enjoy your vacation stress-free- save money, time, space and stay safe!
1. Book the cheapest flight
When it comes to traveling, the two biggest travel expenses are going to be your airfare and your hotel.
Airlines and travel websites make money from knowing your buying habits. They record all your browsing history, and that’s why if you keep searching for a specific flight, prices go up!
Luckily, you can use tips below to book super cheap flights and save tons of money:
- Always use incognito mode whenever you want to book for a flight.
- Sign up for cheap ticket email alerts.
- Book your flight 6-8 weeks in advance.
- Book your flight during weekdays, as most discounts and sales are offered early in the week.
- Consider several airports nearby your final destination.
- Avoid buying within one-two week before the flight, you can expect to pay 40% more for the ticket.
- Avoid flying on Sunday, it’s usually the most expensive day to fly.
Getting the perfect seat on a plan can make all the difference, especially on a long/overnight flight. To enjoy the smoothest ride, sit in the middle, around the wings as it’s more stable.
Use SeatGuru to find the seat map of your flight. Simply enter your airlines, flying date, and flight number, it’ll automatically show you important information such as seating, airline information, in-flight amenities and flights shopping.
Additionally, you can also view user comments and photos to help you choose the best seat on every plane.
Staying in budget-friendly accommodations like hostels or Couchsurfing is no doubt can save you money. But if like me, you are a light sleeper, you’d definitely get better sleep in a hotel.
Having a good night’s sleep is incredibly important. After a restful night, you’ll wake up feeling energized, refreshed and ready to explore the places.
Contrary to popular belief, staying at a good hotel doesn’t have to break the bank. Join loyalty program, earn cash back on your stay and be flexible on your travel dates.
For example, I spent less than $400 for 2-week hotel rooms in Japan, $850 a month in Australia and 4-week hotel rooms in Europe for $1200.
Read my free guide to finding cheap hotel rooms and learn all the latest tricks.
4. Find free things to do
Free doesn’t mean cheap.
I love finding free things to do every time I visit a new place. It’s a great way to meet with friendly local people, immerse yourself in different cultures and experience a more authentic slice of the country you’re in.
No matter where you travel, you can always free activities or things to do. The easiest way is to ask our best friend, Google. Simply do a quick search by entering free things to do + your location, you can find tons of interesting things to do for free. Free walking tour, visiting museums, gardens, food samplings at farmers markets -to name a few, are some of the best free things to do in cities.
Check out some of my favorite free things to do in different cities:
- Sydney
- Gold Coast
- Brisbane
- Cairns
- Port Douglas
- Melbourne
- The Great Ocean Road
- South Korea: Seoul, Busan and Gyeongju
5. Book cheap entrance tickets and tours online
You might want to tick off major attractions such as the Blue Mountains in Australia, the Great Wall of China, the Coloseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill in Italy.
Use Klook to book an entrance ticket online can help you save a lot of hassle queuing. Not only you can skip the queue with an e-ticket on your mobile phone, oftentimes you can get attraction tickets and tours with unique experiences at a huge discount!
6. Understanding the locals
If you’re traveling to a foreign country, you don’t have to master their language to travel well. Learn a few common phrases of the local language like “Thank you”, “Excuse me”, “Hello”, “Please”, “Good morning”, “I’m sorry” will go a long way.
Still, if you worry about the language barrier, download Google Translate on your phone. This app can help you to translate more than 100+ languages by typing, taking a picture or just pointing your phone camera. Plus, it works perfectly without an Internet connection!
7. Download travel apps, guides and maps on your mobile phone
Travel today is so much easier with a variety of handy mobile apps. You can also search for specific travel apps for each location, download it on phone before you embark on your next trip.
In general, Google Offline Map and TripIt are two powerful apps that you can use in almost any country in the world. The only exception is in South Korea, use Naver the best Location/Walking Direction Map for traveling in Korea. (Google Map doesn’t work here).
(a) Google Map
With Google Map, you don’t have to worry about getting lost while navigating through the city. Yes, even with no Internet connection, the app still works perfectly.
First of all, connect to the internet and search for the place you’re going to on Google Maps app
Once the map is loaded, tap the 3 little dots
After you download the map, you can use the app as usual. If you need helps, check out this official Google guide.
(b) TripIt
I’m a big fan of Google Trips, but unfortunately, it’s shutting down August 5th, 2019.
You no longer need to print out plane tickets, itineraries and hotel reservation confirmations.
What’s more, it works offline.
8. Make a copy of important documents
There’s one thing that you need to make a physical copy of – your passport. To be frank, sometimes I take it for granted and skip this.
But seriously, this could be a lifesaver if you lost your passport in a foreign land.
Having a physical copy of your passport or ID and passport photos can save you all unnecessary troubles.
You may be forced to forfeit your entire remaining itinerary and return flight if you don’t have your passport or ID. It’s every traveler’s worst nightmare!
9. Pack your suitcase like Marie Kondo
“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” – Susan Heller
Take only what you really need and pack your suitcase using Konmari method. It will save space, keep your clothes wrinkle-free and make your luggage more organized.
First, lay everything out, then start folding and rolling.
Second, pack your item standing up in the luggage. This way you can easily see your items at one glance, without digging through your suitcase!
Whether your luggage is standing or laid down, your clothes are in good condition.
Less wrinkle, more space!
No matter how much you plan and prepare, there’s one thing that you NEED but can NEVER take with you.
Yes, a toilet, washroom, bathroom, restroom or W.C.
When the nature calls, you have no choice but to put everything on hold, and rush to a nearby public toilet -fast!
Finding a public toilet, when you need it the most in an unfamiliar place or city is no joke.
My most memorable one was looking for a public toilet in the English Garden, Munich on a cold, windy winter day, 5 years ago.
Today things are getting better. You can now use toilet finder apps like Flush to find the nearest restroom or bathroom with just one click. Also, you can search for toilets that have disabled access, require a key or fee for usage.
It has over 190,000 public restrooms from around the world in its database. Best of all, it’s free to use. Plus, you can search for public toilet without an internet connection.
11. Pack An Eye Mask and Ear Plugs
Earplugs and an eye mask are my #1 travel essentials!
You don’t need to splurge on an expensive first-class seat just to get a little shuteye. Even if you’re not an eye mask sleeper, consider getting a good eye mask. I bet you’ll love it. It helps to block out unwanted overhead lights as well as light from the open window.
While earplug is another must-have for traveling. It will reduce the sounds of screaming babies, snorers, talkers, coughers, traffic noise, banging of doors, and people moving.
I’ve tried many eye masks, this is my favorite.(also recommended by Tim Ferris, author of the 4-hour Workweek)
12. Enjoy the moment, capture the memories
Most importantly, be flexible, enjoy the moment and let the universe determine the rest. There’s only so much you can plan, when things inevitably go wrong, stay calm and be patient.
Slow down, living in the moment, open your eyes, enjoy new experiences, take more pictures, immerse in the culture, the smells, the tastes, the norms of local people.
Be present, live it!
Conclusion
With all your preparation done ahead of time, now it’s the time to embark on your vacation, to truly experience the world first-hand.
While things don’t always go as planned, that’s the exciting part of an adventure right? Embrace it, go with the flow and unexpected adventures always bring the best memories. Enjoy your vacation!
What’s your favorite travel tips and hacks? Feel free to share with us in the comment below.
Last but not least, if this post was of any help to you, please share it with your travel buddies or save it to Pinterest!
A quick share from you would seriously help the growth of this blog.
Thank you so much!
I live and breath making an income online.
I’ll be sharing more of ideas and guides soon. Stay tuned.
If you haven’t already, sign up here to receive my emails.