Quick Best Travel Tips and Travel Hacks

Best Travel Tips and Travel Advice

The best collection of travel tips, hacks, and suggestions to help make your journey easier, more worry-free and pleasant. The inspiration for these quick and fast ideas came from readers like you. If you have any travel tips please email us and we’ll add it to the list.

Check back every so often… we add tips to the list frequently. They are added to the top of the list so you don’t have to reread them all unless of course, you want to.

If Checking Luggage Always Place all Your Valuables and Anything You’ll Need the Next Day in Your Carry-On
In case your luggage is delayed or goes missing at least you’ll have that sales presentation or suit with you.

Place a Large Shawl in Your Carry-on
It can double as an on-board blanket and as a fashion wrap for cooler climate.

Always Check the Extended Weather Forecast for Your Destination
To pack smart and right always check the extended weather forecast to see if you need an umbrella, warm jacket etc.

Sign Up for Flight Status Notifications
Can’t tell you how important this tip is… get texts or emails regarding flight changes like to departure times, gate changes and delays.

Put Your Airline’s Phone Numbers in Your Phone
To save time searching for the right contact number in case you need to call the airline during travel.

Sign Up for Bank Alerts Before Starting a Trip
Banks now send you an email or text alerts on spending threshold you set so you can see any fraudulent activity on your card immediately. Travel with two credit cards and keep them in separate locations so if one is stolen  you have a back up for immediate use.

Put Your Hotel’s Phone Number in Your Phone
Enter the number to the front desk, not central reservations, in your phone contacts in case you need to call them about changes to your stay to notify them of your late arrival.

Take a Photo or Screenshot of Your Boarding Pass
This is helpful if you lose your paper boarding pass or if your app doesn’t work or the wifi is not working in the airport.

Take a Photo of Bag Receipt
If you hand your bag to a bellhop take a photo of it in case you lose it.

Hotel Shower Caps
Use them while packing to cover shoes, place wet bathing suits in before placing in your bag.

Call Your Phone Carrier Before Going International
Contact customer service/tech support before you leave to learn about service and potential charges, like roaming. You may be better off by buying a local Sim card vs asking for a temporary service plan. Do your research before you go to for maximum savings.

List Your Destination on Your Bag Tags
If your bag gets lost you have a better chance of it getting delivered to you quickly. On your way home you should use your home address.

Protect You and Your Family from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
While not a frequent occurrence, death from carbon monoxide does happen in hotels or rental properties Travel with a small and lightweight carbon monoxide detector.

Know the Equivalent Phone Number of 911 in Countries You Plan to Visit
You and your family members should all know the emergency number in your destination countries.

Make Your Checked Luggage Stand Out
This is a travel tip to reduce airport stress. Most of us travel with a black bag. Make sure no one accidentally grabs your bag from the carousel by identifying it with a ribbon, colored masking tape, painted wheels etc.

Make Sure You Use TSA Accepted Luggage Locks
Not all luggage locks are created equal. If you use TSA accepted locks on your checked bags  the TSA can then access your bags without breaking the locks off and leaving your bags vulnerable. Here’s more information about luggage locks that work best.

Prepare For Your Phone to Become Lost or Stolen
Have a password protected and/or encrypted file in the cloud (Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive for example) that will have all of the information that you would need to recover your phone apps and accounts if you had to buy a new phone while traveling.

Put a“If Found” Note on the Back of Your Phone
How would someone contact you if they found your phone?  Write “if found turn over this card”  and tape it to the back of your phone. Use another family member’s cell phone number as the contact number.

Prepare For the Chance That your Passport, Drivers License, or ID Card Becomes Lost and Someone Else Finds It
Type up “if found” instructions and tape it inside your passport as well as on the back of your ID cards so if someone finds it, they have emails and phone numbers to contact you to aid it its return.

 Carry a Back-Up Battery for Your Phone
You never know when you will need extra power or if your traveling companion might so pack an external battery for emergencies.

Additionally, buy a USB wall adapter that has two USB ports so if a wall socket is used by someone else, you can add your adapter without a problem to the others using the wall socket.

Always Carry Hand Sanitizer
Always carry hand sanitizer to wipe down areas of high germ concentration.  Airplane seat folding trays, seat belt buckles, air nozzles, overhead light switch buttons, as well as seat armrests are rarely cleaned and have some of the highest amounts of germs.

Pack a Portable Door Lock
You don’t know who else can access your hotel room or has a key to the rental property you’re staying in. It’s an additional layer of security. Learn more about portable door locks

Use The Room Hair Dryer to Dry Hand Washed Clothes
Was your clothes and hang them to dry overnight. If they’re still damp the hair dryer will dry them faster than the iron.

Use an ATM Inside a Bank or Hotel Lobby
You could be observed taking out money from a free-standing cash machine on a street and then robbed a block away. Also, cash machines on the street have a higher chance of being compromised with fraudulent card readers that could read your card number.

Keep a Copy of  Your Itinerary Accessible by Signing into Your Email
In case your phone gets lost or stolen have a copy of your itinerary and related travel documents available in your email. That way you can retrieve the information.

Request a Hotel Room in the Safe Zone
Hotel room floors two through six are considered the safest. Ground floor windows are more likely to be broken into and for security should not be left open for ventilation. Any floor over the 6th floor generally cannot be reached by the fire department ladders in the event of an emergency.

Inform Your Bank That You’re Traveling Out of Town
So your bank’s fraud department doesn’t shut down your card due to unusual spending in a different city or country, inform them of your destinations and if necessary request a limit increase to cover expenditures.