Top 10 Travel Hacks to Help Your Trip Go Smoothly

For many of us, travel brings treasured memories and allows us to take a break from the craziness of day-to-day life. However, there’s no doubt that things don’t always go to plan. Whether you’re stuck in traffic on the way to the airport, trying to find your Airbnb with no cell data, or landing at your destination and your luggage has yet to catch up… there’s a lot that can add undue stress to your trip.

We’ve compiled our top ten travel hacks to help you ensure you’re ready for surprises, save some money, and enjoy all of the precious moments your trip has to offer.

Join an airline loyalty program

Even if you’re not a frequent business traveler, joining an airline loyalty program can provide great benefits, including free upgrades, airmiles to use on future flights, and free checked baggage. You may have to spend a little more by always flying with the same airline, but the perks in the long run make that extra occasional $50 or $100 more than worth it!

Book in advance

Especially if you’re planning a Christmas vacation or a summertime getaway, it’s a good idea to book your trip around six months in advance. The closer you leave it to peak travel time, the more flight prices will shoot up, and the fewer options you’ll have for accommodation.

@kingcredit

Travel Hacks from a pro Travel Hacker ✈️

♬ Fake - The Tech Thieves

If you’re planning a trip during other times of the year, experts say that booking international flights two and a half months ahead and domestic travel five weeks before departure will help you secure the best prices.

Don’t use third-party vendors to buy flights

While they may provide the cheapest-looking flight options on price comparison platforms, using a third-party vendor to buy your flights can lead to problems down the line. If your flight is canceled or delayed, you’ll have to go through the seller’s customer service channels and not the airline itself. Simply check the prices through the flight aggregator, and go directly to the airline to make your purchase.

Travel early in the morning

If you can stomach setting your alarm for before dawn, traveling early in the morning is a great way to avoid the crowds and minimize your chances of delays. Chances are you’ll also secure a better fare when booking to leave bright and early – and this way you’ll get more time to spend at your destination.

Pack a change of clothes in your carry-on luggage

Many of us have learned the hard way the necessity of packing a change of clothes and some essential toiletries in our carry-on. There’s nothing worse than arriving in a new city and discovering that your checked luggage hasn’t caught up – and you only have the clothes you’ve been wearing for the last 12+ hours.

Pack a fresh change of clothes in your carry-on, along with your toothbrush, toothpaste, and some soap, and you’ll be able to freshen up on the off chance your luggage doesn’t arrive with you.

Use packing cubes

Do you ever find yourself rummaging through your luggage looking for a specific item, only to be left with a pile of clothes that looks like a bomb hit it? Packing cubes are an excellent hack to not only keep your luggage organized, helping you quickly locate whatever you need but also help you pack more efficiently and prevent clothes from getting creased. No more endless digging through your suitcase – simply find the cube that has what you need and pull it out.

Print out your travel confirmations

Whether at airport security, hotel check-in, or while instructing your taxi driver, you never know when you might have to pull out travel and accommodation confirmations – and whether or not you’ll have cell data or WiFi access at that moment. It’s a great idea to print all of these documents so you have them to hand, or at minimum have screenshots of them on your phone that don’t require internet access.

Download offline maps

So you’ve arrived at your destination – it’s time to explore! Whether you’re exploring rural towns or bustling cities, it’s always a good idea to download Google Maps with key locations like your hotel pinned so you can know where to go, even without cellular data or WiFi.

Use Google Translate’s camera function

Wondering what to order for lunch, but can’t understand anything written on the menu? No sweat – simply download the Google Translate app and use its camera function. The tool uses augmented reality to overlay the translated text onto whatever you point your camera at, whether it’s a menu, street sign, or museum information board. 

Let go and enjoy the process!

Finally, our last travel hack is to surrender to the fact that travel is inherently full of unexpected twists and turns. You’ll do much better if you let go of worries when things don’t go to plan and remember to be present during moments of awe and wonder. Misses your train? The restaurant you looked forward to all day is closed? Museum line stretching around the block? Take a few deep breaths, absorb your surroundings, and don’t sweat the small stuff!

We hope these travel hacks are as useful for you as they were for us! If you’re planning your next vacation, check out our top 10 essential items to pack for any trip.

And if you’re eager to gain special discounts in selected stores and earn miles while you browse, download the Top Best Travel Extension today. Happy traveling!

The responses below are not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any financial entity or advertiser. It is not the advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.