November 26, 2020

Useful Travel Hacks

In the following article you will find some incredibly useful travel hacks that I’ve gathered over the years. Hopefully by the end of the article you will feel like a real life traveler hacker. 

..... Alright, let's get started

 

Use private browsing when shopping on travel websites

When shopping around for the cheapest flights and accommodation online enable private browsing. Travel sites often track your visits by storing cookies so when you are on private browsing you are telling your browser whether safari, chrome or firefox not to use or download any cookies. That way those travelling websites won’t be able to adjust the price of what you’re shopping for due to your interest. As scene Johny Jet,  there was a difference in price by simply changing browsers.

Rolling clothes instead of folding them

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Folding your clothes in your backpack can waste a lot of space and limit what you can carry.  By rolling your clothes you end up compressing the clothing thus making it easier to stack the tightly together in your bag.

Keep your wires wrapped in elastics or cord tacos.

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Trying to pull out your headphones or your charger in a ball of tangled wires is the worst! Keep everything in order and untangled by using some elastics or practical cord tacos that won't break with time.

Download free maps by using Google feature “OK MAP”

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Having 1000 paper maps can be a pain to carry around during a day trip. Google maps has this awesome feature that lets you download the map of a specific area that you can revisit offline when you are outside your coverage zone or if you simply wish to save your data for more important things, like streaming netflix.

Keeping empty water bottles can help you save for a full diner or even a few beers!

Vectors by Freepik  

Keeping your empty bottle of water and refilling it after airport check ins instead of buying a new one  can add up quite quickly. Bonus tip, if you're staying for several days in the same area buy yourself those big litre/gallon bottles and refill your day one. This is especially useful when traveling in southeast Asia where a dollar saved can mean an extra meal (or beer!)

Airbnb instead of hostels could save you money

Travelling with a friend or family? Booking an airbnb can sometimes be the same price or even cheaper than a hostel or hotel. Getting your own place can give you a well deserved respite from the hustle and bustle of hostels dorms.

Backing up your ID and photos in the cloud

Scanning your passport, ID and itinerary and sending it to you email or google drive account. In the unfortunate event that your stuff gets lost or stolen you want to have a quick way to have access to them. You can do the same with your pictures on evernote, dropbox or as previously mentioned google drive

ATMs or Exchange bureau’s?

Using the ATM is usually always the best option. Exchange bureau’s have higher fee’s and use ridiculously unfavourable exchange rates. An ATM with PLUS* debit will incur the least amount fee’s or use your credit card that might charge cash advance fees

Saving big by grocery shopping abroad

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We don’t mean buying food for your whole trip but getting the essentials like water, fruits and snacks (mmmm chips) will save you quite a bit of money in the long run, especially if you're travelling for more than a week.

Put away your guidebook

Guide books usually advertise tourist area’s even the one’s tagged as “off the beaten track”. Restaurants often pay hotels in the area to be part of their recommendation. From my experience, hostels will have more honest suggestions and real "off the beaten track" places to see and eat.

Deodorant for a safe

Quick DIY travel hack, using a used deodorant to stash cash and credit cards. Someone going through your stuff will less likely steal your deodorant then valuables unless he/she has bad hygiene. Check out the simple steps here 

Keep bookings confirmations on your phone

We are slowly heading towards a paperless world but some train tickets or bookings need to be printed out. Take a screenshot or pick from your phone whenever possible it will save time, paper and a headache if you misplace them.

Garbage bag raincoat… For your bag

Not all backpack come with a waterproof lining. In the case your backpack needs some protection from heavy rain line it with a garbage bag. Garbage bags are easy to store inside your bag or side pocket for easy access

Laundry detergent

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For those long trips, keep an small bottle of detergent. In some countries washing machines seem non existent so having some detergent will come real handy. All you need is a sink or a bowl and voila!

Finding the right flight 

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