Last Updated on October 25, 2023 by Greg Head
Travel Hacks from Experienced Travelers – Traveling can be one of the great joys of life, but it can also be a stressful event, as well.
A few good travel hacks really do go a long way.
Read on for 10 expert travel hacks that will make your worldwide travels a bit easier, a bit more fun, and help set the stage for truly great experiences while traveling.
Travel Hacks from Experienced Travelers
Pre-Trip Switch to “Private Browsing”
If you’re going to be price shopping online (and you should be), make sure to switch your browser to privacy or private browsing before looking around.
The cookies websites use to determine your location are also used by popular travel sites to raise prices.
The more times you re-visit a site, the more the price rises.
If you’re in privacy mode, you’ll actually get the best available pricing.
E-mail Picture of Passport
This is precautionary.
Whether you take a detailed picture with your smartphone or scan it in, e-mail yourself that picture.
If something happens and you lose it or get it stolen (rare, but you have to take precautions) then you’ll be happy to have that backup picture of it to fall back on and to prove you are who you are.
What Countries Can I Travel to Without a Passport?
Buy A Comfortable Travel Hat
Whether keeping the rain or snow out of your eyes or the sunlight from pounding down on your face and head, a good travel hat seems like a minor thing but truth be told, it does a lot of work.
Most basic hiking hats are more than enough and combined with a pair of sun glasses can help make sure you can move around in comfort.
Always Carry A Water Bottle
One, you should never pay airport prices for bottled water.
Two, a filter water bottle allows you to stay hydrated no matter how hot it is.
This also allows you to check out impromptu hiking trails or walk a bit further when off on an adventure.
Staying hydrated is not only good for health but it also helps prevent headaches.
Nothing ruins travel like a persistent pounding head because you’re dehydrated.
Related Reviews:
- Filtered Water Bottle Review – removes up to 99.99% of pollutants!
- Help finding a water bottle with a great filter
Roll & Pack Method
Most people fold their clothes when packing.
When traveling, rolling up clothes into a really tight tube actually ends up being a space saver in most cases.
This means you can downsize your travel bags, pack more, or sometimes both and this is the type of tip that comes from a truly experienced traveler whether going solo or packing for a family.
Pack Loose Dryer Sheets
Loose dryer sheets can help absorb odors.
This keeps your clothes smelling fresher, and if you’re in the middle of a long-term trip they can be a life saver when you need to catch another plane before washing all of your socks from the past week.
While this isn’t a replacement for doing actual laundry, they can absorb a lot of the used clothes smells and sweat stains so your washed clothes don’t pick up these unpleasant scents.
Consider A Dummy Wallet
This is an area-situational one but in many really amazing tourist destinations pick pockets can be a problem.
Hiding your actual wallet well while carrying a fake dummy wallet in your pocket can be an extra layer of protection.
You can even have some fun with it by having a note in the wallet with a face with a tongue sticking out or a rude comment in the native language, if that’s your style.
Minimize Your Packing
Don’t overpack.
Needing to locally find toothpaste, a nice shirt, or shaving accessories can result in talking to locals, finding local resources, and finding neat little hole in the wall places you might otherwise never have found or had any experience with.
Over-packing is one of the most common mistakes even experienced travelers make but you will see more and meet more people by packing just a little bit less!
Take A Cooking Or Craft Class
Why do this?
Because by learning how to cook some favorite local dishes or create a local craft, you will have the skills to do something interesting, and whether weaving a basket or cooking a four dish foreign meal, you’ll be able to remember everything you enjoyed about the vacation as familiar smells, sights, or actions combine to bring back memories of that trip months or even years down the line.
Plus who doesn’t like learning a new skill or dish?
Ask For Extras
This doesn’t mean be a jerk or a pushy demanding tourist, but polite inquiries will often get you more than you would imagine.
There are many cultures which are extremely service oriented, and in these cultures it’s not only acceptable form to politely ask for something, but often times when done respectfully people are extremely happy to be able to make a great impression by helping you to get your perfect vacation visit.
Related Content: Best Travel Accessories for Women, see what else do you need!