Everyone
loves the idea of travelling. But, not everyone is in love with the
concept of booking expensive flights, losing your week’s worth of
luggage and being denied accommodation at a foreign country you’re not
familiar with. How do you save money and still get to enjoy your travel
experience? These travel hacks from professional travelers got your
back:
1. Clear your browser’s cookies
Booking
websites usually store your browser’s cookies so they know how many
times you’ve looked for a hotel or flight deal. Since they want you to
book quickly, they show you higher prices for you to take the bait.
Prevent this from happening: clear your cookies and use an incognito
browser window.
2. Track your airfare
Websites such as Yapta and Skyscanner allow
you to monitor your airfares and give you alerts every time it changes.
Just give them your email address and strike while the iron is hot! If
the airfare seems cheap enough for you, book it already. You may not
have the second chance in the future.
3. Fly Red-Eye
Don’t
want airport hassles? Choose red-eye (overnight) flights so you avoid
rush hour, long lines and grumpy personnel. You can always sleep on the
plane and wake up energized when you arrive at your dream destination.
4. Pack your luggage “Russian Nesting Doll” style
One
of the famous travel hacks is to fold your clothes. Why don’t you take
it one step further? Rolled up socks and underwear go inside your shoes.
Rolled up shirts can safely store your digital camera or sunglasses.
Put the items you’ll frequently need (liquids and items you’ll use
mid-flight) at the very top.
5. Wear your extra luggage
Wear
the bulky items that you will need but you don’t want to pack – a
jacket, a pair of boots, a hoodie or your gym clothes! If you’re really
extreme about it, you can also try Jaktogo so you can wear your luggage literally.
6. Make your luggage stand out – in a good way
Consistently
checking every luggage that moves is not easy so you want your own
luggage to be noticeable at first sight. Don’t use ribbons or bows
because these can get stuck. Instead, put colorful and bright stickers
on your luggage.
7. Choose your security line
Don’t
line up behind senior citizens and children as they tend to take the
most time in getting through security. Instead, look for people in
business suits; they tend to move more efficiently as compared to
others.
8. Go through priority lines anyway
If
you see that the line is excruciatingly slow, go to the empty line for
priority/first-class passengers. You can actually ask them if you can
just go through, or if you want, you can always pass by and they’ll wave
you in. More often than not, you won’t even need to flash your frequent
flyer card anyway.
9. Request shopping bags from airport gift shops
Ask
for a big shopping bag and put all your remaining stuff there. Because
everyone will assume that you just bought this from the airport’s gift
shop, you won’t get charged for an extra carry-on baggage. If it’s not
free, consider buying it. A shopping bag price is still cheaper than an
overweight fee.
10. Bring an empty water bottle with you
Pass
through security by making sure your bottle’s empty. Once you’re in the
holding area, fill it up at the tap or water fountain and smile. Now
you don’t need to shell out to pricey airport stores just so you can
quench your thirst! If you’re extra cautious, you can bring an empty
water bottle with a built-in filter.
11. Roll back your computer’s clock
Only
given one hour to enjoy the free WiFi? Before the one hour is up, roll
back your computer’s or smartphone’s clock. This way, you get more
Internet time.
12. Consider house-sitting
You can technically live rent-free if you do house-sitting. Join a house-sitting membership sites like TrustedHousesitters.com,
sign up for notifications and reply quickly to any messages. Also, make
sure to have a written agreement with the homeowner so that you know
what and what not to do while living in their house.
13. Join free local guides
You can check out the Global Greeter Network for free local guides. You get free tours, new friends and perhaps even free meals, if your “greeter” is generous enough!
14. Make one meal the highlight of your day
Don’t
splurge for every meal – you’ll spend more money faster if you do this.
Instead, use one meal and make it the highlight every day. For example,
for breakfast, stick with cheese and bread, yogurt or affordable fruits
that you can buy in your nearest supermarket. Then for lunch, look for
scrumptious yet cheap lunch set deals. For dinner, you can either eat
street food or even make do with the food that you took home with you.
You don’t need to eat like a king every time to enjoy your travel.
15. Have your USB stick with you
One
of the most-ignored travel hacks is about safety: in an encrypted USB
stick, include your ID pictures, bank/insurance company phone numbers,
insurance policy, credit card statements and passport photos. This way,
if you ever get robbed, you can immediately get back on your feet and
take action.
Which of these travel hacks are you familiar with? Share in the comments below and let’s talk!
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