A quick search for “travel hacks” online yields hundreds and hundreds of results from travelers eager to share their knowledge and help less experienced travelers out. A lot of people will offer you advice, but to keep you from being overwhelmed with information, here are some of the best, tried and true tips for a smooth trip:
Reserve Airport Parking before You Travel
The worst thing you can do is to forget to take airport parking into account, then end up at the airport with no place to park your car and risk missing your flight. Fortunately, airport parking services like ParkON have made life easier for us all by offering a quick and easy solution. Simply reserve your airport parking slot via their easy to navigate website, ParkON.com.
ParkON offers parking in more than 200 parking lots near the busiest airports, including Miami, LaGuardia and Los Angeles International. Even notoriously difficult LAX parking becomes a breeze with this service, where you can search, select and reserve a slot all in under five minutes. ParkON guarantees the best prices, and offers free cancellation in case your travel plans change.
Pack Light
Almost everyone overpacks, even some of the most seasoned travelers. You pack extra items “just in case,” then inevitably come home with many of them unused, and some of them you even forgot that you packed! A good rule of thumb when packing is to pack for the 80% percent. This simply means packing for the situations you’ll be most of the time, and bringing only the things you know you’ll have to wear every day.
Resist the urge to pack a fancy dress or jacket just in case you might go somewhere fancy. If you hadn’t planned to go somewhere fancy beforehand, it’s unlikely that you will go when you arrive at your destination, and if the situation does arise, you can simply buy something local. It might be cheaper, and it’s a good excuse to buy a souvenir from the place you visited.
You can also do laundry just about anywhere you go. Most hotels and hostels have laundry facilities either onsite or nearby, so if you ever run out of clothes, simply do your laundry.
If you absolutely must prepare for any situation, pack smarter, don’t pack more. This means packing multipurpose items that can be worn in different ways, and dressed up or down to suit the occasion. If you’re going somewhere where temperatures may vary, pack light layers instead of bringing one large, bulky coat that will take up a lot of space. Learn how to pack your clothes in the most efficient, space-saving manner to make the most of your luggage space.
Take an Extra Bank Card and Credit Card with You
Disasters often happen during travel. It’s always a good idea to have a backup source of funds in case you get mugged or lose your wallet. Make sure you always have a way to access your funds in case of emergency.
Learn Basic Phrases
It’s only common sense and good courtesy to learn a few basic phrases when traveling to a country where you don’t speak the main language. The locals will appreciate it and treat you better for it. It will also make communication easier, and can save you much frustration. It can even help keep you from getting hopelessly lost.
What are some of the best travel tips and tricks you’ve picked up, either from experience or from other travelers? Share your knowledge in the comments below to help fellow travelers out.
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