Travel Hacks That Will Change The Way You Travel Forever, for the better!

Traveling is always fun, but the time and effort we put into planning can be treacherous. The best travel hack would be doing a proper research & planning a perfect trip that suits your need. Following sites/apps will help you figure out to-do’s & not to do’s.

Trip/Itinerary Planning

Travel Guide

Money

Get cash from ATMs for best rates
refund every single ATM fee worldwide, require no minimum balance and have no monthly fee
Bring a spare credit card for real emergencies
Split cash in various places on your person (pockets, shoes) and in your luggage
Use a money belt

Packing

Throw the hotel bar soap into your dirty laundry bag so it doesn’t stink up your suitcase for the rest of your trip. Don’t have any bar soap lying around? Use a dryer sheet.
Wear a night moisturizer on long flights because it’s extra hydrating and you’ll have plenty of time to let it sink in and do its job (you know, like fighting wrinkles and brightening skin).
Pack items like your laptop in smaller bags so you have options when you’re out and about. You don’t want to have to lug your carry-on bag with you everywhere, do you?
Store your power cords in an old sunglass case. It’ll keep you from losing your damn mind. We promise.
Bring several pairs of underwear in your carry-on—just in case, your luggage winds up lost.
Collect travel- and sample-size items (gee, where could you find those?) so you’ll have them when you need them.
Pre-pack what you can. Always have a toiletry bag ready, so that you don’t need to go crazy the night before you leave.
Place a cotton pad in your blush or powder compact to ensure that it won’t break while you’re in transit.

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Hotels

Check AirBnB, ZO Rooms , oyorooms, Roomorama, TripVillas – Holiday Homes, Vacation Apartments and More, Homeaway, VRBO, FlipKey, (or an aggregator of all these like AllTheRooms) before making hotel/room reservations
Check Hotel Tonight for a last minute booking
Check flash-sale sites (Jetsetter, Vacationist) and sites that reward high-value travelers (Hotelied)
Call the hotel directly for rates to compare with online rates.
Private rooms in hostels are better deals and more fun than hotels in many 2nd tier cities
Always ask for a better room or free upgrade when you check into a hotel. About half the time, you get one.
Evaluate quality of the source before accepting restaurant recommendations of hotel employees

Need a charger or adapter? Ask the hotel desk. Almost always, they’ll pull a box of chargers abandoned by previous travelers and you can have your pick.

Frequent Flyer Miles, Hotel Points, and other travel loyalty programs

Track your miles and points from your smartphone with applications like Superfly and Award Wallet.

Interacting with locals

Follow the locals. If there are locals around you, you’re doing it right. If there are only tourists, you’re probably being ripped off.
Smile
Learn a bit of the language, make an effort
Look for people already drinking and buy a round
Eat with them: Eatwith.com
Check the Spotted by Locals apps or blogs (Europe & North America)
Get the local experiences: Triip: The Happiest Way to Enjoy Truly Local Experiences(Triip is now available in 86 countries)

Travel logistics

Email PDFs of your passport to yourself
Take an unlocked GSM phone with you, you can buy SIM cards almost everywhere cheap
If you need any sort of service and you’re outside the U.S., call the 800 US number if there is one. Much faster and friendlier service.
Get a YMCA membership. YMCAs are the most pervasive gym in the U.S. and for $5 you get access to showering, hot tub, swimming pool, locker for an entire day etc.
Use Thumbtack to get services done by locals, instead of businesses
Use Tripoto to see what other travelers did before you.

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Internet

Check Foursquare for free Wi-Fi hotspots
Rewards lounges usually have unprotected Wi-Fi networks
Buying Internet access from your mobile device rather than your laptop can get you a better rate. Alternatively, you can spoof your browser’s User Agent.

Flights

If flying with someone else on 3-seat arrangements, book the aisle and window. The middle seat is likely to remain free, or the person who gets it will be happy to trade with one of you. If traveling solo, buddy up with another solo traveler.
In airports, observe the flight crews. They know which places are best to eat at, what monorail to use etc.
The first bathroom in the terminal is the most crowded one. Use the next one.
Avoid airport security lines with people who look like they don’t travel often (elderly, children, large groups).
Ask that your checked bags be marked as “fragile”. This will put them on the top of other bags, so they’ll often come out of the carousel first.
If your flight gets canceled/delayed or you’re likely to miss a connection, pick up the phone and re-book your flight. Don’t wait in the long line at the counter.
Always search JetBlue and Southwest in addition to meta-search engines like Kayak, because they may not index them.
Bring an empty water bottle through security, then fill it from a fountain for free hydration throughout the flight.
Acting sleepy/groggy (yawning a lot and looking bored) makes it very easy to breeze through immigration, customs, security.
Using Hidden City and Throwaway Ticketing to Save Big Money on Airfare, , but with care
Book the discounted 5 am flight, then show up later in the day and get re-booked on a flight with available seats. You might need to pay at most a $25 rescheduling fee.
Cargo pants and vests with many pockets can act as a 3rd carryon