11 Smartest Travel Hacks To Save Time and Money

Preparing for traveling is not an easy task, especially when you are planning a long holiday and your travel plans include flight. Sometimes we pay no heed to little things which can be very helpful later. My traveling experience says, packing and booking will never be hassle if we keep few things in mind before and during traveling.

Here I share some inside secrets and tricks that can turn your travel experience from painful to pleasant one.

• Tag your luggage with bright colored ribbon: Mostly bags are of same color and design, so to track your own bag easily, tag it with some yellow or red (some bright colors) ribbon for better visibility.
• Put your business card in suitcase: It will help to identify your lost luggage. If the name tag and bag tag get eaten by airline baggage machinery, the airline will open your bag to identify the owner. For better results, put the card right on top of all your belongings in an easy-to-spot place.
• Roll the clothes instead of folding: Whether it is for business travelers or backpackers, rolling the cloths instead of folding is always a better option. It has two benefits. One, it reduces the chances of getting extra wrinkles. Second, it is the best method to save space. Roll should be tight so that space is more organized. Rubber band can do the trick as well.
• Sit on the rear of the aircraft for better survival: Although some claims that seat on the wings of the plane is safer as it is strongest part of the aircraft but many studies proved that rear of the aircraft is safest place. When plane crashes, the front of the plane hit first but chances of survival increases for passengers sitting to the rear of the aircraft. As per the survey conducted on all crashes since 1971, survival rates were 69 per cent for those in rear seats as opposed to 56 per cent over the wing and 49 per cent for those at the front of the plane. So choose your seat wisely.
• Choose left lane at security check: Nothing kills the holiday mood like mile long check-in queues. But you can make it less frustrating by using this hack. Most people are right-handed, so they have tendency to choose right lanes. Research suggests that at security, left lanes are tend to be the fastest. You can also choose the lane closest to business class counter because it usually isn’t busy.
• 8-week rule to buy airline ticket: Although there are many airline sales alerts and ticket price monitors tool available, but you do not want to spend extra time just to check those alerts so here is a trick to get ticket on cheaper rates. Buy the ticket exact 8 weeks in advance and that too in afternoon. As per the calculation done by an economist, 8 weeks result is based on a complex formula which calculates profit. And the logic behind afternoon purchase is based on findings that mostly business class people book their tickets in the morning and evening.
• Security hang-ups: While security checking, if you held up by an item like a bottle of wine, you can drop it into lost and found section from where you can collect while returning. Although the chances to find it there are less but at least you can give it a try. After all it’s better than dropping it in trash.
• Get into first class lounge without spending extra penny: If you want to get first class lounge without paying extra charges, you can try making a friend at airport near first class lounge who may get you a first class guest pass.
• Get the room in case ‘No Vacancy’: More often, we face this situation when online booking is not available for hotels. But this is not the case always. Even if hotel receptionist tells you having no vacancy, you may still be able to get a room. Try to convince the receptionist by saying that you are planning to stay for long days (even if you are not). They always prefer guests who are staying for longer duration. More likely, you will get the room then. You can check out the hotel after 2 days (as per your original plan) by saying that it’s an emergency. Although there is no hard and fast rule for that but at least you can try and most of the time it works.
• Be creative for better sleep in hotel: A really good bed and comfortable linens won’t help you sleep well if the room is dry. If you suffer from low humidity in the room, this trick will help you. Use some damp towels around the window and keep the window open or running a hot shower with the door open right before sleeping can also help.
• Don’t use hotel lockers for your valuables: If you are carrying some valuable things in hotel, be careful with their locker system. Doesn’t matter how hard it is to break, the hotel staff can always access it with the master code. Hence it is better to leave your valuables at home.

So next time when you travel, keep these things in mind and make your holidays hassle-free. Travel like a pro!

You can also share your own travel tips in the comments!