Travel Tips and Travel Hacks

Planning to travel soon and looking for some great tips and hacks to save you time and help you enjoy your getaway without the stress?  These top 19 travel tips and travel hacks will do just that!

Travel can be stressful and exhausting.  Especially if you aren’t used to doing it all the time.  These are my top 19 travel tips that will help you plan with intention, prepare the right things ahead of time and give you specific tips for travel days.

Don’t get caught unprepared on your next trip!

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Planning for Your Travel

There is a lot that goes into planning travel for your vacation.  These are my top tips to help you plan your trip!

1. Destination Vacation Savings ~

   1. Sometimes you can plan a destination vacation and save a lot of money by getting an all inclusive package.  When you stop and think about how much you spend on each part of your vacation separately you may find that the all inclusive option makes more sense.  The other bonus to these types of vacations is they generally feel much more luxurious.  So, if you are looking to get away and truly have a vacation where you don’t have to worry about anything try the all inclusive option.

2. Flying Travel Tips ~

   1. Pack Light.  There is nothing worse than trying to make your way through an airport with multiple bags.  If it’s winter and you add coats and extra clothing to the mix it’s just plain miserable.  Plan your luggage situation carefully and don’t overpack!  Check out my post on Packing Tips: Like a Pro here!
   2. Layovers have the ability to derail your travel plans.  Flights with layovers tend to be cheaper as well.  It’s ok to book flights with a layover to save some money but book it with no less than 1 hour layover for domestic flights (in country) and 2 hours for international flights.  This will give you a little more security in your travel working out how you had planned.

3. Where to Stay ~

   1. There are a ton of options for where to stay on your trip.  Be sure to check them all out if you have flexibility on your vacation.  Different locations are priced very differently.  So, one city may be way cheaper to stay in a hotel and another may be far more cost effective to stay in a vacation home.  Do your research and pick the one that works best for you.  My family always checks VRBO when we go on family trip.  We have saved a lot of money over the years doing this!  Check VRBO out for your next vacation.

4. Transportation ~

   1. Deciding how you will get around while you are on your trip can be tricky.  Many times people automatically book a rental car.  Sometimes that is the best choice.  Especially if you are traveling with a group or your family.  There are a lot of companies out there so try going through Expedia to find the best rate for your rental car.  They have great rates and also help narrow down what options you have.  Check out Expedia here.
   2. Public transportation or catching and Uber or Lyft may be an option too.  Be sure to check ahead of time and see what would be best for your travel.  If you are traveling with children you may find a rental car or public transportation are your best bet.
   3. Do you even need transportation?  So many people waste hundreds of dollars on a rental car when it’s not needed or used.  Check to see if your hotel has a shuttle to the main areas you are going.  What is within walking distance of where you are staying?  Just be sure to check ahead.  You may be able to save a lot of money by doing some research.

Prepare Ahead for Simplicity

There is definitely a time, and a ton of joy that can be found, in spontaneity.  I however, am a planner through and through.  These travel tips to prepare ahead will save you a ton of time, decrease your stress level before and after your trip as well as give you peace of mind.

1. Decrease Packing Time ~

   1. Save a ton of time every trip you take by having a “Tech Bag” prepped and ready to go.  Your tech bag holds all of your charging cables, charging blocks… basically everything to keep you charged up on your trip.  Check this one out at Wal-Mart.  No more forgetting another charger and scrambling to get to the store to buy another.
   2. Have a toiletry and makeup go bag ready for travel.  I swear by this!  One bag for your makeup and one bag for skin care products and razor and you are good to go!  The key here is travel size everything.  I have used my IPSY products to keep my toiletry and makeup go bags stocked for years and it works AMAZING!  It’s so cheap it’s ridiculous, customized to you specifically and the quality of the products are great!  The best part is you get your products in travel bags!  See what IPSY products you can get!

2. Pack Workout Gear ~

   1. No one wants to feel bloated and tired while on vacation.  Be sure to bring along at least one workout outfit so you can hit the gym or go for a jog.  Being realistic, you will likely indulge in foods that you wouldn’t normally.  Avoid the guilt all together by bringing your gym clothes to work it off!  Win ~ win. (Don’t forget the shoes!)

3. Entertainment~

   1. Write down some itinerary ideas for your trip!  While you are on your vacation there are probably going to be tons of places and things you want to see.  Writing them down will help you prioritize them.  It also helps when there’s poor weather and you need to change things up a bit!
   2. Traveling with family or a group?  Sometimes it’s hard to decide what to do on your trip.  There can almost be too many options.  Try having everyone in the group make a list 3-4 things with the most important at the top and least important at the bottom.  Compare everyone’s list and be sure each person gets to do at least one thing on their ideal itinerary.  This has worked great for our family!
   3. Download travel day entertainment.  You never know when wi-fi will and won’t work. Be sure to download an E-book, music, movies or magazines for your travel days.  This is such a simple thing to do that will make your travel much more enjoyable.
   4. Our final tip for planning ahead is to be honest with yourself about whether you plan to shop or not.  If you are a shopper and you know you will be bringing back some great finds from your trip, pack an empty duffel in your luggage.  This will help you avoid the cost of having your new finds sent back home through the mail!

Travel Day Tips

The day of travel itself can be daunting.  Make the process a whole lot simpler with these simple travel tips to keep you relaxed and focused on the great trip you are about to go on!

1. Things to Keep With You on Travel Day ~

   1. Don’t forget a portable charger! Airports have charging stations but it seems like there are never enough of them.  Be sure to stick a good portable charger in your purse or carryon that you can access easily.  I have had my Jackery Portable Charger for years and it hasn’t done me wrong yet!  Before that…. I had many.  Look at Jackery’s many options for portable chargers here!
   2. Keep your medicine with you at all times.  I have had more than one flight where my bag ended up in a different state than I did (why I don’t check bags anymore if at all possible).  If you have medicine that you have to take daily, keep it on you.

2. Personal Comfort & Self Care ~

   1. Go minimal whenever possible.  When you have a long day of travel ahead of you the last thing you want to do is drag around a ton of stuff.  Only have with you what you need and pack it well.  If you’re flying remember that you may be required to check your carry-on at the gate.  Be sure what you need for the flight is in your small bag so it doesn’t get stuck in the cargo department.
   2. Stay hydrated.  You can’t bring water through TSA anymore but you can bring your own expandable water bottle.  Refill it the entire time you are on your trip and you will not only save a ton of money, but be sure you have water on hand to stay hydrated!  Our family used these expandable water bottles on our last trip to Disney & Universal and it was great!  See them here.
   3. Think comfort.  Be sure to pick an outfit (including shoes) that is comfortable to travel in.  You can definitely still look cute and be comfortable.  When picking that perfect outfit heir on the side of comfort so you get to your destination feel rested.  There’s nothing worse than losing your first day of vacation to jet lag.

Travel Tips and Hacks

Hopefully you have some ideas on how to make your next vacation a great one!  Life is too short not to get out and experience it completely.  After having traveled all of my life and with a laundry list of places I still can’t wait to go, I use these travel tips and travel hacks myself all the time!  I hope you will too.

Check out our post on Packing Tips HERE!  It has a free PDF Download of our Packing List & Packing Tips.

This post was all about how to plan your travel, prepare travel gear ahead for simplicity and travel day tips!  No more stressful vacations because you weren’t prepared.  We all need some travel tips and travel hacks in our life.  Get out and see the world and have a great time doing it!