Best Travel Hacks Everyone should Know

BEST TRAVEL HACKS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW :-

Once the reservations are done and the accommodation has been finalized, it’s time for Phase 2 of traveling, i.e., Packing and Planning. These two words are enough to induce a mini panic attack for many people, but no fear when I am here! I am here to help you prepare like a pro. Today I am here to tell you about the Travel Hacks that all of you should know.

Traveling is all about exploring new places, new food items, adventure, etc. For families, it is even more pleasing & precious as it allows parents to get to know their children even better. If 2 or more families travel together, it becomes all the more enjoyable and memorable. If I tell you about my family trips, we are 2 families traveling together always; my family & my Maternal Uncle’s (Mama Ji’s) family. As they say, with the benefits of travel come some stressors that can have a negative impact and can ruin the travel experience. But, you don’t have to worry and let those stressors ruin your vacation. Traveling brings immense pleasure and a lot of enjoyment if planned properly. I travel quite a bit for both work and pleasure, with family and with friends.

Listed below are some travel hacks that everybody should know before embarking on the next trip

Hacks Before Leaving For The Trip

1. While booking a hotel, make sure that it is a renowned one and safe for a family or a group stay. In the case of solo trips or girls’ trips, one needs to be extra careful. When 2 or more families travel together, booking a whole apartment instead of hotel rooms would definitely add spice to the vacation.
2. While packing your clothes, try saving as much space as possible. Roll the clothes instead of creating piles of clothes in the suitcase. Rolling allows us to fit more things in and hence we have more options to wear. Girls are always open for more and more clothes to carry.
3. If you do not know the local language of that place, try learning some basic words so that the communication becomes a little bit easier. English and Hindi are not spoken in each and every part of India, especially in South India. Some local people can only speak their native language, neither Hindi nor English.
4. Always make sure that you keep and cards in one secured place in a wallet. You need to take extra special care of your wallet when you are on a vacation. You never know when and how you get pick-pocketed.
5. Keep more than 2 copies of your tickets, itinerary, and identification documents (both hard copy & soft copy). In case one copy is lost, you always have the other one.
6. As I mentioned in my previous article, always keep an extra foldable bag in your luggage. This allows you to keep the shopping stuff in the bag when are about to come back.
7. Keep your own water bottle before leaving. water quality is not always good in flights/trains/buses and may not always like the taste of water. If you carry your own water bottle, you can have the best quality of water whenever you feel thirsty during the trip.
8. Keep some eatables along with you to make sure that you don’t have to starve while you are en route to your destination.

Hacks When You Have Arrived at Your Destination

1. When you deboard from train/bus, make sure that you carry all your bags and nothing is left behind. A piece of lost luggage is really very painful.
2. Always keep some cash with you, don’t just rely on plastic money. Card swiping is not possible at every local shop. Depending on the place where you go, you need to keep some cash handy in order to avoid further problems. Use ATMs if necessary.
3. Make sure that the place is sanitized properly. Coronavirus Pandemic has hit the world so hard and we are still fighting with it. Hence, it is important to make sure that the rooms are sanitized properly before check-in.
4. If you book an apartment and not a hotel room, buy some groceries when you arrive. When staying in an apartment, you can always cook your own meals. Shopping in bulk is not required, but getting basics like water and a few necessary items can save you a ton.
5. When in the apartment/room, take out only the necessary items from your luggage. This nullifies the chance of forgetting your things while leaving. It is always good to take out limited things and keep them back in place when used.
6. Always keep some snack for your late-night cravings. Hotels/apartments may or may not offer a 24-hour service of food. So, it is always a good idea to keep some ready-to-eat food items with yourself.

Hacks About Exploring The Place

1. Always follow the itinerary and it should be prepared after all the research. If yours is a road trip, do step out for a long drive. Moreover, try to use the local language as much as possible. This gives people a sense of warmth and the localities tend to help you even more.
2. Do explore the local market of that city. This will bind you to the true culture of that particular place and you feel all the more grounded. You can also find many shopping items to buy and gift loved ones.
3. Eat local food only. Avoid KFC, Dominos, McDonald’s, etc. These options are anytime and always open when you’re home. Trying out the local cuisine saves money and gives a new flavor to your taste buds. Few of those unexplored local dishes might become your new favorite.
4. As they say, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do!’. This saying fits in while you are traveling to new places. In contrast to this article, I can quote it this way, “do not be a stubborn traveler, traveling is about getting out of your comfort zone”. So, explore the local activities or outfits and cherish every moment of your travel.
5. When you’re traveling to some hill station, make sure that go out on a walk atleast once in a day. Taking in the fresh air is not possible in metro cities. Also, explore different adventurous activities that the hill stations have to offer. They are good to go with and you feel all the more energized.
6. Try dressing up according to the place where you are in. For example, one can wear western outfits in Goa, Punjabi suits/western clothes in Punjab, ethnic in Rajasthan, Kanjivaram in South India, etc. When in Himachal, do try out the ‘Pahadi Outfit’ and get yourself clicked. I have done this and that attire is worth wearing.

Hacks for Coming Back Home

1. Keep the room/apartment neat & clean. Keeping the place messy makes it difficult to find your belongings when you need them. Also, if you keep the room tidy before leaving, the cleaning staff would feel less burdened and this will reduce their work-load too.
2. If you are a frequent traveler, keep your toiletry bag packed. This saves time and allows the packing process to be easier. It also prevents you from purchasing toiletries on your next trip in case you forget something.
3. If you love to write, do write a diary and express all your feelings & experiences about that trip. Make a list of the places that you visited. This will help you when you plan another trip to the same place. If you have any friends or relatives who love traveling, your hand-written notes would help them too.
4. When you are home, make sure that you unpack your stuff the same day. You might feel tired out of your mind & body, but you’ll feel much more relaxed if you do it on the same day. Moreover, doing so would save the luggage from smelling foul.

Conclusion

These common yet ignored travel hacks are always life-saving. They save time, money, and energy as they make travel much easier. These hacks have always helped me on my trips within India. I have not got a chance to travel abroad, but I hope 2021 has something good in the box and I will definitely be traveling to some other country this year. I am sure these hacks will provide some assistance to you too and you will feel relieved if you follow them for your next travel. Do not forget to take multiple pictures and capture every moment on your cell phones or cameras. Clicking pictures is indeed one of the best parts about traveling. Which hack did you like the most? Write to us in the comment section below.

Wherever you go, go with all your heart!