Travel Hacks/Tips

[ICUDr]

I don't have to suit up for flying so I wear a pair of thin comfortable chinos that don't need a belt = no need to take off / put on a belt to get through security.

Carry mints or buble gum and my phone charger on my carry on.

Always carry your medications with the prescription or labeled box when going through Dubai or Japan. Specially any sleep or pain meds!! I dont use them but have seen 2 different people getting into, what looked like very, serious trouble

 

[kaktusdigital]

not sure if this counts as a travel hack, as im not sure how effective this really is. Ask for your luggage to be labeled 'fragile' in order for it to hopefully come out quicker due to the fact it will be on-top of other luggage.

 

[SeatBackForward]

not sure if this counts as a travel hack, as im not sure how effective this really is. Ask for your luggage to be labeled 'fragile' in order for it to hopefully come out quicker due to the fact it will be on-top of other luggage.

Well, some of the WPs and WP1s around here are very delicate...

 

[marki]

All these WP and WP1 being all delicate may then defeat the purpose of the hack:shock:

 

[medhead]

not sure if this counts as a travel hack, as im not sure how effective this really is. Ask for your luggage to be labeled 'fragile' in order for it to hopefully come out quicker due to the fact it will be on-top of other luggage.

Anything has to work better than priority tags to get priority luggage. But my understanding is that fragile stickers just means extra special treatment from baggage handlers. Sort of like "Male sure your throw this bag especially hard" stickers.

 

[TheRealTMA]

not sure if this counts as a travel hack, as im not sure how effective this really is. Ask for your luggage to be labeled 'fragile' in order for it to hopefully come out quicker due to the fact it will be on-top of other luggage.

That's not always a good idea since it can mean it's diverted to the oversize and special collection point, which comes out last. Happened to us with a case of wine. Took 30 minutes after other luggage.

 

[kaktusdigital]

That's not always a good idea since it can mean it's diverted to the oversize and special collection point, which comes out last. Happened to us with a case of wine. Took 30 minutes after other luggage.

ouch! sorry to hear that!

 

[moa999]

Priority luggage works best on containerised planes where it is loaded into a special container that will generally be unloaded first.

Works less well on hand loaded luggage where last minute stuff here mixed in, and on unloading they don't care

 

[Cynicor]

That's not always a good idea since it can mean it's diverted to the oversize and special collection point, which comes out last. Happened to us with a case of wine. Took 30 minutes after other luggage.

Oversize is a potluck as much as anything else. Not always last, sometimes first. But I wouldn't be marking anything fragile either, it's asking for trouble.

 

[tofidog]

Hence a powerboard being of immense value.
Notwithstanding the risk of randomly garrotting people with the cord.

I am a big fan of multi-purpose products...

 

[BSewe11]

Thanks for the tip on multi USB charger. my wife & I often cycle whilst on holiday & at our destination it is a scramble to charge GPS & lights as well as the usual mobile phones, lap tops & camera.

My travel tip is a duel sim phone. My Oz sim stays in the phone so I am still contactable if need be as normal but I insert a local sim in slot 2 (usually geared towards more to data). Have the phone set to data roaming using the local sim and calls & messaging as "select sim"

 

[feezable]

Large Ziploc bags are great for undies and socks - poor man's space bags!

Space Bags are my favourite way to pack.
- separates clothing into usage groups. For me this works as underwear/sleepwear in one, then the others are packed relating to climates or locations. And I always put things that crush in a bag together laying them flat on top of each other before closing the bag, they usually can then be hung at the destination without the need to iron.
- if my bag was to break open at any time just a few space bags would fall out rather than having my clothes strewn around.
- if my bag gets wet for any reason the contents will stay dry.
- as the trip goes on one bag can become the dirty clothes holder for the trip home
- there so much more space in my luggage to bring home any purchases

I am generally quite a light packer, my bag usually weighs 11-12kgs when leaving home and a few more on the return leg. Using space bags hasn't made me take any more stuff, it just feels so much more organised.

 

[vt01]

Clean shirt and undies. Good if your luggage goes missing, or you spill your meal on your shirt or just to feel refreshed on arrival after a long flight especially if connecting.
I've only recently discovered the idea of taking a powerboard with me and a single adaptor.. I can't believe I travelled for so long without one!
I have also found taking photos of everything from itinerary, passport, phone numbers, addresses and maps on my phone for easy quick access wonderful.
I also used to travel with a portable wireless router for use in hotel rooms so all my wifi devices could connect. I now have a new portable one. only problem is it only lasts about 6 -7 hours before needing recharge. Picked it up in Singapore and can be used in any country.
That's it for me.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Clean shirt and undies. Good if your luggage goes missing, or you spill your meal on your shirt or just to feel refreshed on arrival after a long flight especially if connecting.
I've only recently discovered the idea of taking a powerboard with me and a single adaptor.. I can't believe I travelled for so long without one!
I have also found taking photos of everything from itinerary, passport, phone numbers, addresses and maps on my phone for easy quick access wonderful.
I also used to travel with a portable wireless router for use in hotel rooms so all my wifi devices could connect. I now have a new portable one. only problem is it only lasts about 6 -7 hours before needing recharge. Picked it up in Singapore and can be used in any country.
That's it for me.

Yes, a change of clothes, and everything you can't survive without including medications and camera and phone chargers (easier these days most are USB charged so you only need the cables) plus one adapter in carryon for the day 'when' your luggage goes missing. (Ours was 'lost' for 7 weeks one Xmas in snow bound Europe.) For passport, drivers licence, credit card scans, documents, tickets, bookings, car rentals etc., scan/save/print them as PDF and copy them to Goggle Drive (or similar) which can be accessed from any device, phone, tablet, computer etc. If you are travelling to cold countries in winter, you also need to take your coat, scarf and gloves as well, not in checked luggage.

WiFi router is not a bad idea as is one of the newer 8000mAh power banks is also not a bad idea but we're getting pretty loaded already for 7KG of carryons.

Do remember that maybe not this trip but unless you are very lucky, one day your checked luggage will either be lost or rifled and tech items etc stolen. Theft from "locked" bags seems to be increasing these days despite supposed airport surveillance.

 

[Franky]

My top travel hacks -

Most new laptops have a usb port that charge phones whilst off. Use that instead of lugging a portable battery around. You will also only need the one power adaptor for the laptop too.
Make sure you have your credit card and passport. Everything else can be purchased when you're there if you forget it.
Don't pack too much. My girlfriends hand luggage is always exploding with cough. She takes a pillow and blanket. They give you that stuff on the plane!
Book hotels with cancellation up to the date of arrival. Then cancel and re-book if the rate gets cheaper.
Always ask for passport control to stamp a used page. Passports and replacing visas can be expensive when you run out.
Get a bag that your laptop slides in and out of easily for security screening.
Don't eat yellow snow.
Always change money in the country you are going to.
Street food is always good, the world over. Avoid chicken though.
Find a mobile sim that allows worldwide roaming. My china mobile sim allows unlimited data in most countries for about $12 a day.
Travel insurance!
Google maps is usually way better than apple maps for getting around (except in china).
Probably obvious in this forum... but plan your trips to align with an airline alliance. I'm qantas wp having only flown a dozen or so qantas flights. The rest with partners. Always double check your booking class and earn rate before locking it in.
Do a hotel gold fast track. I did this with Hilton and it's been awesome.
Finally. Bose QC25 headphones..... The best thing I have ever purchased.

I would put travel insurance on top of any list. And for frequent travellers, an annual worldwide policy might be a bit more expensive than a single journey policy, but cheaper in the long run. if the annual policy is not for you, take a single trip policy as soon as you make your booking, not just before you fly.

 

[Franky]

Clean shirt and undies. Good if your luggage goes missing, or you spill your meal on your shirt or just to feel refreshed on arrival after a long flight especially if connecting.
I've only recently discovered the idea of taking a powerboard with me and a single adaptor.. I can't believe I travelled for so long without one!
I have also found taking photos of everything from itinerary, passport, phone numbers, addresses and maps on my phone for easy quick access wonderful.
I also used to travel with a portable wireless router for use in hotel rooms so all my wifi devices could connect. I now have a new portable one. only problem is it only lasts about 6 -7 hours before needing recharge. Picked it up in Singapore and can be used in any country.
That's it for me.

Good advice vt01. With the portable wireless router, I assume the password you receive from reception is applied to the router, and the devices run off that without further passwords?

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

If you check luggage always take a photo of the cases just in case the airlines "misplace" it. This came in handy when we arrived in Paris and our bags did not appear on the baggage carousel and the "Lost Luggage " attendant wanted a description of our bags.

 

[TheRealTMA]

If you check luggage always take a photo of the cases just in case the airlines "misplace" it. This came in handy when we arrived in Paris and our bags did not appear on the baggage carousel and the "Lost Luggage " attendant wanted a description of our bags.

Yes and also a photo of the inside of the bag after packing so you can see what's been stolen immediately when you open it.

 

[clazman]

I always take a US$100... as emergency cash

 

[vt01]

Good advice vt01. With the portable wireless router, I assume the password you receive from reception is applied to the router, and the devices run off that without further passwords?

The portable wireless router I first bought was cable connect only. I think I had to connect to it wirelessly with my PC and logon to configure it including any password. Which is why I only used it in the room. The new one is 3G modem/router rechargeable and needs a SIM card.