Written by Cristina Costea
Cristina is a vegan biker who loves exploring nature trails with her dog, Lola. She is a passionate traveler and cat aficionado. Cristina is also a writer at Tripaneer.com.
These awesome travel hacks make our lives easier and some are so clever that you’ll probably wonder why on earth you didn’t think of them before. In this post, I share a comprehensive list of easy and practical travel hacks, divided into six sections, so be ready to make your trips much more efficient and enjoyable!
40 Travel Hacks That Will Make Your Next Trip Much Easier
Travel Packing Hacks
Packing Cubes
Packing cubes keep all your things in order. If you like to be organized when you travel, then packing cubes are a must. A lot of companies make them, for example, you can find them in Ikea.
Rolling Instead of Folding
Folding your clothes will not only take up more space, but it also wrinkles your clothes. Rolling is the new trend that will make your clothes look much better and fit perfectly in your luggage.
Fold Socks, Don’t Bunch Them Up
Aside from the fact that bunching socks up will take up more space than folding them, bunching them up in a bundle also wears down the elastic to one of the socks. You’ll end up with uneven socks, and that sucks!
Use An Old Sunglasses Case For Storing Cables
This way, you won’t have them all tangled up which will only annoy you to death. Also, this works better than a simple bag because it’s smaller and they have less room to wiggle into those perfect knots.
Inflatable Neck Pillow
Some people can’t travel without their neck pillows, but they take so much space! Why not get an inflatable neck pillow for a good sleep?!
Necklaces in Straws
Make sure your necklaces don’t become tangled, by putting them through straws.
Hide Money in Skincare Containers
Be it chapstick containers or old sunscreen bottles, it’s nice to have some money set aside in case of emergency.
Stuff Your Shoes
Now that your shoes are protected in your suitcase, you can use the insides of your shoes as storage. Store socks, chargers, or whatever fits!
Scan Your Documents
In case you lose them, you’ll have a backup, even though you’ll need to get new ones, once you arrive home.
Paper Napkins to Fold Delicates
You have a silk blouse you want to pack? Cover it with paper napkins and then fold it. The number of wrinkles will vastly diminish.
Nicely Smelling Suitcase
To keep all your clothes smelling nice inside your bag, put a few drops of essential oils on a cloth napkin and store it in between your clothes.
Wear Your Heavy Clothes On The Plane
This way your hand baggage is kept lighter. Besides, planes tend to get quite cold.
Related Post: Secrets On How To Fit Everything In A Carry-On For One Week!
Smartphone Related Hacks
Here are some apps to help make sure your vacation goes off without a hitch.
Booking Apps
The internet is filled with great booking apps – from hotels to flight to cars from every major booking website there is. Download the one you like the most, and you’ll simplify the booking process, and you can book on the go!
Google Translate
You just cannot leave home without it. It has a cool new feature called live translation! All you need to do is point your camera at a sign or menu, and Google will translate it for you!
Offline Google Maps
Having Google Maps on your smartphone isn’t really a travel hack, but did you know you can download the maps and use them offline? Great for when there’s spotty Wi-Fi connection!
ICE
ICE stands for In Case of Emergency and it’s just that. An app for Android that keeps all the details about your health, in case of an emergency. The cool thing about this app is that it can be accessed even when your smartphone is locked.
Related Post: Travel Apps I Cannot Live Without
Beauty Hacks
Straws For Lotions
If you’re going away for just a couple of days, then there’s no point in bringing along heavy lotion bottles. Use straws to store the lotions and just tape them up!
Toothpaste Inside Eye Drop Bottles
You don’t have to buy travel sized toothpaste! Just use an empty eye dropper bottle and fill it up with toothpaste.
Bring Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is the miracle oil that has 101 and more uses. From hair conditioner to body moisturizer to makeup remover, coconut pulls through.
Moisturize While In The Air
The air inside planes is very dry and damaging to the skin, so make sure you moisturize both your face and hands while up in the air.
Ask For Perfume Samples
Don’t bring along your entire perfume bottle, instead, go where you bought and ask for a sample!
Contact Lens Cases For Storage of Miscellaneous Items
Contact lens cases work wonderfully for storing creams, foundation, concealer and even fake eyelashes!
Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoo is a sprayable powder that you can use on your scalp and hair to remove grease. Spray liberally, comb through, and your hair is as good as new. Note that this doesn’t replace washing your hair, it only delays the wash by a day or two.
Makeup Hacks
Saturate Brushes
If you’re going away for just a couple of days, then you can saturate your bronzer, highlighter, blush and powder brushes with the product and skip taking all those products with you. There will be enough product on the brushes to last you a couple of days or so. When it comes to eyeshadow, you can saturate cotton buds with the product and use them instead of lugging around eyeshadow palettes.
Cotton Buds In Empty Pill Bottles
Cotton buds are a makeup lover’s best friend, but if you don’t store them properly, they’ll turn fuzzy and become unusable. Our solution is to store them in pill bottles. Remove any medicine label, and you’re good to go!
Lip Balm as a Cuticle Cream
Don’t bring cuticle cream with you on your trip, just use a rich lip balm!
Bronzer as Eyeshadow
Yes, bronzer can be used as either an eyeshadow base or eyeshadow.
Hotel Hacks
Once in your hotel room, there are plenty of hacks to do that will help improve your stay.
Refresh Room With a Dryer Sheet
If your hotel room smells funny, you can use a dryer sheet over the AC to freshen up the atmosphere. If it smells downright bad, you should call the front office.
Bring an HDMI Cable
If you plan to relax in the evening by watching some movies on your laptop, then bring an HDMI cable and do it on the hotel TV.
A Glass as a Phone Speaker
Place your phone inside an empty glass and press play. You’ll be surprised at how well an empty glass can double as a speaker.
TV as a Phone Charger
Most TVs in hotel rooms have a USB slot. Did you know you can use that slot to recharge your phone? Just don’t forget to bring your charger cable.
Miscellaneous Travel Hacks
Use Hair Straighteners to Iron
If you brought your hair straightener on vacation with you, then you can use it to iron your shirts, ties, hems and various other small areas on your clothes.
Use Hand Sanitizer
Not necessarily a travel hack, but hand sanitizer can really make a difference when you’re on the road! Those germs can’t wait to make your body their home!
Hide Money in Sanitary Pads
Nobody will ever think of stealing your sanitary napkins!
Use Nail Polish Remover to Clean The Edge of Your White Shoes
If you’re on vacation, and you can’t clean your shoes properly, then use some nail polish remover to remove the stains from the edges of your white shoes.
Place Coasters on Your Drink
When you’re at a bar, and you need to leave for a few moments, place your coaster on your drink to signal the bartender that you’re coming back. Apparently, this is quite universal and will work pretty much everywhere you go.
Quick Cooling Beverages
Quickly cool your beverages by wrapping them in a wet paper towel and then placing them in a fridge or freezer. Those hotel fridges need all the encouragement they can get.
Hotel Soap Bar as Luggage Refresher
Avoid having your dirty socks stink up your luggage, by putting the hotel’s soap bar inside your dirty laundry bag.
One Change of Clothes in Carry-On
Always pack at least one change of clothes in your carry on, in case your luggage is lost.
Use a Spring to Protect Your Phone Charger
Almost all chargers start showing signs of wear and tear at the spot where they are plugged in the phone, so use a spring from a pen to prevent that from happening.
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