Travel Hacks
Ways to stay safe and save money when traveling:
Buying a plane ticket
● Use reward cards
○ Some good ones to consider:
■ Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
■ Starwood Preferred Guest Card
■ The US Airways Premier World MasterCard
● Remember: Do your research. The best card for you is the one that will get you where you want to go for the best price.
○ Consider a Round-The-World ticket
■ Expensive, but great value
■ Travel the world for $2,700–$10,000
Protip:
○ When traveling in pairs
■ Book the window seat and the row seat
■ This leaves middle seat open
■ People are reluctant to book the middle seat if flight isn’t full
● If someone does book it, swap seats with them
Packing
Pack 2 Bags:
1. Travel Bag:
■ High Quality 25-40 liter travel pack
● Use space efficiently
○ Roll clothes
○ Keep in a bag with a divider
■ Dirty clothes on one side
■ Clean clothes on the other side
○ Use a microfiber towel
■ Dries faster, takes up less space
■ Roll clothes into it
○ Leave travel bag ⅓ empty for souvenirs
● Keep it clean
○ Dry shampoo
○ Solid cosmetics
■ Less liquids, less potential mess
2. Small Bag (Purse, waist pack, etc)
■ Everything you need to survive in your seat
● Phone/Tablet
● Passport/ID
● Snacks
● Eyeshades
● Earplugs
● Hand sanitizer
● Water
Protip: Keep a list on your phone of things you don’t use to lighten pack for the next trip
Scan and take pictures of:
■ Passport
■ ID
■ Itinerary
● Make sure you have an offline record
○ Mark your baggage as fragile
When you arrive:
● Grab your bags quickly
○ Marking as fragile means they are released first
● Use ATM’s to get local currency
● If you can, use Yelp
○ Helps avoid “tourist spots”
● Eat Locally
● Stay in hostels or couch surf if your budget is tight
○ Remember to bring a padlock and earplugs
● Make friends with locals
● Know the emergency number
● Keep your wallet in your front pocket
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/what-are-the-best-travel_b_4640548.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/23-awesome-travel-hacks-that-add-fun-your-trip.html
http://lifehacker.com/5900474/get-an-empty-seat-next-to-you-on-your-next-flight-by-booking-the-window-and-aisle-seat
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/credit-cards/airline-cards#usairpremiermc
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/credit-cards#sapphirepreferred
http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-tips/buying-a-rtw-ticket/
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/12/09/how-to-fly-35000-miles-visit-4-continents-9-countries-and-15-cities-for-418/