We love to travel! However, the process of getting to and from where you are going and making sure you have all of the right items can be a beast! Through the years we have learned some great lessons – some the hard way, but I thought I would pass them along to you and hopefully, they will make your next travels smooth sailing!

travel hacks - tips and tricks to make your travels easier


We love to travel! However, the process of getting to and from where you are going and making sure you have all of the right items can be a beast! Through the years we have learned some great lessons – some the hard way, but I thought I would pass them along to you and hopefully, they will make your next travels smooth sailing!

Travel tips and hacks

TSA Pre-Check

sign_up_for_tsa_pre_

TSA Pre-Check has been amazing for my family! Shorter security lines, don’t have to removed your coat or shoes or belts, don’t have to remove your computer or liquids under 3 oz. It was like the old work of travel – simple and easy. Click here for more info.

Disposable Coffee Cup for the Airplane

This is one of my favorite travel hacks. My friend Lainie told me about it while we recently on a trip. So you are traveling with your kids and the beverage cart comes around and your son asks for an apple juice. They pour it in those little plastic glasses and you try to make room on the seat back tray – you move the iPad out of the way, the snacks, the crayons and coloring book. BUT, it never fails, someone bumps the seat or you hit some turbulence and the very full cup spills and splashes. Lainie suggested to pack a few of those paper coffee cups with lids and ask the flight attendant to pour the drinks in those cups instead – genius!

paper_travel_cup_with_lid_for_airplane

Emergen-C

Airplanes are a breading ground for germs. You get someone on the plane who is sick – coughing and hacking and sneezing and the germs spread throughout the plane. I used to travel for business and every time I would come home with a cold or flu or something awful. So I started taking Emergen-C a few days before I left for a trip, while I was on the trip and for a few days after I get home. Since I started doing this, the travel flu has been few and far between.

emergen-c

Travel Antibacterial Wipes

antibacterial_wipes

So I am a total germaphobe. As soon as we get on the plane, I have my kids wipe down the tray tables, armrests, etc with antibacterial wipes. I also wipe down some key things in the hotel room when we get there – doorknobs, light switches, locks, toilet seat and handle, faucets and the remote control. (side note, I beg you, do not use the seat back pocket on the airplane – it is a cesspool of grossness – people put their used kleenex, barf bags, dirty napkins and cups – don’t…. just don’t!)

Plastic Zip Lock Bags

You will be surprised how much you will use these. When we are on a cruise or at a breakfast buffet, I will grab some extra cereal boxes, granola, dried fruit for snacks later in the day. We also put the hotel TV remote in a bag (goes back to my germ problem). They are great for wet bathing suits when you have to leave and your suits are still wet. The uses are endless.

ziplock_bags

Dryer Sheet in Suitcase

Keep your suitcase and its belonging smelling fresh by placing a dryer sheet in your suitcase.

dryer_sheets_in_suitcase

Pack in X-Large Ziplock Bags

This is one of my favorite packing hacks, especially if we are packing more than one person in a bag or moving locations a lot. We will pack all of the kids in these bags and it is really easy to find everyones stuff when we get there – unpacking is a breeze. Added bonus, you can squeeze the air out of the bags and compact your belongings to fit more in the bag!

ziplock_big_bag_for_travel_packing

Pill Container for Jewelry 

I love this idea! Use a pill container to keep your jewelry organized while traveling! So smart!

pill_box_for_jewelry

source: Troy Bumpas Inn

Power Strip

This is my favorite! With 5 of us, we have a ton of electronics to charge every night. Hotels and cruise ships generally have an outlet on the desk, but that may be it! Bring your own power strip to turn that one outlet into 6 outlets! (Added bonus – when you are at the airport and people are hoarding the charging outlets – ask to plug this in and make some other travelers happy too!)

outlet

Wrap Shoes in Shower Cap

Don’t put those dirty shoes on your nice clean clothes, wrap them in a shower cap!

pack_shoes_in_shower_cap

source: Real Simple

Check out Travel Guide from Library

There is a ton of information online about wherever you are going, but it isn’t always very printer friendly. I like to check out the latest travel guides from the Libray and copy just the pages you are interested in. We will highlight place we want to go and things we want to see and take notes of restaurants or tips that we can share with others along the way. I love Rick Steves guides – they are always very helpful and accurate.

rick_steves

Empty Water Bottle

Water in the airport is highway robery. We will bring our own empty water bottles and fill them up once we clear security. We will also refill them in the hotels and carry them around the city. Many airports and cities now even have water bottle filling stations. Better yet, get an infuser water bottle, ask the hotel bar for a couple sliced lemons or grab some fruit off of the morning buffet and have your very own infused water!!

infuser_water_bottle

Leftover food from a Restaurant

We aren’t huge eaters and typically have leftovers when we go out. We are likely to eat them in the hotel room, but we like to get them packaged to go and if we see a homelss person on the street on our way back to the hotel, we will offer it to them.

doggy-bag

Trip Advisor

Trip Advisor is my absolute GO TO! I will not book a hotel without looking at the reviews. I feel like they are honest, accurate and completely unbiased. We have booked many hotels based on Trip Advisor recommendations and they have all been spot on!

Trip-Advisor

Seat Guru

Seat Guru is one of my favorite tools – you can select your airlines and then your airpland and find out the good or bad seats on that plane, before selecting your seats. They tell you which seats don’t recline, which have extra leg room and which are by the bathroom – genius!

seatguru

The above post contains some affiliate things for products and services that I absolutely love!

know there are tons of other travel hacks out there – tell me your best one?!

Looking for some other travel resources – click on the pictures below to read some other of my articles!

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disney review2
Jennifer Fishkind

About Jenn

Jenn is a mom to three beautiful boys, wife to an amazing husband, social influencer and blogger. I love all things easy recipes, easy crafts, all things hacks, traveling EVERYWHERE and feeding my Pinterest addiction!

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Comments

  1. All great ideas but I don’t think that taking “extra” food from a buffet is cool. In fact some buffets have “watchers” who will chastise you in a loud voice in front of everyone. I’ve seen it happen and it is not that pleasant- not nasty but truthful. Leftover food. from a restaurant is fine. I thought that pre-booking and selecting your seat would be great as I have an artificial leg and use a walker. Almost every time that seat that I had booked weeks ahead is taken away from me as another passenger will claim they need/want instead. The airlines will will give my seat away because of loud demands and irate behavior of the person who wants it. I even had a pre-booked wheelchair taken away from me by a very elderly lady who said it was for her! Go figure! Be prepared to just “go with the flow” as the airline staff have to solve the problem without being reported and causing the incident to escalate. Both my dad and my brother had careers in the airport industry so from my own experience these suggestions rarely work. Too few seats available and too many requests!

  2. I take handled plastic bags with me to throw trash in on the plane. When they collect trash I have it easily within reach to hand to them- and it keeps our seat area much neater.swim with dolphins kona

  3. We had a child who would get car sick. We found if we gave her papaya tabs as we were leaving, it cut out much of her getting sick.

  4. Loved your tips. But enjoyed:”We will pack all of the kids in these bags and”. This one might not be the best for the kids! LOL. Keep up the good work!