Good news, globetrotters: Traveling a ton doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you’re wondering how to pack efficiently, find the cheapest flight or score major hotel deals, you’ll love this ultimate travel hack list for explorers. Say sayonara to those pre-travel jitters, because your jet-setting ways just got way easier. You can thank us later.
Your flight attendant hustles hard to keep you safe in the sky, often receiving no thanks. These men and women could use a little love for all they do, so we asked a handful of flight attendants what it would take to make their day. Their answers varied, but almost all could agree on one surefire way to win them over: Bringing treats is the easiest way to get on your flight attendant’s good side, hands down. And you’ll be surprised at what they do for you in return.
Packing for a trip can be a daunting task, this we know. Whether you’re concerned about saving space in your bag or the size restrictions on the liquid toiletries, organizing all of your belongings into one spot seems like an impossible feat. What better way to hack your way to a more efficient suitcase than using the best tips and tricks out there. We scoured the do-it-yourself capital of the internet — Pinterest, of course — and found the best hacks we could. Make packing that bag a piece of cake. These tips could potentially change your life or at the very least, your luggage space.
Chances are you’re familiar with Google Flights. The flight search engine does everything you assume it would, like locate flights based on your ideal outbound time, inbound time and number of stops. After all, it’s the same technology that powers both Kayak and Orbitz. The site also includes a whole host of features that aren’t so easy to imagine, probably because they’re so unimaginably amazing. In some cases, this online tool can beat out any human travel agent. Don’t believe us? Check out these six tricks.
Ever wondered if there’s a magic number of days before a flight when tickets are at their cheapest? Science has an answer for that. Fifty-four days before takeoff is, on average, when flights within the continental U.S. are at their absolute lowest price. And if you don’t hit 54 days on the head, you should usually book between 105 to 21 days before your trip ― within a so-called “prime booking window” ― for the lowest possible prices. In this period, ticket prices typically hover near the lowest price they’ll ever reach.
Analysts at CheapAir.com reviewed more than 351 million individual airfares sold on more than a million international routes in 2016. They tracked flights from the day they went on sale (usually about 11 months in advance) until the day of takeoff to see when each fare hit its lowest point. The resulting map shows how many days before takeoff you should buy your ticket to score the best deal, on average, depending on your destination.
These genius flight hacks minimize the headache that comes with busy airports and long flights. But surprisingly, not every frequent flier knows them all. We were familiar with some tips, like the speed of TSA PreCheck and the ability to cancel almost any flight within 24 hours of booking, but other hacks were shocking news: You could get in-flight food faster as a vegetarian? And you can buy a day pass to an airline lounge?! So study up, learn ’em all, and pass this handy guide along to the travelers in your life. They’ll thank you.
Sure, you know how to book a hotel on your own because you’ve got a credit card and the Internet. But chances are you’re not booking a hotel as well or as cheaply as you could. Don’t feel bad about your amateur mistakes. All you need is a little instruction, and, well, a credit card and the Internet. To turn you from hotel amateur to hotel pro, we’ve probed the minds of lodging experts to hear their tips on saving the most money and maximizing every hotel stay you book. These are their essential hotel hacks.
We’ve all experienced hotel letdown. You arrive at what you thought would be a majestic place to stay, only to be assigned a corner room on the first floor, with a view of the parking lot and the faint scent of cigarettes in the air. Pro tip: This is why you should pretty much ALWAYS ask to switch hotel rooms after seeing the first one you’re offered. Oftentimes, the second room you’re assigned (or third, or fourth if you’re the daring sort) is much, much better than the first. All it takes is a gentle inquiry to land something spectacular, even when it’s not what the front desk initially prescribed.
Airports are pretty bad in and of themselves, but the hassles and restrictions they place on our gadgets are the worst. No Wi-Fi, weak cellular reception, and three power outlets per terminal? Come on. But not every trip to JFK or LAX has to be a brutal experience—you just have to prepare. Here are some airport tech hacks that can help make the inconvenience of traversing the globe a little less disruptive.
Whether you’re going on a weekend trip or an overseas jaunt, here’s how to keep yourself — and your supplies — in great condition.
Asking is the quickest way to get a discount but it’s also the quickest possible way to piss off an Airbnb host. This is what differentiates the pros from the newbies. My general policy as a host — which I’ve been doing since 2011 — is to turn away hagglers because it signals a problem guest. It’s still possible, though, to get a confirmed booking and save some money without irritating a host so much they end up declining a guest’s inquiry outright. The trick is learning how to do it delicately.
Flight attendants often log more than 80 flying hours per month. And when you spend that much time traveling, you tend to learn some tricks of the trade. Business Insider chatted with several experienced flight attendants about the travel tips they swear by. And one travel hack is so brilliant ― so simple, so visionary ― that we’re upset we’re just learning of it now.
Your cruise ship cabin is your home away from home when you’re at sea. But unlike your own bedroom, you can’t tweak the space given to you by the cruise line if you find something lacking. Or can you? Here are five great cruise cabin travel hacks that will change the way you cruise forever.
The only thing standing in the way of you and fabulous Helsinki is seat 21B, wedged right between chatty Cathy and the dude eating pickled herring. Here are 12 ways to upgrade the experience so you feel less cramped and more comfy.
It’s a far cry from doctors’ typical jet lag tips ― like avoiding caffeine and alcohol before you try to sleep, slowly adjusting your sleep schedule to a new time zone or even using small doses of melatonin to help fall asleep when your body typically wouldn’t want to, the study’s author Cristina Ruscitto, a researcher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey (and former long-haul air crew member), told The Huffington Post. The idea is, she said, “that you readjust by eating in line with local time ― not just sleeping on local time.” This revelation could be an easy fix for jet lagged travelers everywhere.
16. The Best Way To Deal With Jet Lag, According To Flight Attendants
To find out some of the best ways to deal with this less than glamorous side of travel, we chatted with international flight attendant and HuffPost blogger David Puzzo, as well as former flight attendant and author Abbie Unger. As the owner of Flight Attendant Career Connection, Unger offers support to professional and aspiring flight attendants, and has learned that the best way to combat jet lag depends on knowing your body.
Every cent counts for budget travelers, and the internet is full of helpful tips for saving money. There are so many, in fact, that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by it all. Here we’ve pulled some of the most helpful suggestions for strategies and tech to use while you are out on your adventure so you can save up every last dollar.
A study from budget airline easyJet claims to pinpoint the perfect airplane seat: 7F. Their reasoning? It sells the best. But these results conflict with an earlier survey from Skyscanner that claimed 6A was the best according to a poll of travelers and a consideration of “lucky numbers.” Ticket sales and lucky numbers are great, but neither of these methods seems entirely sound to us. So which seat on the plane is the BEST, and how do you pick it? Check out this article for what flight attendants and experts have to say.
19. Everything You Need To Know To Beat Jet Lag
Everyone knows that jet lag feeling: You’re groggy at dinner, but unable to sleep at night; you can’t muster hunger at socially appropriate times and even your digestive system doesn’t seem to cooperate. And some studies have linked chronic jet lag (jumping time zones on at least a weekly basis) to increased risk of some cancers and quicker cognitive decline. In other words? It’s time to get with the (local) program fast.
20. Charge Your Phone at a Hotel Without the Wall Plug
Forgot the plug? No converter? Have a smartphone? Ahem, just plug it into the TV. Who knows how many times I’ve done a very thorough job of packing everything... except my phone charger. Thanks to this Lifehacker tip there is no longer any need to go buy a new charger when you’ve forgotten it on the road. Chances are most hotel TVs (mainly smart TV’s) have a USB port.
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