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4 Travel Hacks You Never Knew About

August 3, 2017 - Yonder

Last Updated on 10/29/2021

If you’re an avid traveler, you probably know the most common travel tips: roll your clothes instead of folding, tuck socks into your shoes to save space, download your airline’s app for quick check-in, sign up for airline emails to score cheap tickets…the list goes on. But everyone knows these travel hacks.

While these old tips are worthwhile, there’s a whole new host of travel hacks worth learning in today’s technology-driven world. And, of course, there’s an app for everything. For example, you can download SeatGuru to help in your quest for an aisle seat. Or use the Grab app to order your airport meals ahead of time and skip the line at Chili’s 2 Go. But the best advice can’t be purchased through the app store; it’s picked up by travelers and spread via word of mouth. Here are some of the best travel hacks on our radar:

Tap into the genius mind of the travel hive

One of the best travel hacks we can give you is to join an online community of other avid travelers. Reap the benefits of their collective research and experience. Staying on top of travel hacks in a constantly evolving industry is difficult, but this kind of collaboration makes it way easier. Once you join a group, you can use it to plan trips while you’re on-the-go or at home. Have your travel buddy join the same group so they can get inspiration for your next trip!

people sitting on a ledge overlooking scenery

Invest in luggage that’ll make your life easier

We’ve written about the best suitcases for frequent fliers, and we haven’t been able to stop dreaming about one in particular: The Away Travel Carry On. As you probably know all too well, outlets in airports are like sunny days in Seattle – few and far between. Spare yourself from having to sit on the floor of your gate hunched over a broken outlet by investing in this amazing carry-on, which allows you to charge an iPhone up to 10 times until its own internal battery needs a charge. Check out our travel checklist so you don’t forget to pack other important items!

man in chicago carry suitcase

Bonus tip: Investing in amazing luggage is all the more worth it when you insure it. You wouldn’t buy a nice car without car insurance, would you? These days, most people buy insurance for their expensive phones. The same rule applies with luggage—if you own something valuable, it’s best to insure it. Many travel insurance plans include coverage for lost baggage or delayed luggage, so start here to find the custom plan that is right for you.

Scavenge for flights… incognito

Here’s something we wish we had known about ten years ago. Travel-booking sites tend to use cookies to track your visits. This means they know how often you’ve visited their site in any given time period, and they use this information to raise prices when you’ve been back more than a few times, since this signals to them that you really want those tickets. To dupe the airlines at their own game, enable private browsing by using use Google Chrome’s incognito mode. If you’re not sure how to open an incognito tab in Google Chrome, we provided a link with instructions. Using this feature, the prices you see won’t be influenced by how many times you’ve refreshed your browser in search for the lowest fare. You can also sign-up with these companies to receive alerts on the best flight deals.

person using a laptop

Use Google Maps offline

Mobile devices have replaced the need for maps in every situation but one: international travel. If you’re backpacking in Europe, Google Maps won’t be of much use to you (unless you sprung for an international data plan). Without an internet connection, you won’t be able to navigate Venice’s narrow streets or Budapest’s bustling markets. But here’s a trick worth bookmarking. When you’re connected to the internet, type ‘Ok maps’ into the search bar of the Google maps app. The app should then give you the option to download the map you’re currently looking at, so you can reference it later when you’re out and about town without a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. That’s pretty handy! But what makes it even better is that the little blue dot that marks your location. It will continue to move according to where you are–even when you’re offline! So ditch the maps weighing down your bag and download the digital versions you’ll need ahead of time.

person holding up cell phone with Google maps open