TravelJUN 9, 2024

“Bathrooms By Baggage Claim”: 40 Lesser-Known But Useful Travel Hacks

#1

“Bathrooms By Baggage Claim”: 40 Lesser-Known But Useful Travel Hacks

If you're not sure of the neighborhood you're booking your hotel or rental stay in, go to Google Street View and "walk around" in the neighborhood. You can see if it looks pleasant, has nearby cafes or local grocery stores, etc etc.

ThaneOfCawdorrr, Jesse Vermeulen

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137points

#2

One of my favorite obscure travel hacks is to use Google Maps offline. Before my trip, I download the maps of the areas I’ll be visiting. This way, I can navigate, find attractions, and even search for restaurants without needing an internet connection. It’s especially useful in places with spotty Wi-Fi or when I want to save on data usage. Plus, it saves a ton of stress and helps me feel more confident exploring new places.

Known-Astronomer8660, CardMapr.nl

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103points

#3

I always keep a safety pin pinned inside my backpack; this was originally for changing SIM cards, but it turns out to be quite handy while traveling.

I also take one of my pens and wrap/roll a bunch of masking tape around it, so I always have a little supply of tape; again, constantly useful, mostly for covering up bright LED lights inside the hotel room.

PapayaPokPok

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101points

Bored Panda got in touch with seasoned traveler Victoria from Bridges and Balloons to hear more about her experiences and ideas. Firstly, we wanted to hear what advice she would give her younger self.

“When I was younger, I seemed to think time was endless and I’d definitely return to the places I loved. As it is, I still haven’t made it back to some of them. The lesson from this is to make sure you see the things you want to see wherever you go and savor every moment. You don’t know if you’ll ever be back there. That said, I don’t believe in “ticking off all the must-sees” and doing things because that’s what you think you should. Everyone’s “must-sees” are different, so do what you like rather than what you think you should.”

#4

Always carry a sarong with you when travelling. It’s basically an all in one lightweight tool. You can use it as clothes, raincoat, a rope, a bandage, a beach towel/picnic rug, a bag or a blanket.

PurplePiglett, Sharon Granda

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75points

#5

If flying between the US and Canada, ALWAYS look at buying separate one-way tickets each direction. More often than not, you'll save $100+ due to their strange exchange rate and tax calculations. It doesn't work on every single route, but is always worth a check, and I've been amazed how often it's been much cheaper.

Dorkus_Mallorkus, Longxiang Qian

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74points

#6

If you have to cancel a hotel less than 24 hours in advance, call and tell them you need to bump the reservation back a week. Then call the next day and cancel it penalty free because it’s 6 days prior to the reservation.

Blu3fin, Sara Dubler

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71points

We were curious to hear her thoughts on saving money versus paying a premium for convenience. “I definitely value time over money and will often pay extra for convenience or comfort. But that’s a luxury and a privilege. When I was younger, I didn’t always have that option, and to be honest some of those adventures were the most memorable. For example, I once traveled 48 hours on a bus to go whale watching in Patagonia. If I’d had the money, I’d have certainly flown, but the effort made it extra special. When you have a choice, it’s hard to pick the days-long bus trip!”

#7

Use the bathrooms by the baggage claim. They’re always clean and empty.

holy_cal, Paul Green

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70points

#8

If you’re flying internationally into the US and are a US citizen, do the mobile passport option if the airport has it. It’s an app and takes 30 seconds to do. It’s just as fast as global entry. I’ve passed 100s of people waiting at passport control.

u/Inpleinsite, Vlada Karpovich

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67points

#9

There's a London night bus which goes to Heathrow and back. I say this one in particular because it's quite a long route. If you arrive late in the evening and need somewhere to just exist, you can ride it back and forth and sightsee or snooze a little. I discovered this when I arrived via bus from France in the middle of the night but my next bus up to Edinburgh didn't leave for like 6 hours. Seemed pointless to get a hotel room.

https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/n9/

Changi airport in Singapore has something similar, but it's an actual tour bus you can take for free during a layover.

https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/free-singapore-tour.html.

Pawneewafflesarelife, Manuel Deiker

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66points

“I’ve always been a complete geek when it comes to planning. I love to do my research and make a rough list/itinerary of everything I want to do. But I’m not a slave to that plan. In a way it’s a back-up in case we don’t find things naturally while there. I much prefer to find things spontaneously, but sometimes, without that research and list of back-ups, you find yourself in tourist traps or crappy restaurants (and that’s my travel nightmare!).”

#10

Always pack a power board when I go overseas, only need one converting plug and you are good to go with all devices. Especially helps with my CPAP and being able to charge devices.

marloo1

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61points

#11

I always pack a mini LED flashlight. They're a few bucks on Amazon and eBay. It was quite useful recently when I visited a Belizean island with no street lights. Got jump scared by a few land crabs, too.

spookymouse1

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59points

#12

In my luggage I always pack an empty 30 gallon trash bag, for my dirty clothes. I tend to sweat a lot in hotter climates, and having my dirty clothes in a trash bag (which is often lined with an odor eliminator) and separate from my clean clothes keeps my suitcase from becoming smelly. And it makes unpacking at the end of the trip dirt-simple: the trash bag full of clothes goes into the laundry.

My wife and I always pack large binder clips (such as for holding large documents together) to close window shades, and we always pack a titanium hiking spork or plastic utensils for leftovers.

And always have a pen with you. It’s surprising the number of places, especially when traveling internationally, when having a pen with you is useful.

Finally, if you’re out shopping for clothes, shop in hiking sections of stores like REI for *light-weight* clothing; that is, clothing intended for packing during hiking. I managed to bring the weight of my check-on luggage from 45 pounds to around 28 pounds by mindfully thinking about the weight of the articles of clothing I was packing; hiking pants instead of jeans, for example. Three pair of jeans weighing 2 pounds each verses 3 pairs of hiking pants weighing around 8 ounces each makes a difference, and 8 shirts made with lightweight materials intended for hiking is a lot lighter than 8 ‘cheap’ t-shirts.

w3woody

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58points

“I used to use guidebooks, but nowadays I turn to travel blogs. I always recommend finding a blogger you relate to and using their guides - it’s like having a really knowledgeable friend with great recommendations. But remember not all blogs are created equal - many are vacuous SEO machines. You just need to find one you can trust,” she shared.

#13

We once racked up over 20,000 capital one points in an unconventional way.

We were in Paris and we'd rent the Velib bikes to get around the city. The catch is that everytime we'd rent a bike out, a hold was put on our credit card in case of damage to the bike. The hold was close to $400 each bike, I believe, and It would take a couple days for the hold to be lifted.

For some reason the hold would go through as a purchase on our card, and with the travel multiplier, we were getting about 1,600 points every time we'd rent a bike.

The best part was that, if you rented the bike for less than 30 minutes the rental was free. So we'd just rent 2 bikes, ride to the next station in less than 30 minutes, drop them off and rent 2 more bikes. We did this an absurd amount of times and got rewarded handsomely. .

robcampos4, Johan Mouchet

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47points

#14

I fly long haul flights that are 14+, and so compression socks are a must. If I take my shoes off to put on my sling, I’ll also bring fuzzy socks so my feet don’t get cold.

Have a small baggie of hydrating powder for water, Advil, ear plugs, Imodium. I have a headband that hooks onto my mask so I don’t have to have my mask behind my ears, which can sometimes make them sore.

slykido999

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47points

#15

Merino wool clothes keep you smelling fresh so you can pack less. Never thought I would be wearing a wool Tshirt, but it works! Pricey though.

Inside-Pea-9807

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47points

“For me, travel has always been about perspective. I love to get outside of my bubble and see other cultures and ways of life. It’s a type of therapy for me, and one I think everyone could benefit from. It’s the antidote to getting stuck in your ways. And while I am willing to pay more for convenience and luxury, I don’t think expensive always equals better. We always seek out places that have character and creativity, and that could just as easily be a budget guest house as a luxury retreat. For us, it’s the experience that matters most.”

#16

When going through security, put all of your pocket belongings into your backpack.

Then, you don’t have to worry about using the small trays, or gathering up important things from the conveyor belt :).

SoloTravelPOVYoutube, Andrew Neel

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43points

#17

Most flights won't give you a refund on basic tickets. Upgrade them to a higher class ticket then cancel for a full refund.

EDIT: I've done this with United/JetBlue I can't speak for other airlines.

Ace-O-Matic, Kevin Woblick

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42points

#18

Don't wear tight shoes on a plane. Due to the pressure change your feet swell on the flight.

Bot-Magnet

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41points

#19

Might not be obscure to some, but was new to me last month.

Esims are a godsend.

You can shop around online before starting your trip for the best deal on a temporary esim. I paid 30 cad for a 1 month 12 gig unlimited everything else plan, good for all of Europe. Installed the esim before heading to the airport. As soon as the plane landed, I was able to fire up my esim without any of the hassle of finding a physical sim card. Was in my Uber 10 minutes after leaving customs, it was great.

Not all phones support it, but for those that do, they are extremely convenient and cheap.

pentox70, Opal Pierce

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37points

#20

Traveling International? Bring a pen with you. The longest lines you wait for at customs is for the damn pen.

Pack a plastic fork and spoon with you. I hate showing up to my hotel with some instant noodles and then having to use the coffee stirring sticks like chopsticks to eat it.

If you’re tall, mention you have problems with your knees at the check in counter. Sometimes they’ll find you a seat with more leg room.

Traveling for a short period? Use a garment bag instead of a suitcase. I find I can fit 3 outfits, my laptop and other essentials in one garment bag comfortably and it still fit as a carry on. .

Slay-Aiken, Oleksandr P

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37points