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

Random one but saline spray in the carry on! I feel that spritzing my nose a few times every flight helps prevent me from getting sick (I used to ALWAYS get sick on flights)!

I always create a Google map list and save items to populate my map. It makes it easy to plan out your days and see what sites/restaurants/attractions you are near in a new city.

Fannypack when going through airports for my passport, phone charger + foreign wall adaptor, two power banks for unpredictable situations, the little pocket is for coins for the bathrooms, and for security I'll also stuff my wallet in there to minimize the amount of stuff I have out.

I always bring baby shampoo and an entire unopened box of ziploc bags.

The baby shampoo is great for washing yourself (obviously) but is also perfect for washing things like lightweight shirts, underwear, and socks in the sink. I’ve also put on my flight suit inside out and washed it in the shower. If you don’t get all of the baby shampoo rinsed out, your skin won’t be irritated like it would be if you had used regular soap.

I always try to have an extended layover (like 10 hours or more) so I can visit the layover city. This way I've been able to visit Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, Singapore without going on a specific trip to those destinations. It takes a bit of fiddling around to book those flights (airlines present you with the 'most convenient' flight) but it's worth it.

Probably obvious, but put airtags in your checked luggage.

I travel with wrinkle resist clothing only. Still gets wrinkled. So I carry a small sprayer bottle. Spritz down clothes night before with water and hang to dry, wrinkles gone in the AM. Haven't ironed in years.

We book one way flights sometimes on different airlines and have saved compared to booking a round trip.

Southwest starts drink service at rows 1,8,15,22. If you have a choice of row 9 or 15, go to 15. You get your drink first and have a better chance at getting more than one.

This is probably outdated these days, but I used to exchange cash with travelers going the opposite direction when I landed. .

This is niche to Sydney International airport, but never get a customs ticket at the first station. Keep walking there are empty ones right before you go through customs / e passport check.

Carry nail clippers.

The (almost) cure for jetlat is staying up to a decent bed time and then taking a melatonin.

Keep a pair of chord headphones in your travel bag at all times for the inflight entertainment.

Always bring a swimsuit just incase

LAX terminals sometimes have alternative security areas. These are also manned and sometimes empty.

A lot of flights are not allowing carry-ons these days with a basic ticket purchase (JetBlue 🤨), so I've been using my fishing vest I got from Japan to carry all of my clothes I can't fit into my personal items. Styled right, it looks super cool with my outfit, AND I can fit eight shirts, five pairs of socks, and an entire laptop (storage on the back) in it—and snacks and water. When traveling to places where it's inconvenient to bring my fishing vest, I'll bring my jacket with deep pockets and my Costco dad cargo pants. I can fit 2-3 shirts per pocket. And before anyone complains about the extra weight I'm bringing into the plane, I can promise you my extra clothes and snacks weigh less than 5 pounds.

It's easy to find good/safe areas to stay in using Google Maps. Just search for Starbucks and you'll notice there are certain areas with clusters of Starbucks. 90% chance these are safe areas. But if you want to be 100% sure, take note of those areas and search for "yoga". If you see a bunch of yoga studios overlapping, you're golden. This takes about 10 seconds to do.

** This method may not be effective is some places, for various reasons. I can only say this method served me very well while traveling in Mexico for 9 months.

*** For the "live like a local" types who dislike gentrification and relish the thought of getting mugged day one this method also works because it'll let them know exactly where *not* to stay.

Happy travels!

Mini spray bottle with alcohol (vodka or isopropyl) for deodorizing clothes.

Edit: diluted hand sanitizer works too.

For work: always carry a Sharpie. I write the expense category/type and date at the top of each one. When I upload them in I can read them easily and I don’t have to worry about which country or language it was.

Bandana- use as a hand towel, neck cover, head cover, etc
Snow Peak sporks- lightweight with excellent forking action ;)
Google Keep Master Packing List- unique sections for electronics, dry toiletries, liquid toiletries, electronics, work, creative, seasonal needs, etc. copy a new one for each trip and click/check things off as I pack. I keep a short list of morning-of to-do’s at the top as needed (fill cat feeders, pack toothbrush, etc).

Use the hangers in the hotel room to clip the curtains together to blackout the room.

Requesting a special meal (i.e. vegetarian) on an international flight will ensure you get served first.

I love ice in my water bottle so I always get a grande ice water at the airport Starbucks once past security to fill it up with.

If you travel to Hawaii, rent a jeep. They will give you a list of all the places you are not allowed to take the jeep. Now you have your itenerarry.