There have been some big changes in the travel industry that have seriously messed with our vacation flow.
While we can’t take away mask mandates or vaccination requirements, we can offer you a few tweaks to your vacation itinerary that aren’t oppressive.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference – and these days, any hack that makes life just a little easier is gladly accepted.
Take pictures of all your documents
We live in a digital age, so let’s use it to our advantage!
Keep photocopies of all travel documents on your phone and saved on the cloud. Should you lose any of your physical documents during your trip, having them saved will be a godsend.
This includes passports, driver’s license, and airline tickets. Storing hotel reservations and any excursion information is a good idea as well.
Have all your entertainment ready before your trip
Most flights offer movies or music you can purchase during your flight for a nominal fee.
However, as we’ve all experienced one time or another – sometimes electronics fail, connections get spotty, or an operator error can stand in the way of you and that Avengers marathon during your 10-hour flight.
So, downloading your favorite podcast, movie, and playlist BEFORE boarding your flight (or hitting the open road) will save you from unrelenting boredom and having to think of conversational topics with your quirky co-worker.
Play it smart with the television
Just about every hotel room in the United States has a Smart-TV with loads of overpriced movies to choose from.
But, if you play your cards right, not only can you watch every movie for free, but you can charge your devices at the SAME TIME!
Plug your charging cord directly into the television’s USB port to charge your phone and tablet.
Then hook up your streaming stick from home, such as Amazon Fire or Apple TV, and connect it to the hotel’s WiFi and you’ll never miss an episode of The Rookie (or whatever binge-worthy show you are into).
Hotel shortcuts
Packing every comfort and amenity from home is impossible.
Because if it weren’t, we’d all be bringing our own pillows on every trip!
Thankfully there are a few hacks to get similar results.
In case your room doesn’t come with an iron and ironing board (or, more likely, it’s broken), you can steam the wrinkles out of your clothes by running the shower on hot. Hang your suit or evening gown on the shower curtain rod and let the shower run for 5-10 minutes. Oh, and keep the bathroom door shut for maximum results.
And there is no need to splurge for the full kitchenette.
If you want to make tea or ramen noodles, just run water through the coffee maker to get hot water without a kettle.
And don’t forget to put the bag from your ice bucket over the remote to keep your fingers clear from the germs of the thousands of channel surfers before you.
You can also check out some of our other travel hacks – like using packing cubes in your suitcase to keep your stuff from becoming one giant, chaotic pile – that we’ve previously covered.
Winging it is fun, but coming prepared will leave more time for the fun unexpected adventures – instead of spending six hours trying to get documents that would’ve taken five minutes to save on your phone.