My 95 Best Travel Tips

Are you looking for some best travel tips?

I have always been fond of traveling and exploring to new places. Over the years, traveling has taught me many things and helped me shape my thinking about the world.

In the world of technology, travel tips are no longer a new thing. From blogs to online travel guides and search engines, a lot of information is available about traveling.

But sometimes it’s good to know from a person who has experienced situations and tips that can make your next trip go easier.

Traveling is always an overwhelming activity. It’s a process that involves planning, packing, handling things at the airport, exploration and so on.

With some of the best travel tips, you can make the process go lighter and less hectic.

I know how much scared I was at my first time international trip; I haven’t had the guidance, nor had the time to read travel tips that could help.

I will make sure that won’t be the case with you. This article will surely help you out by providing some of the best travel tips.

95 Best Travel Tips

Look for Cheap Flights & Hotel Accommodation

Traveling can be a pricey process, as you would need a flight to reach your desired destination and hotel/resort accommodation for a comfortable stay.

Cheap flights and hotel deals are available across multiple websites like MakeMyTrip, Expedia, Booking.com and many more.

You would love to save money on travel and looking for cheap flights and accommodation is one way to do that.

These days on specific days like black Friday, Christmas, if you are lucky, you can get a good discount on hotels and flights cost.

If you are planning to travel to India, here is an article on how to find cheap accommodation in India. By this, you can save a lot more money than you expect.

Invest in a Good Suitcase

It is important to invest in a good suitcase for your needs before you head on a vacation. Investing in a travel suitcase is one time, so certainly you can spend a lumpsum for a comfortable journey.

What defines a good suitcase?

While purchasing, you have to look for the quality and durability of the bag. You must look at the material of the bag if it is leather, nylon etc, it should be able to withstand any rough climate conditions.

The bag should be spacious enough, having a decent number of pockets to hold all your belongings.

I have both hard case and soft case suitcase for traveling long and short distance.

These days if you buy online, you can get it at a pretty good discount too.

For example, before our trip to goa back in 2019, I bought a small soft case suitcase online where I got a 15% discount on the MRP.

Use Your Credit Card Offers

Usually, all financial experts’ advice not to use credit cards as it tempt a person to exceed the budget and do more shopping. Partially it is true, but there is a huge advantage of using credit cards.

Credit card companies are constantly coming up with new offers for their customers. These offers can make traveling more affordable or can give amazing discounts. There are countless ways to use your credit card offer for great travel benefits.

You can use a credit card offer on hotel and flights bookings. The more you will use your credit card, the more points you will get and can use them on travel benefits.

Buy a Portable Power bank

There are few things that are useful while traveling and power bank is one such accessory. It is designed for digital devices such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, cameras, etc to recharge. It is easy to carry and charge your devices at any place.

Thus, you won’t face the issue of a dead phone ever.

Carry a Dryer Sheet

This is a new tip that I have experienced using on one of my trips to India. Dryer sheets are great travel items that help keeping clothes fresh and odourless.

You can place your dryer sheets in your suitcase or travel bag while packing. If you are traveling frequently, you should have one of these.

Stuff Your Shoes with Wrapped Clothes

When traveling, always try to pack light and smart. One super easy way to pack your clothes and make ample of space inside your suitcase is by stuffing your shoes.

You can put socks, and rolled tees inside the shoes. Usually people don’t do this, but you can certainly try to see for yourself how much space you can save.

Choose Your Shoes Wisely

You are traveling frequently or not choosing your shoes wisely is important to make your trip go smoother.

You will always be needed to walk, run and move fast while traveling.

If you don’t wear comfortable shoes or wear new shoes, they might cause blister in your feet. Hence, makes it painful for you to walk around.

It’s important to keep your feet all good. Whether it be for a day trip or a long vacation, having the right footwear is important.

For example, I have a set of Nike running shoe I prefer always to wear when I travel. It comforts my feet perfectly well.

Similarly, if you are planning for a hike, the right footwear would be a waterproof hiking boot.

Pack a Scarf

Scarves come in handy at all types of trips, both cold and warm weather. A good scarf is an essential item for a woman’s winter wardrobe.

I always keep a scarf with me whenever I travel. I needed it the most on flight. As the temperature varies in the flight because of the altitude and ac, a scarf gives you the comfort.

You can make use of a scarf in several ways when you are outdoors.

Also, it is easy to carry. You can keep it in your handbag or simply can wrap around your neck.

Do Not Buy Water at the Airport

Airport travel can be a tough experience. There is waiting at the checkpoints, lay over, moving from one terminal to another. Airports provide the most basic requirement ‘water’ for free. You don’t have to buy them at the airport as they get expensive there.

You can bring your empty bottle and after you cleared up the security checkpoints, you can fill your bottle.

It is surprising that people still buy packed bottled water at the airport.

As an avid traveller, I always look for travel hacks that can make my trip go easier and more efficient. You can save money by not purchasing water at the airport.

Stay in Hostels Instead of Hotels

We all know that staying in a hotel is way more expensive than staying in a hostel. If you want to save money and travel on a budget, certainly you can’t go with the option of staying in a hotel during your travel days.

Hostels are the best when you want to cut down your accommodation cost. If you don’t fancy hotel luxuries and perks like swimming pools, play room, spa etc, you would get the satisfaction of staying at a hostel.

It will be economic as well as you can meet many fellow travellers.

Roll Your Clothes to Save Space

I always say pack light to make your travel easier. Mostly people make mistakes while packing, either they over packed their bags with unnecessary things or they don’t do it smartly.

Rolling up your clothes is a great way to save space in your suitcase. If you are on the have less time in hand, you can simply roll up all your tees, pants, other clothes and slide them in your travel bag.

It leaves with empty spots in the bag where you can keep your other belongings.

Arrange all your important travel documents in one place

Organizing your important documents before you travel is an easy way to avoid stress. Your important documents like passport, id, your travel itinerary details all must be kept in a file.

Keep everything in one place to avoid the hassle of digging around when it’s needed.

You never know, you may lose your important documents while moving from one place to another.

You can make a document holder or can buy a file to keep all your documents and photocopies in orders.

Scan your passport, id card, travel itinerary

One of the best tips to save time while traveling is to scan your passport, id card and travel itinerary.

Scanning them means you can keep them safe in your pocket or bag. If something bad happens, like you misplace your documents, these scan copies will help you create a new one.

Update your phone

Before you leave, make sure your phone is fully charged, updated, and it has enough storage to store all the pictures you want to take of your trip.

Keep important contacts handy

Whether you are going on a vacation or business trip, it is always a good idea to keep your important contacts handy. Keep contacts with your family members, close friends, travel agent, airline and hotel.

Download Google translate

If you are travelling to a foreign country, download Google Translate. It is free app that can be used to translate words and phrases for everyday situation. You can say it would be your best friend in the foreign land.

I am sure there are several other language translation apps, but Google Translation is a handy tool to keep.

Use Wi-Fi only if it is secured with a password

Wi-Fi has become an integral part of our life. The more we are becoming dependent on the cell phone, the more we need Wi-Fi for internet access everywhere.

Not only we need Wi-Fi for business purposes, entertainment and at home, we need Wi-Fi even when we travel.

When you are traveling, it is important to stay secure and avoid potential threats from hackers. If you use Wi-Fi that are open to public and are not secured by any password, there are high chances that your network may get hacked.

You can stay protected by using a password for your Wi-Fi network while traveling.

Use ATMs for local currency

Traveling has become much easier and more affordable with the help of ATMs, where you can directly access local currency by exchanging your bank card securely.

People often face difficulties in exchanging local currency when landed in the foreign land. ATMs are available everywhere. You can directly go to a nearby bank ATM for local currency.

Hydrate

Drinking water when traveling is one of the best travel tips ever. It is very important to keep yourself hydrate while traveling.

I have seen people prefer drinking tea/coffee over water. Drinking water is one way to stay healthy when traveling.

Experts say one should drink about 8 glasses of water every day while traveling. But sometimes it is difficult to do so as the more you will drink you have to go bathroom which is hard to find everywhere.

As a travel enthusiast, I can suggest an easy way to drink more water. You can balance the amount once you reach the hotel.

Eat light

The best travel tips don’t have to be a daunting task while traveling. Traveling is hard on the body. It is important that you eat the right amount of healthy food.

Avoid eating spicy and oily food before you board the flight. Try to eat healthy and light food, which will digest fast. Avoid eating open salads from the cart.

Do not keep your stomach empty when you are on the road. Carry energy bars and snacks with you.

These are some of the useful tips on how to eat light food while traveling.

Research about the destination airport security protocols

I have known and heard from many who have bitter airport experiences. Each airport is different and follows different security protocols.

Always be alert and ready for security checks and have your ID ready for quick verification. Be cooperative and follow their rules. If you have any doubts, clear it politely.

The airport security protocols are changing at the bigger airports to tighten the security.

To avoid stress, you can research about airport security protocols like what is allowed or not and prepare accordingly.

Set the destination time on your phone

When you are traveling, set the destination time of your phone so that you know what time you will reach the destination.

Choose for long layovers

Why should you choose long layovers while traveling?

I agree, long layovers are infamous for providing opportunities for boredom, but you can certainly enjoy the time perfectly well while waiting for the next flight.

Long layovers give you ample of time to rest, find solace in watching movies or reading books, look around the airport, use the washroom and get yourself freshen up, take advantage of the free Wi-Fi and work on pending, and some even take a perfect nap.

I had the worst experience of short layover of 1 hour during my travel to Seattle from London. I couldn’t even take my breath. I had to run from one terminal to another and I was so stressed.

My best travel tips will always be to choose for long layovers while traveling internationally.

Invest in a good travel wallet

If you want to have a comfortable trip, invest in a good travel wallet, which is an essential part of traveling. You can use a travel wallet to keep your IDs, credit cards, and cash.

Look for a durable and a water resistant wallet before you start your journey. If your wallet have a plenty of card slots that make it easier for you to keep all your important cards.  

I have a great leather travel wallet which I bought three years ago before my travel to USA and it is still in an excellent condition.

Mark your bag fragile

It is painful to see how the airport authorities mishandle your bags.

Thus, always a good idea to mark your bag fragile while traveling. It will protect your bag from getting lost or stolen, and help if you need to file a claim.

To keep your bag safe and protect it from getting damage, it is always wise to lock your bag and mark it as fragile so that the airport authorities will handle with care.

Carry a basic first aid kit

Accidents can happen anytime, anyplace. A basic first aid kit is a must for any traveller. In an emergency situation, you may not find a hospital nearby and obtain immediate care. A basic first aid kit provides a way to self-treat injuries and illness.

Carry a small toiletry bag

It is always advisable to carry a small toiletry bag when traveling. You can keep inside all your necessary private items that you may need on the go.

Essential items like shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, face wash and moisturizer fit well in a toiletry bag.

Get a universal charging station

Always keep a universal charging station in your backpack and use it when you travel.

They come in handy when you need extra power in your devices. You can stay charged.

Put gels and moisturizer in a plastic bag

The best way to store your toiletries is in a ziplock plastic bag. When packing for travel, it’s best to avoid liquids and use dry items, but if you have to carry liquids, put them in a separate bag. This way even if they get explode or leak won’t damage the other items.

Carry a light jacket for flight

There are reasons why you should always carry a light jacket with you when traveling, especially by flight.

When traveling, you may have to travel by bus, train or flight, carrying a light jacket will protect you from unpredictable weather conditions.

You should carry a light jacket not just on cold destinations but in any place. You can put them on in the airport, on flight, they will be your saviour if it gets rain, etc.

Skip wearing make-ups

If you consider my best travel tips, it would be never put make-ups on when you are traveling. Female travel enthusiast, sometimes pack a full bag with make-ups which is not needed when you are traveling.

You are not getting into a beauty pageant; you are traveling to explore and experience. Keep yourself simple, not too flashy. Just a little of moisturizer, sunscreen, powder and lip balm works fine.

Keep your valuables in your hand luggage

Nowadays, more travelers are using hand luggage as their carry-on bag rather than a suitcase. It saves time at the airport. When traveling, you should be extra cautious about your belongings.

Keep all your valuables and important documents safe inside your handbag. Keep your cash with you and some in the other bag in a hidden spot.

Buy a dummy wallet for the pick pocketers

If you are traveling to India, you will face your wallet being stolen by the pick pocketers and unfortunately you won’t be able to catch them.

This is my best travel tips for my fellow travelers who want to visit India. Beware of pick pocketers as they are everywhere.

Buying a dummy wallet for pick pocketers is a great idea for the travelers. You can leave it empty. This idea will prevent you from getting pick pocket.

Invest in a good cellphone

If you want the best experience while on the road, invest in a good cellphone that has a good camera quality, battery life and storage. Nowadays, the cell phone companies are competing against each other to launch their best product with prominent features.

You can do everything on your cell phone and take amazing travel pictures.

Go eco-friendly

To make your travel more rewarding, you can take the initiative to try eco-friendly and a sustainable traveling. In so many great ways, an eco-friendly travel changes your perspectives towards traveling and life.

I have already written an article on how to travel eco-friendly, you can go and check out the link.

Exercise to prevent jet lag

Jet lag is common when you travel aboard and it can be tough to deal with. You have moved to a new time zone, your body requires time to get adjust with it.

Jet lag causes stress and fatigue, which gives the worst travel experience. But I have a perfect way to beat this and that’s exercise.

You can go up for a jogging or just hit the hotel gym, it will boost your energy level and stimulate blood circulation, which will increase your metabolism and help reduce fatigue.

Pack light

One of the best travel tips that I can share with you is to pack light. Packing light will help your trip be more enjoyable. You need not to carry everything, pack only what’s needed for your trip.

Hire a rented car

Whenever I plan a trip with my family, I book a rented car that gives us the freedom to drive anywhere we want. Renting a car saves money and makes traveling more enjoyable. You can explore the city the way you want.

Hire a local guide

Have you ever hired a local guide?

Sometimes, when you are in a new city and want to explore the hidden gems of that place, you will need a local guide.

Usually the locals know about their city well and they can take you to places that have never been explored before. They will tell you about the culture and tradition of that place, about their festivals, people, food, and so on.

By hiring a local guide, you will also help them by financially.

Keep a packing checklist on your cell phone

Before you start with your packing, it would be great if you make a list of things to be packed. Packing can be a stressful task, but if you keep a packing checklist, it will be easy to make sure what you have forgotten to pack.

Carry female hygiene items in a small bag

You travel with your family or a solo female traveller; it is important to pack female hygiene products.

You can pack all your necessary personal items like deodorant, lip balm, sanitary pads, comb, lotion, etc in a separate small bag and keep them safe in a separate compartment of your suitcase.

Use offline Google map

One of the most popular travel tips that every travel friend gives is using Google Maps Offline Mode. Google Maps gives you the access to their maps, satellite images, and other features which can be used while traveling.

You can easily navigate and get a detailed map of the desired destination. It is a very powerful tool which can be best to use while on the road.

Wear light and Layer clothes

Always wear light and layer clothes when you are traveling. It makes your travel experience easy. If you are on the flight, wear a comfortable pant along with a shirt and carry a light jacket. If you are traveling by car, similarly wear something that comforts you.

Carry a journal

Traveling is an enriching experience, writing down your experience in a journal is a great way to remember every detail of your travel.

With time, we usually forget many things that we had experience but journaling keeps those memories always fresh.

Avoid wandering at night if you are traveling solo

This tip is for everyone who travels alone or wants to experience solo traveling. It is always better to be safe first.

When you are traveling alone, you are vulnerable to the outside world. You have to think about your safety and avoiding wandering at night is the first thing to do.

Explore by walking or bicycling

The best travel tips for exploring the outdoors are by walking or bicycling. Both are great for your health and save money while bicycling is more convenient as you can roam around the entire city.

If you have ample of time and have the stamina, then walking or bicycling you can opt both.

Freelance for money

People are often looking for alternatives to the 9-5 work routine. Freelancing while traveling is an opportunity to earn extra. You can teach English if you are in a non-English speaking country.

You can teach anything that you are an expert at and earn a handsome of money. Without touching your savings, you can travel more with your freelancing money.

Buy travel insurance

If you are planning to travel or take a vacation, do not forget to buy travel insurance. People rarely take seriously about purchasing a travel insurance. They think it is a waste of money.

But protecting yourself and your family against any misfortune while traveling is a wise thing to do.

There are several good travel insurance in the market that you can check out. I prefer to buy from the bank.

Choose your airline seats wisely

When you plan your travel, it is always advisable to check with the airlines about your seat preferences. You can easily do that by visiting the website of your airline and see what seats are available along with the amenities.

Make a smart choice of choosing your seats online. I prefer the window seats.

Hide your cash in different spots

You wouldn’t want to get your money stolen. Unpleasant experience may happen when you are on the road. Traveling is always unpredictable. But it’s on you how you want to be prepared to keep yourself and your belongings safe.

One of the best hiding spots to stash your money is inside the shoe and in the pockets of your clothes that are rolled.

Use Eye Mask

If you have long hours of flight, you wouldn’t mind to take a nap. But with the sound and lights, you may not get a deep sleep and that’s when you need an eye mask.

Know the weather

It is important to know the weather condition of your desired destination before setting out on your trip.

Is it winter, rainy or summer? Your packing will be based on the weather. If it is winter at that destination, you will have to pack warm clothes and likewise.

Arrive at the airport early to avoid panic

You should always arrive at the airport early. Imagine, you are standing in a queue at the airport for security check ups and your flight is due in 15 minutes. What should you do?

Buy a guide book

There are so many travel guidebooks available in the market. You can buy the one that about your destination. For example, if you are traveling to New York, buy a travel guidebook that is in New York city.

Guidebooks help you find out the best locations, sightseeing spots, restaurants etc.

Avoid consuming alcohol

Drinking alcohol while traveling is never considered safe. It always leads to complications and accidents. Alcohol causes over 2 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization.

So, when you are traveling, avoid consuming alcohol. You can have fun by other means as well.

Carry a neck pillow

Traveling can be an arduous experience. You hardly get time to rest if your purpose of traveling is to explore.

Neck pillows provide support to neck and head, thus, help you taking a nap, especially on flights.

Things like eye mask, neck pillow give restful sleep during travel.

Take night flights to avoid wasting a day

One of the best way to save time and be productive while traveling is to take night flights to avoid wasting the day time.

Whenever I travel, I try to book night flights as it gives me ample time to rest on the flight and I can utilise the day time for traveling or work.

Night flights are also good if you want to avoid the airport crowd.

Carry empty mugs for coffee or tea

This is my favourite travel tip for you to carry an empty coffee mug when you are traveling. If you are a coffee or tea drinker like me, this small travel hack will be useful for you.

Instead of buying tea/coffee at the airport, you can bring your mug, a tea/coffee dip packet and ask for hot water at the airport food court. It’s a great way to save money while traveling.

You are saving at least INR 100.

Wake up early to avoid crowds

I hate crowd and get frustrated easily waiting or being stuck in a mass of people. That’s why I always wake up early to start my trip. The early, the better. Not everyone can wake up early. Not everyone wants to leave their bed early when on a vacation.

Try slow traveling

Have you tried slow traveling?

Slow traveling is when you do not want to rush through your travels. I have seen people trying to cover everything within 3-4 days of stay. They don’t explore. They just touch that spot and move to another.

I love slow traveling. It gives me the opportunity to be patient and considerate about nature, and its people. I take time and look around the place and embrace it fully.

Get your vaccinations

Considering the current Covid situation across the world, you are not allowed to travel anywhere until you are vaccinated.

Get yourself and your family vaccinated and immunized before you start your journey.

Consult your physician and check for other vaccines as well that are required in that destination.

Plan traveling on off-season

I never knew that traveling on off-season feels so great until I tried in 2019 in Goa, India.

There are reasons why off-season trips are so great. On off-seasons you will get hotels at low cost, better deals and discounts on flights and cruise. Off-season trips are the official money saving trips.  

For example, in 2019, we planned our vacation to Goa, and we checked into a 5 star resort at a flat 50% discount. Not only that, it was crowd free and gives us the opportunity to explore better.

Learn common words & phrases of the destination

If you are planning on traveling to a country where you may have to communicate with their language. To make yourself comfortable, you can learn a few common words and phrases from that language.

You can learn online from website like Duolingo or join a class. While traveling, you can keep a dictionary with yourself, it will come handy.

Follow your instinct

While traveling, a lot can happen. You will have pleasant experiences and may face something that you don’t want to remember.

You are traveling solo, or with your family, you always have to think about your safety. There will be situations when you can not trust on anyone but only on yourself. Follow your instinct when you are on the road and be the best decision maker.

Pack slippers

Slippers are very comfortable. You should carry slippers before you travel because they are not only convenient but also, easy to store in your luggage.

They are the best on a beach vacation. They are cheap and keep your feet comfortable when traveling.

Start saving small for travel

If you want to travel frequently, you would need money. You can start saving a little for your desired trip annually. You can travel the world on a budget, but you need a full proof plan to succeed in this.

Rest even when you travel

Traveling can be tiring and exhausting. You would need amole of sleep and rest. But with the long hours of journey, how will you rest?

Well, if you are not anxious about ‘what people will think’ attitude, you can rest/sleep anywhere you want.

You can take a deep nap while at the airport waiting for the flight. You can sleep at the layovers.

The better you rest, the better your mood will be on the trip.

Plan your routes before you start

To make the most out of your travel experience, you should first plan your routes. Map out your route and find the best places to visit on the way so that you can stopover and get the directions as well.

Planning always saves time, money and stress.

Pack your lunch while traveling

You can make your traveling productive by bringing home cooked meal with you. If you are planning to hit the road, you can always bring packed home cook food. You can pack your food in a portable container and refill it on the way.

With the Covid situation, I prefer to eat always at home cook food.

This small effort saves money and keeps you healthy while traveling.

Conclusion: The above 69 are my best travel tips so far that I have shared with you to make your travel life easier and stress free.

Traveling liberates you, and the more you travel with an open mind, the better you grow as a person.