Seeing the world is one of the best things you can do in life. Experiencing other areas and cultures helps open your mind, even if it never convinces you to move away from your hometown (and that’s perfectly okay). It’s a treasure everyone should get to experience. Unfortunately, traveling can be really stressful. Packing your bags, remembering all of your necessities and making your way through the airport can be a nightmare. Thankfully, some brilliant people online have discovered a few genius tips that’ll make the experience much better.
1.) Don’t lose your jewelry! Organize everything small in a pill case.
2.) Enable private browsing when searching or booking flights online (you’ll see cheaper fares).
3.) Use a cereal container in your car as a trash bag.
4.) To remember where you parked (or any other arbitrary point in a city), drop a pin in Google maps.
5.) Going to the beach? Put your valuables in an AquaVault to protect them. No more worries while you tan.
6.) Take empty water bottles with you through security at the airport. Fill them up once you get through.
7.) If you want to take alcohol with you on the plane, buy small nips/bottles of liquor. You can take them through security with you.
8.) Wrap your small cords around old gift cards to keep them from getting tangled.
9.) You can get an update on your flight status just by Googling your flight number.
10.) Don’t have a monitor in the seat in front of you? Use a plastic bag, clip or cord to attach your phone to the headrest or table.
11.) Call your credit card company before traveling internationally so that they can make a note on your account (and won’t freeze your funds).
12.) If you’re bringing small amounts of concealer, moisturizer, or other cosmetics, store them in contact cases.
13.) To prevent liquids from spilling out, place plastic wrap over the opening of a container and then put the cap on (creating a seal).
14.) Scan your passport, ID, and itinerary and email it to yourself so you have a digital copy, just as a backup.
15.) Protect your razors (and your other luggage) by using a binder clip to cover the blades.
16.) If you’re bringing a bottle of wine, wrap it in a wine skin or pool floatie to protect it.
17.) Keep your shirt collars shapely by storing your belt in the neckline. It saves space and it’s smart.
18.) To use Google Maps offline, type “ok maps” and the current area on your phone will save for later (you can reference the image).
18.) To protect your clothes, wrap your shoes in shower caps before packing them.
20.) Buy a battery pack so that you can always have a backup power supply for your electronics.
21.) Put dryer sheets into your luggage to help everything stay fresh.
22.) Or, if you forgot the outlet piece of your USB charger, look on the back of your hotel’s TV. There will usually be a USB port you can use to charge.
23.) Stick your bobby pins in an old Tic Tac case to keep them from spilling everywhere in your makeup case.
24.) Rolling your clothes actually saves room when you’re packing. Roll, don’t fold.
25.) Store your charging cables and earphones in a glasses case, it’ll reduce tangling.
(H/T BuzzFeed) It might not save you any money when it comes to plane tickets, but these tips should make your next time traveling much more enjoyable (especially if you remember the mini bottles of alcohol).