As someone who travels by plane roughly five to seven times each year, I have picked up some great travel tips and useful, reasonably-priced items that have made traveling fun, safe, organized and simple (all the things that the teacher in me finds incredibly appealing)! Below you’ll find some helpful travel tips and wonderful products to help you with your next traveling adventure. Enjoy!
1. Get Your Passport
Just a suggestion but if you don’t have a valid passport and have been meaning to get one, DO IT! You never know when the opportunity might arise for you to travel out of the country. To avoid the high cost of expediting your passport and worrying if you will get it in time, plan ahead and take the plunge. You’ll be glad you did.
2. Apply for Global Entry
Right there with getting your passport, is applying for Global Entry. If you travel out of the country at all, it is worth $100 every 5 years to have this jewel. You’ll speed through customs like never before. Click the link for more information. Once you have qualified for Global Entry, you will also have TSA PreCheck. That’s an $85 value right there (see below).
3. TSA PreCheck
If you don’t travel out of the country, consider applying for TSA PreCheck. When available*, you will be in the TSA PreCheck line. This means you won’t have to take off your belt, shoes or light jacket plus there are a few other conveniences. As a trusted traveler, it also means that you will spend much less time going through security as these lines are usually shorter. Click the link for more information. *Some smaller airports do not support TSA PreCheck.
4. A Comfortable Carry-On Bag
I always have a carry-on and recently changed to a backpack from a shoulder-strap bag. It makes all the difference – no more shoulder pain! Plus, inside the backpack are lots of compartments to keep me organized. It also fits perfectly under the seat.
Inside my carry on backpack I have:
- snacks
- headphones with Splitter (for sharing movies/music)
- blanket/neck pillow
- Tissues
- hand sanitizer (no more than 3.4 ounces)
- sanitary wipes
- itinerary
- phone charger
- iPad
- laptop
- passport holder (see below)
5. Passport Organizer
When we were in the Bahamas, I saw a lady with the neatest passport holder. She had everything so organized and knew I had to have one! Here is the one that I purchased and it has been incredibly useful. Even if you don’t have passports, you can use it for:
- boarding passes
- parking garage ticket
- extra cash
- credit cards
- change
- car keys
- and more!
Be sure to include a pen inside – you never know when you’ll need one. Don’t forget to place your passport holder in the hotel room safe when you arrive.
6. Go Bold with your Luggage
Nobody wants to spend extra time at the baggage claim searching for their suitcase amongst an ever-growing pile of black bags. One of the best travel tips that I learned early on was to buy a bright-colored suitcase, one that you can spot right away! With so many black bags, often times people accidentally grab the wrong suitcase – talk about a bummer way to start off your trip. Don’t let that be you. Go bold and get going!
In addition to being colorful, you’ll want to make sure that your suitcase has wheels. You should be able to easily roll your suitcase without tilting it. This makes getting through the airport less fatiguing. Below is a picture of my new suitcase that I bought it from the Samsonite Outlet Store. It rolls great with just a light touch, plus I love the color!
Travel Tip #1: The reason I have a new suitcase is that Southwest Airlines damaged my old one. They ripped the wheel right off! I took it to the baggage claim office to show them the damage and they wrote me a cheque for $95 right on the spot. This might take you a few minutes, but it was worth it!
Travel Tip #2: When packing your hanging clothes, pack them ON THE HANGERS by folding them in half in your suitcase. One fold makes less wrinkles than folding each piece several times. I use wire hangers from dry cleaners so they will fit better in my suitcase (I like the ones with foam that prevent slipping). When I get to my destination, I simply take the hangers from my bag and hang them up. I don’t like the wrinkles, so I spritz them with water and smooth them out with my hands. Those pesky wrinkles usually go away within an hour or so. If they are stubborn wrinkles, I use this compact steamer. It’s lightweight and heats up quickly. I love the way my clothes look after I’ve steamed them.
7. Toiletries
Besides your clothing, packing your essential toiletry items are a must. I like to use the same products on vacation that I use at home. I found these little containers to be very useful. Fill them with your favorite shampoo, conditioner and body wash, etc. My face cream jar is glass and so heavy. I use one of the little discs for it and it saves some weight that I can use for something else. For the pump bottle, I added hand soap. I am so used to using liquid soap at home that I like to take some with me instead of using the bar soap at the hotel. Use one of the spray bottles for plain water to mist your clothes and get rid of wrinkles. Plus, each bottle is less than 3.4 ounces should you ever need to put them in your carry-on.
8. Luggage Scale
Depending on the airline, your suitcase must weight between 40 and 50 pounds. The charge for going over can be quite hefty. Sometimes more than a new bag! I like to know how much my suitcase weighs before I arrive the baggage check, so I use this luggage scale at home. It is super easy to use, accurate and reasonably priced. It has saved me many times.
Travel Tip: Buy 2 Travel Scales. If one stops working, you’ll have a back up. Also, have extra batteries on hand if the battery dies. Yes… I’m speaking from experience. And… they are less than $10 each, so it’s totally worth it!
9. Comforts of Home – My Coffee
I love a good cup of coffee while hanging out in the hotel room, especially first thing in the morning. I found this little travel coffee maker that is PERFECT for making my favorite coffee. It also gives me peace of mind because I know it’s clean (not like some of the hotel provided machines). I pack a box of coffee pods (k-cups), some sweetener and a plastic spoon and I’m good to go! I like cream in my coffee, so I usually swing by a convenience store or grocery store when I arrive. If you can’t get to a store, you can always pack coffee creamer singles like the one below. No refrigeration needed! You could also pack the powdered kind, since it weighs less.
This little coffee maker is so simple to use, weighs only 2.2 pounds and costs $39.99. What a money saver, since one cup of Starbucks coffee can cost $3-5! It paid for itself on our first trip.
Travel Tip: In my luggage, I have a ziploc bag with all sizes of ziploc bags, napkins, plastic spoons, forks and knives. It also has a salt and pepper shaker and scissors. All of these items come in quite handy every single time we travel!
Have a Wonderful Trip!
I hope you have found some useful travel tips that will help you have a fun and safe journey! Don’t forget to pin the image below to Pinterest for future use.
Thanks for stopping by!
~ Carrie
*Amazon Affiliate links used in this post. You do not pay more when purchasing items through these links.
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