As somewhat nervous travellers, we're always looking for tips on how to reduce the stress of travel. Over the years, we've honed our travelling skills to make life on the road relatively simple. Below are the ten travel hacks that have changed the way we travel - both before, on the day and during our adventures.
Before you go
1.Private Browsing
A well-known hack but an important one none-the-less. When searching for flights, go incognito in private browsing to stop prices slowly rising each time you return to an airline's website. Naughty airlines.
2. Book seats strategically
We always use Seat Guru when booking seats on a plane. The website provides reviews of all the seats on different model aircrafts, so you can finally avoid those awful bathroom seats (and smells).
3. Make the most of your space
There's so many packing tips flying around on the internet but we always find the simple to be the most effective. Always roll your clothes rather than fold and always pack your socks and underwear into empty spaces, such as inside shoes and hats.
4. Pack a candle
This might seem a strange suggestion but it is one of our key essentials when travelling. If like us, stale, unfamiliar hotel rooms make it hard for you to relax, a candle with a calming recognised scent immediately helps us to feel at home in our new bed. We usually bring a mini lavender candle to keep our hotel room calm and homely (burn it near ventilation - the other hotel guests won't thank you for that fire alarm).
On the day
5. Head to the upgrades desk
Don't waste money on upgrading your flight the day before you fly: hold your nerve and try on the day. At all airports, airlines will have a promotions desk where you can enquire into upgrading on the day. Just like any stock, the airline would rather sell their seats for cheaper on the day than not at all. Last time we did this, we saved over £500 on upgrades on a flight to Washington. Result!
6. Pack essentials in your hand luggage
We've learnt this important rule the hard way after our luggage went AWOL on a flight. Sigh. Since then, we've always packed a spare pair of knickers and our toothbrush in our travel bag.
On your travels
7. Leave the adapters at home
There's nothing more annoying than arriving at a hotel with just one adapter and finding the socket is located in the darkest corner of the room, under a heavy sofa. To avoid this situation, we always pack an extension lead with multiple plugs so that a) we can charge things in a more convenient place and b) we don't have to pack a handful of adapters.
8. Use your TV to charge your phone
If you've forgotten to pack your charger or an adapter, do not fear! You can charge your phone using the hotel TV, provided you have a USB lead (have a look around the back of the TV and you should find the USB socket).
9. Google maps
Heading out to explore but don't have any mobile data to use your faithful Google Maps? Simply press on the bar at the bottom that lists the location and press 'download'. Now you can refer back to it when you're out and about, just like you would with WiFi.
10. Save on currency costs
We use the WeSwap card when we're travelling to ensure we get the best bang for our buck. WeSwap swaps your currency directly with other travellers, all from an app on your phone. This really makes changing currency so much easier whilst on the road. And cheaper.
Read more at: Twins That Travel