Travelling is wonderful. When done right, it can be a lot of fun, you can make many interesting discoveries, rest and relax, and create life-long memories. However, it’s not all pure joy and sunshine. Travelling does have its fair share of inconveniences. It can be stressful, tiring, and oftentimes expensive.
To make your travel experience as positive, stress-free, and cost-effective as possible, we’ve put together a few tips and tricks that you can use on your next holiday or weekend getaway.
1 – Turn off cookies in your browser
It might seem silly, but turning off cookies in your web browser can actually help you save a lot of data and battery life on your phone, especially if you visit some desolate regions, like some of the most beautiful places to visit in Montana.
On top of that, turning off the cookies will also prevent advertisers from tracking you online. However, most people don’t know about this hack, even though it’s very simple to do: go into your browser settings and check ‘disable cookies’.
2 – Use an upside down cup as a speaker for your phone
If you want to listen to music on your phone without having a portable speaker, just put the cup of water upside down and place your phone inside it – it will amplify the sound! This is very useful when you’re staying in a hostel or a dormitory where you don’t want to waste too much mobile data – just play the music out loud and enjoy!
3 – Use a decoy wallet to foil pickpockets
When you’re on holiday, chances are you will be visiting some rather crowded tourist destinations or you will be using public transport and not speaking the local language. Both of these situations are likely to attract pickpockets who prey on those visiting their town or city. It’s ugly and unfortunate, but it’s the reality of travelling. You can minimize the risk of getting your wallet nicked by offering pickpockets, instead, a decoy wallet.
Keep your wallet secure in a pocket that is hard to reach or one that zips shut, and keep an empty decoy wallet in a more likely or visible place. That way, if you are unfortunate enough to fall victim to a pickpocket, you’ll only be out a cheap empty wallet. You can leave a nasty note inside, too, if you’d like, to remind the pickpocket who nicked your decoy just what a scumbag they are.
4 – Consider travelling by motorhome
Save money on travel fare and accommodation with the same hack. Plus, you’ll be able to stop and visit many interesting sites along the way that you would otherwise miss if you took a plane or a train. When you travel in a group or with a companion, everyone can chip in and you’ll save so much money you can splurge once you’ve reached your destination – not to mention you’ll be able to cook your own meals if you want to make further savings.
You can pick up a used motorhome and search online for more about the benefits of living in a motorhome or simply using it to travel. Plus, when you’ve parked your motorhome at a campsite, that’s always a good place to meet interesting people who are, more often than not, experienced travelers too.
5 – Wear a jacket with plenty of zippable pockets
When you’re out and about in a foreign city, you never know what, exactly, you’re going to need or what interesting thing you’re going to pick up. You’ll want to be prepared with a way to easily and safely carry all these little items. Check out this website for ideas on what travel jacket you should be wearing on your next vacation.
6 – Wrap your razor blade with a rubber band
When you’re fumbling through your bag for some item or the other, you might come into contact with your razor and it can very easily cut up that rummaging finger. But this won’t happen if you take a second to wrap a rubber band around the blade. Additionally, it will help to keep the blade sharp by preventing it from dulling on other materials it may come in contact with during the transport.
7 – Put your travel shoes and smelly clothes in the freezer
If you’ve been backpacking for any length of time, chances are your shoes and some other items of clothing are starting to stink a bit. If you stay at a hotel, hostel, or motorhome that has a freezer, put your smelly shoes or smelly clothes in the freezer overnight. The extreme cold will kill some, though not all, of the odor-emitting bacteria. Of course, you’ll have to remember to take them out first thing in the morning and give them time to thaw before you get back into them.
You can also deodorize your shoes by stuffing them with newspaper immediately after wearing them. The paper will absorb some of the sweat and odour-causing moisture.
The Takeaway
Travel smart, and travel often. Hopefully, these guidelines will give you ideas on how you can make your next vacation a bit less stressful and cost-effective.
