10 Travel Tips You Need to Know

You could read a million travel blogs with tips, advice, etc. and you’ll still inevitably make a ton of mistakes while traveling. However, we hope that the following travel tips help to mitigate as many issues for you as possible!

10 Travel Tips You Need to Know

1. Pack Healthy Snacks

Even with a “special,” “vegan,” or “vegetarian” meal you’re not going to get a good or healthy meal. Bring a protein bar, cashews/almonds, or something similar. Some Delta flights have actually started giving out healthy snack boxes. They’re great, so naturally we hope this is a trend that sticks.

2. Mini Shots

We don’t really drink much, but if you are a drinker or want to drink on flights, you can save a ton of money if you bring your own mini shots in a Ziplock bag. You can fit a decent amount in a quart bag and you’ll save yourself $5-8 per drink.

3. Pay for Luggage Ahead of Time

When flying economy air (With companies like Ryan Air and Easy Jet) you’ll save about 30-50% on baggage fees if you buy ahead of time (upon booking) as opposed to buying them at the desk. Trust us, we have dealt with plenty €75 bag fees for an hour long flight.

4. Wear Jackets Through Security

You’ll save a ton of room and weight in your bag. Michael carries a 55 liter backpack and Alex carries a 45-50 liter backpack through security for trips of about 3-7 days. For day trips, we use 25 and 15 liter backpacks, respectively. Keep any laptop bags, purses, etc. separate with a couple of heavy jackets if you’re in need of bag space and want to avoid spending $100-200 for an overage fee.

5. Wear Sandals

If the weather permits, sandals are great for traveling. In the US and many other places you’re required to take off your shoes through security which can be a real pain in be ass. Instead, wear sandals and you can kick them off/put them back on super easily.

6. Buy External Battery Packs

If you’re flying Delta or Virgin you’ll likely have either USB chargers, full outlet chargers, or both. Otherwise, an external battery pack is super helpful. Monoprice has some super cheap ones that work very well. For $20 you should be able to get a pack that provides 2 full charges.

7. Open Reward Accounts

We strongly suggest that you have a couple travel credit cards (as we advocate very often). However, you can earn miles even without credit cards. You can sign up for a Delta Skymiles account, a Southwest miles account, or virtually any airline account to start earning miles with every flight you purchase. Even without a Southwest Credit card we both have 10s of thousands of Southwest miles that we have accumulated from regional business travel. Hotels.com also has a great loyalty program. After signing up, you’ll receive a free night stay after you’ve booked 10 nights through them.

8. Plan For Your Bag To Be Lost

It isn’t likely that it will be, but plan for the worst (especially if you’re flying United). Take a change of clothes or 2 as well as deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste in your carry on. Not only is this a good plan so you can freshen up on long journeys but it also is a backup plan in the event your bag is lost.

9. Buy Large Bottles of Water

You don’t realize but you get quite dehydrated on a flight. Most airlines have become quite frugal and only offer tiny cups of water. If you’re anything like us that won’t suffice. Buy a liter or 2 of water before a flight and stay hydrated!

10. Osprey Backpacks

These things make for the best carry on (as mentioned above). For a weekend trip a daypack/25 liter will suffice and for 3-5 or maybe even 7 days a 55 liter is perfect. “Technically” 55 liters might be a bit big for a carry on, but it usually isn’t a problem considering its on your back.

Maybe this should be an ongoing list that we build up to 50 or 100 travel tips? Let us know what you think below. We would love to continue to share lists of our favorite tips if they help make your lives easier when you travel!