It can, however, also be a time of disruptions, disasters and disappointment; a truth that often results in a constant interest in hacks or tricks to ensure things go smoothly.
Some tips have become common knowledge. We’ve probably all heard the advice to use packing cubes, carry important medications in carry-on, put trackers in luggage and learn a few local phrases.
But what about lesser-known tricks?
One traveller wanted to know people’s unconventional travel hacks, so they posed the question to Reddit and received almost 2600 replies. Answers ranged from the truly bizarre to run-of-the-mill and while I knew quite a few (like this map trick), there were others I’d never thought of.
“If you’re asking for an opinion, don’t ask the opinion of someone who’s being paid to provide it,” one user advised. “Want to know where the best meal near your hotel is? The cleaner isn’t getting a kickback from the nearest steakhouse, but the concierge probably is”.
Few people travel tech-free these days, with phones, laptops, iPads, smart watches, the list goes on. Unfortunately, outlets can be a rare commodity in places like airports or restaurants, so one traveller had a workaround.
“Go to any hardware store and pick up a 3 port, 6ft extension cord,” they wrote, explaining how they are light and cheap to buy. “This will turn 1 outlet into 3 and move it in a more convenient position.”
Another said staying at a nice hotel wasn’t always the best value for money.
If you want luxury on a budget, it could be worth booking the nicest room at a cheap hotel, rather than a cheap room at a nice hotel. Photo / 123rf
“The best room in a cheaper hotel is often better than a standard room in a more expensive hotel,” they shared. “When looking for luxury on a budget, don’t overlook the cheaper hotels - they often have fantastic suites for what you’d pay for a standard room somewhere pricier.”
Few people are early birds but this works to your advantage when travelling, another said.
“Nobody wakes up early. Like you can wake up before dawn and get fantastic golden hour pics when the city is empty then go back for breakfast and a nap before heading out for lunch,” they explained.
If you’re desperate to visit a certain part of a popular attraction, one person recommended being tactical about your approach.
“The best way to see the Louvre is to be lined up at opening and then [run] briskly walk straight to the Mona Lisa,” they said. “You can get about ten minutes to look at it and the surrounding gallery before it’s flooded with other people.”
Whether it’s Disneyland or the Taj Mahal, the advice is the same; be at the front of the line and head straight for your favourite/the most popular spot.
Hurry to certain spots when a gallery or attraction opens for uncrowded views. Photo / Oliver Curtis
Other titbits were a little more bizarre. One person suggested travelling with an orange and opening it if you’re stuck next to a smelly person on a plane or train. Another recommended folding money and tucking it into an empty toothpaste tube.
“Cut off the end, rinse it out, keep the cap on, roll up your money and put inside and roll up the tube to hide the end that you cut,” they wrote, adding that thieves rarely steal toothpaste.
Another joked (we hope) about how to eat breakfast for free.
“Breakfasts are always free if you randomly walk into chain hotels on the morning like you belong,” they wrote, we hope in jest.
One popular suggestion, which others said they had started to follow, involved hotel rooms and other accommodation properties.
“Make sure your shower gets hot when you get to your room.... not after you come back tired from exploring and all you want to do is take a hot shower,” they said. The reason being, that when you arrive, it’s probably a reasonable hour and maintenance can fix it before you need to use it.
Packing tips were, of course, popular too, with people suggesting to “roll everything, fold nothing”, and make packing cubes your best friends.
Cheap flight tips were also a popular topic on the thread.
“Try searching for flights in the airline’s original language,” one person shared, adding that airfares dropped hundreds of dollars when they changed the language from English to Spanish when travelling around Peru.
More than 1800 people responded to the tip, calling it “genius” while another said it also worked for accommodation.
“If you’re looking to book a hotel in another country use their local websites,” said a British traveller, who claimed properties listed on platforms such as Booking.com can be 50 per cent cheaper if you swap to the local website.
Herald tested this tactic with Qatar Airways’ website and Booking.com and found prices for flights or hotels did not change if you altered the language or region. That being said, the trick is easy and fast, so we’d likely give it a crack next time we’re trip planning, just in case.
One of the best tips, in our opinion, was less of a hack than just great advice for life and travel.
“Who you go with is way more important than where you go,” one person wrote in a comment that many others responded to with support.
