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You love traveling, but you constantly get the sense that you could be doing it better. When you make mistakes at work, there’s often somewhere nearby to explain how to rectify the issue and avoid it in the future.
When you work out at the gym, there’s a personal trainer on hand to give you pointers on your form. When you try and cook a meal for someone, you can always call your parents and ask them for recipes or help with technique.
This support system doesn’t really exist when traveling. That’s why it’s so important to take pointers from seasoned travelers, and follow their advice whenever possible. This article has compiled four of the most ingenious hacks from master travelers, to help you plan – and execute – the smoothest trip imaginable.
Follow Mistake Fares for the Cheapest Flights
Want to get the best deal possible on a flight? Bank on the airline companies making mistakes. That’s right, just like everyone else, airlines sometimes get their wires crossed and publish fares that are far lower than average.
These mistake fares tend not to last very long – maybe a day or two – so finding them in the wild can be tricky, if not downright impossible. Luckily, there are newsletters and social media groups dedicated to hunting and posting mistake fares. Check these groups and sign up for newsletters. Chances are, before long, a flight to your destination will come up, for a price far lower than you were initially willing to pay!
Forget Cotton. Pack Merino Wool.
Cotton makes you sweat. Cotton smells. Cotton wrinkles. Merino wool, on the other hand, does none of these things. You can literally wear a merino wool shirt for a week while traveling and it won’t smell, thanks to the anti-microbial properties of the special wool fibres.
Travelers have known about merino wool for some time, and it’s been a staple in the backpack of many backpackers. The problem was that the merino clothing being made was either gaudily sporty or unfashionable. These days, that’s changed, and there are sleek, minimalist merino wool garments available – just check this out for some good examples.
Beat Jet Lag With a Simple Two-Pronged Approach
With jet lag, there are really two things going on: one, as you know, has to do with your brain adjusting to the new sleep cycle; the other, which is far less known, has to do with your body dehydrating on the plane.
To combat the former issue, seasoned travelers suggest that you start adjusting your internal clock to your destination a couple days before you fly out. Even if that means staying up all night, and sleeping on your flight, it’s worth it to make the most out of your trip’s first days.
To combat the latter issue, make sure to drink lots of water on the plane – like, a glass an hour. Planes are notoriously dry environments, and can dehydrate you easily, causing that familiar nauseous feeling that accompanies jet lag – drinking water helps to avoid this.
Are you an experienced traveler? If so, what are your ingenious hacks?
