1. Turn on ‘Private Browsing’ or ‘Incognito’ for cheaper flights online
Travel sites and airlines use cookies on your browser which they use to track your online activity….so if you search for a flight or a hotel one day then return the next you might see the price increase. You can avoid this by switching to ‘Private Browsing’ whenever you’re looking to book flights or hotels. FYI we don’t do this at Buddy….we never increase your quote based on your search activity, unlike other insurers in the Irish market 🙊
2. Use packing cubes or roll your clothes for more space
Packing cubes are a great way to organise your bag, so if you are on the go and need to take something out of your bag quickly you can just grab the cube you need without having to unpack and repack the bag. It is also great when you get to your final destination – when its time to unpack you can easily put the socks cube, underwear cube etc. into drawers; you don’t even need to take them all out of the cube!
Pro tip: Vacuum packing your bag is a great way to save space, but be warned you may fit too much in your bag and be stung with overweight bag charges. 😬
3. Want your bags to get off the plane first? Mark them as ‘Fragile’
We almost feel bad giving up this travel hack as it works every. We’ve all been here, you’ve just landed after a long flight, you’re stressed and tired and want to get out of the airport. Getting your bag off the baggage carousel first means you can start your holiday sooner and the way to do that is; ask for a fragile bag tag when checking in and voila your bags will magically appear at your destination quicker than ever. 🧳
4. Bring a powerstrip/extension cord
This will save you not only at the airport but also when you get to your accommodation. You will only need one adapter for the powerstrip/extension cord and you will be able to charge/use multiple devices at once. If you want to know what it feels like to be a hero try to find an unused power socket at an airport and plug in your powerstrip/extension cord and magically turn one socket into 2,3,4,5,6 and bask in the adulation. 😎
5. Get travel insurance before your holiday
This one is a no brainer. Why worry about unforeseen expenditure from trivial but annoying incidents like a theft or something more serious like a life-changing event such as a medical emergency expense. Getting cover couldn’t be easier or more affordable with Buddy. Your cover includes so many activities as standard, everything from Badminton to Camel Riding to Hot Air Ballooning. Check-out our coverage here.
6. Take photos or scan all your important docs (passport, drivers license, medical cards etc.)
This is just an extra copy and shouldn’t be relied upon. There is nothing worse than trying to rent a car on holiday only to realise you forgot your driver’s license. Some rental companies will accept a copy of your driver’s license as they just need to have your details on file. It’s always a good idea to have a back-up of all your docs to hand, it could save you a lot of hassle and stress in a variety of situations!
7. Download the app TripIt
We wish we were getting paid for this plug so if you’re reading this TripIt a free premium account would be nice 😉. TripIt is a great app that scans your email for hotel booking reservations, flight bookings and you can also upload and store photos of important docs to the app. We find this really helpful when travelling so you don’t need to keep searching through your emails for booking references etc. It’s all nicely organised and stored within the app and very easy to find. TripIt also log all the previous trips and miles you’ve done which is fun to look back on. You can download the TripIt app here.
8. Use your banking app to notify them you are traveling
This one can be a lifesaver. There is nothing worse than getting to your destination only to find your bank has frozen your card after you bought a bottle of water from the airport vending machine. Luckily, gone are the days when you need to ring your bank and let them know you are off on a holiday and not to freeze your card! Now you can simply log into your banking app and set a travel notification with the push of a button. So simple and straightforward…but if you forget to set the travel notice unfreezing can take up to 24hours, not to mention the cost of calling them from overseas! 😫
9. Always travel with a pen
This is so simple and seems trivial but if you are entering a country that requires immigration forms to be filled out before landing then you will know the awkward struggle of trying to find a pen/ borrowing a half-chewed one from a fellow traveller. Always pack a pen!
10. Hand sanitizer
Airports and planes are breeding grounds for germs, the high volume of people and rushed cleaning services to keep up with demand mean that cleaning standards might not be the highest – play it safe pack a hand sanitizer and spritz every hour or two to keep germ free when travelling. No one likes to be sick on holidays. 😷
11. Wear warm clothes when traveling
We all see the people who arrive at the airport after a week of sun and sand still wearing their shorts and tank tops, well we can guarantee they will be the ones asking for the extra blankets on the flight. Plane temperatures, on average, are kept between 18°C and 24°C. That might sound warm but after sitting still for 30 mins it can get chilly quickly, so bring layers so you can wrap up.
12. Eat before you take off
Not a lot of people know that when flying your taste buds are dulled due to cabin pressure. As a result airline meals are usually loaded with extra salt and sugar to give the food some notable flavour. Both salt and sugar can worsen the effects of jetlag and also cause uncomfortable bloating. So beat the bloat and jetlag by eating before you take off.
The combination of dryness and low pressure reduces the sensitivity of your taste buds to sweet and salty foods by around 30%, according to a 2010 study conducted by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, commissioned by German airline Lufthansa
Got a travel tip worth sharing let us know
Travelling can be amazing when you are prepared and know how to work the system to your advantage. Hopefully, these tips will help you and make your next trip a little more stress-free. If you have any other tips that you think we should include, tweet us! 😊