10 Super Easy Travel Tips & Hacks
We love to travel, explore our world and take family road trips. We have taken many trips that take us all across the country from California, Montana, and Colorado to Maryland, Virginia and everywhere in between. With all 5 of us in the van and different hotel for so many days, we have found some super easy tips and hacks that you might not have thought about.
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10 Super Easy Travel Tips & Hacks
Pack the Right Pillowcases
Since many people like to use their own pillows even when they travel, do yourself a favor and use a colored pillowcase. Most hotels have white sheets and pillows so a contrasting color will stick out and help ensure that you don’t leave your favorite pillow behind.
Don’t Forget Air Freshener
This one just makes sense. Don’t forget to pack your favorite odor eliminator so the hotel won’t stink when people need to use the restroom. There are many different options. You can buy products like poo-pourri that you drop in the toilet or sprays like OdoBan Air Fresheners. that neutralize the air.
Stock up on Quarters & Laundry Detergent:
When you take an extended road trip, you have two choices when it comes to clothes. You can pack enough clothes to last the entire trip, but that means that everyone has to pack a larger suitcase making it bulkier to carry in the hotel and makes the car more crowded. Or you can pack less and just do laundry once or twice on the trip. We typically go with less luggage and just pack quarters and laundry detergent. It works better for us so we have more room in the van.
Real Life Tip: We always pack a few laundry pods instead of liquid detergent so we don’t have issues with spills or messes.
Pack a Bulk Charger
With 5 people, we need lots of charging cords at night. With multiple phones, Kindle readers, fitness trackers and portable chargers, there are not typically enough charging stations at each hotel. We have two multiple port chargers and we keep all the cords attached. When we get to the hotel, we pull out the two chargers and instantly we have a full charging station.
Use Small Plastic Bowls for Snacks
Packing a few small reusable bowls will help you save money and make it easier to pass our snacks in the vehicle. This allows us to pass out Goldfish, chips, Jelly Bellies or even M&M’S® chocolate candies without making messes and is cheaper because we can buy the larger packages and split them instead of buying individual packaging.
Don’t Forget the Trash Bags
Keep the vehicle clean and the trash under control by packing plastic grocery bags in your front seat. We keep a trash bag between the seats and empty it at gas stations when the bag gets full
Keep Paper Maps
Most of us rely on our GPS to help us navigate when we are on road trips but have you ever been out in a new state and not been able to get a signal? We have! We love our GPS unit, but we never travel through a state without first stopping at a Visitors Center to pick up a newly updated map. This helps ensure that we never get lost on the backroads with no idea of how to get to the next destination.
Free Up Your Hands
When you are unpacking your vehicle and transferring your suitcases, travel bags and computer bags, find ways to free up your hands. It’s super convenient to carry your toiletry bag on top of your rolling suitcase but it often falls off. Use the Cincha Travel Belt to securely hold your bag in place.
Travel with the Right Shoes
Each member of the family needs several pairs of shoes for long road trips. Athletic shoes for adventures, slides or flip flops for the hotel, and some sort of step-up dressier shoes for museums, restaurants, and events. The key is making sure you pack shoes that are light enough and compact without giving up support and comfort.
Stay Hydrated
Keep a cooler packed with water so you can stay hydrated while you travel. We always travel with two coolers on all road trips. The small one stays in the middle of the van where we can easily access drinks and the large one stays in the back of the van so we can have plenty of refills.
Save money at the same time and use your favorite reusable water bottle. The Premium MyBevi Classic Tumbler is a Vacuum Insulated Premium Stainless Steel Travel Tumbler and will keep you hydrated for your whole adventure.
What are your best travel tips and hacks? Do you have anything that you have learned or discovered when you travel? I’d love to hear!
Save Money When You’re Traveling
Looking for other ways to save money while you’re traveling? Check out these tips!
