8 Super Useful Travel Hacks

​Since I was 7 years old, I've been traveling everywhere, including different countries. Europe is my next destination. From traveling at a young age, I have learned so many things from packing, budget travel, airport tips, travel hacks, and much more. I want to share the top 8 travel tips you should know. I have included the travel checklist & travel planner below. If you need travel suggestions, check out my cities to travel this summer post. So with that said, let's get right into these 8 useful travel hacks. 

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​1. Camera is a must!
You need your phone for other many things such as Uber, Lyft, Instagram Story and Snapchat, text your friends and more. We all know taking the photo with your phone while doing all these things will just drain your battery way faster. That's why you need a camera. Camera not only saves your phone battery, it will give you high-quality photos. The camera also lasts longer than phones. Don't forget your camera charger! 

Boston - Commonwealth Ave.

2. Wake up early
You travel to see, feel, and experience the most out from the destination. You can always rest and wake up late at home, but when you are in another country or a city, the best way is to wake up early. Also make sure to eat breakfast before heading out. Remember not to cancel your plans just because it's raining. What are umbrellas for? Unless it's a flash flood, really enjoy the moment in the rain. Sometimes moody photography is better than sunny ones. 

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge when it's pouring

3. Walk 
Walking is the best way to explore everything and really see the unique things. If you Uber/Lyft everywhere, you won't be able to see the hidden street arts or neighborhood gems. You will probably just see the main spots where everyone goes to. Walking also help you lose weight, meet new people, and take more photos! 

4. Pack light
As you can see in my printable checklist below, just bring the essentials. Hotels and airplanes normally have a lot of things if you just ask. If you are traveling less than a week, it's best to really pack light. You also will want to buy souvenirs or go shopping so you need that extra space in your luggage. More, you shouldn't to bring unnecessary clothes or items that you "think" you will use it. If you are not comfortable with the clothing or don't wear it often, the best way is to not bring it at all. I always find myself packing extra clothes, ending up not wearing them, and then shopping for more. 

Feel free to print this out and use it when you are packing!

5. Clean your room before leaving
I don't know about you but after my trip, I love seeing my room all nice and clean. The best way is to do your laundry the day before, and before you leave, just clean everything, vacuum, throw away the trash, and wash the dishes! That way, once you come back, you don't have to worry about cleaning; you only have to unpack stuff, and put dirty clothes in the laundry basket! 

6. Online Check-In
I would probably recommend to everyone to always do online check-in before you get to the airport. Remember, you need to get to the airport 1 hour before for domestic flights and 2 hours before for international flights. However, you can't control traffic. Online check-in secures your spot on the plane so even if you are slightly late from traffic, you can still board the plane without a problem. 

7. Use Ziploc bags 
For my underwear and socks, I normally use Ziploc bags to keep them in place. I also put cosmetics that might spill in Ziploc too. Ziploc is useful in many ways and I think taking advantage of them are great in travel use. 

8. Plan
Always plan where to go and what to do before arriving at the travel destination. I normally plan thoroughly and here's what I do:

1. Research "things to do at X" "where to go in X" "where to eat at X" etc
2. From those pile, write down certain activities you want to do
3. Open up Google Maps, and sort/group them based on the location/area
4. For me, location/area is 1 day. If you are traveling 5 days, you would go to 5 different areas and do everything in those areas. 

​So that's a wrap! Those were the 8 super useful hacks I wanted to share with you. After thoroughly planning and packaging everything you need, all you have to do is enjoy your time there. Hope the two printable I have made keeps you organized. Thank you for reading! Also what are your unique travel hacks?