If you’ve had a conversation with anyone, there’s a good chance you’ve touched on the topic of travel and vacations. Warm white sand beaches, a drink in your hand and no work emails? Yes, please. Vacations and travel are some things that everyone looks forward to the most. However, with all the loveliness of traveling comes the dread of packing, booking flights, and etc. Luckily for you, we’ve gathered the best travel tips and secrets that will make your vacations stress-free. That’s right, we’ll give you tips on everything from picking the right carry on bag, to saving money on a flight. Looks like getting away just got a lot easier.
First Things First, How Far Out To Book A Flight:
For the last few years, there has been a study about air travel trends by Expedia and Airlines Reporting Corporation that show that there is a certain time you should wait before booking your flight. For flights within North America, try to look for a flight about 57 days before flying (for savings up to 10%). For trips that will be traveling from North America to the Asia-Pacific region, try to book your trip about 160 days out. For travelers that will be going from North America to Europe, try to plan your flight around 176 (or about six months) in advance.
How To Pack
For some, packing may be one of the easiest parts of traveling. For others (and mainly so), packing is one of the worst parts of going on vacation. This is especially true if you’re one of those people who spends the last 30 minutes before you leave for the airport trying to force your luggage zipper closed. Try to be strategic about how you’re packing your items. For instance, although you may be someone who folds their clothes into their suitcase, you may find that rolling your clothing may be a more beneficial way of packing. Before you pick the bags to bring on your trip, try to save yourself some time and bag expenses by measuring your luggage. If you plan to only bring a carry-on, check with your airline to see their maximum carry-on bag size.
Check-In Online
Many times if you're running late for a flight, one of the only things that can save you is if you check in ahead of time. Checking in online and paying for your baggage online could make all the difference of you making a flight or not. It will also probably save you from waiting in obnoxiously long lines at the airport.
Always Mark Your Bag
The result of buying all our suitcases from the same manufacturers means that there are plenty of doppelgangers out there. It is always important that you mark your bags by tying a colorful ribbon, stitching a unique patch or putting a large sticker on your bag. You’ll be able to spot your suitcase from miles away.
Always Know Your Hotel Information
Say your baggage is lost or delayed, or you miss your connecting flight and will be late checking in. OR, say you’re going to a place you’ve never visited before. You will always want to have complete contact information for your hotel on your person at all times. Before you leave for the airport, print our your hotel’s name, address and phone number. It might also be a good idea to print out a map of the hotel’s neighborhood, in case you need to show a confused cab driver.