5 Summer Travel Tips and Tricks
Summer’s vacation time for most people, and that means, unless you’re planning a staycation, you’ll probably be traveling. Preparation can mean the difference between a fun excursion and a stress-filled trip, so we’ve collected some summer travel tips to help make the journey as trouble-free as possible.
Packing Hacks
Packing a suitcase is an art form. Ideally, you want everything you need for your first night at the hotel packed within easy reach, so you don’t have to dig through the suitcase. We suggest packing your first night necessities in a small backpack. You can pack this second bag in the suitcase or carry it as a second piece of luggage—either way, you’ve got easy access to pajamas and toiletries.
Clothes are best rolled rather than folded; folded clothes take up more room while folding prevents wrinkles. You can find videos on how to properly roll clothes for packing on YouTube. As for shoes, pack them in shower caps to keep them from dirtying clean clothes, and add a sheet of fabric softener to keep everything smelling fresh.
Summer Travel Tips for Gadgets and Cameras
In addition to packing cables and chargers for your phone, be sure to add a portable phone charger so you can quickly recharge your phone battery on the go—you don’t want a dead battery to prevent you from taking pictures during a day out.
Vacation pictures and videos can quickly fill up your phone’s memory, forcing you to delete some photos or stop taking pictures. Avoid this by carrying a Picture Keeper Connect drive, which backs up all photos on your phone so you can make room for more memories.
Google and Summer Travel Tips
Google provides a number of quick summer travel hacks. To check your flight’s time, for instance, just google the name of the airline and the flight number, and Google will retrieve the information.
Google Maps, of course, offers the canny traveler a handy guide to almost anywhere, but what if your vacation locale has spotty or non-existent service? In this case, locate the map you need beforehand and type “ok maps”. Google will save the map on your phone for offline use.
When you have service in an unfamiliar city, use google maps to pin where you parked your car, and you’ll always be able to retrace your steps.
Notify Your Credit and Debit Card Companies’
Before you leave for your vacation, call your credit card company or bank and let them know where you’ll be. A credit or debit card has security features that identify unusual spending habits. If you normally use your card in Wisconsin and suddenly multiple charges show up for Cabo san Lucas, security might put a hold on your account until you can verify the charges—leaving you unable to use your card when you need it. Notifying the card company in advance prevents this from happening.
Duplicate Information
If you’re going to another country, this is one of the most import summer travel tips you need to know. Scan your passport, some picture ID, and your travel itinerary, and email them to yourself. This way, if your passport goes missing, you have a digital copy available to help prove your new identity and get a replacement copy faster. Carrying a copy also helps prove your identity to police, hotel officials, and embassy staff without risking carrying your passport everywhere.
Want more summer tips and tricks? Check out all of our other travel posts next!
