Vacation Like a Pro: 15 Unbelievable Spring Break Travel Hacks

1. Roll, Not Fold

Image from Flickr

As I’ve gotten older, wiser, and more burdened with travel items, rolling my travel clothing has become a way of life. Rolling instead of folding leaves more room in my bag for formal wear, toiletries, baby toys, and the wife’s hair care items!

2. Ziplock for Everything

After several spills and squishes, I became a true believer in the power of ziplock bags for travel storage. They make awesome organizers, and keep your shampoos, soaps, lotions, and other liquid items separate from your clothing, accessories, documents and cash.

3. Put it in your Shoes

Image from Wikimedia

If you have extra pairs of shoes in your luggage, you have yourself a few more feet of space! Shove your socks, underwear, jewelry, and other small items into your shoes for safe (and hopefully not smelly) storage.

4. AC/DC Converter

Image from Wikipedia

let’s face it, we are all slaves to our electronic devices. This especially is troublesome on long trips with every traveler fighting for an outlet to charge their phone, tablet, or gaming device. What many of us don’t realize is that there is another way! AC/DC converters convert your car’s outlet into a normal 3 prong wall plug. Some of the nicer ones even offer several outlets for maximum power. This way you can use your normal phone charger or lap top power supply like you would at home!

5. Instant Cell Phone Charger

Image from Wikipedia

Before leaving home, grab an instant cell phone charger and make sure it’s fully charged. If your cell phone dies, plug in one of these bad boys and get an instant full battery! This is a great backup in the event of an emergency.

6. Book Activities & Attractions Online

What do you do with all that extra time traveling? Don’t just twiddle your thumbs, find awesome things to do online! Sites like Tripshock.com allow you to research and book discount activities online including city tours, wildlife excursions, attraction tickets, and more. Most of the activities you can book right up to the day of, making last-minute trip planning a cinch!

7. Let your Credit Card Provider Know

Image by Hloom via Flickr

Credit and Debit Card provider systems are programmed to identify fraudulent transaction. Sometimes travel purchases can appear fraudulent, causing your funds to be frozen. If you’re hours away from home with a gas tank on E, you can imagine how bad that can be! Before leaving give them a call and let them know about your travel plans.

8. Check on In-flight Amenities

Free TV, movies, and games for children/babies are available on lots of flights. Why pack a carry-on full of “child distractions” if the airline has you covered?

9. Download your Favorites from Netflix & More

This is one of my personal favorite Spring Break travel hacks! If the airline doesn’t offer in-flight entertainment, or you’re traveling in your own vehicle, the group can get restless after a long day on the road. Luckily, streaming services like Netflix allow customers to download some of their favorites movies and TV shows to enjoy anytime. This saved my life while flying across the country with my infant daughter!!

10. AUR… Always Use Restroom!

Image from Wikimedia

Never miss a chance to use the restroom. Make the whole group go to the potty before every flight, and during every stop on the road. Needless restroom breaks cost time, money, and possible danger if forced to stop in a risky area like the road shoulder.

11. Be Ready with a Spare

Image by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland

Lots of cars nowadays are NOT equipped with a spare tire, but rather a donut. These “tiny tires” typically have a limit of 40-50mph and can only drive a total of around 50 miles before becoming a hazard. If you are traveling a long distance by car, it may be a good idea to purchase an actual spare tire so if you have a blowout, you can finish the trip safely!

12. Cash is King

Image from Wikimedia

Cash is accepted everywhere, easy to hide, and using it will never result in identify theft! Traveling with extra cash (I usually take around $100) is always a good idea, even if you simply hide it in your suitcase in case of an emergency.

13. Wear the Right Footwear

Maybe you wanna look stylish, or maybe you want your feet to breathe, who knows? But there can’t be enough said about wearing comfortable footwear that is easy to walk in. Whether transversing the many terminals at the airport, or having to walk to the nearest gas station after an interstate breakdown, a comfy pair of sneakers or boots is a no-brainer!

14. Pockets, Pockets, and more Pockets

Image by Mathilda Samuelsson via Flickr

Gym shorts and a tank top is easy to sleep in, but not very conducive to a difficult day at the airport. Wear clothing with pockets so you can hold your documents, money, spare change, plane tickets, handkerchief, and more without needing to store it in a bag or purse.

15. Drive through the Night

Image by Marcel Oosterwijk via Flickr

The other Spring Break travel hacks have been useful across the board, but this next one may not be for everyone. I personally have found it far easier to drive through the night. This way, you can avoid the traffic of major cities, and encounter less accidents and road congestion. It’s also a good idea if you have small children as they will likely sleep through the entire trip!! There is a risk to this hack though. It is harder to see at night, and in the event of a storm or emergency, there are less services available to travelers.