Posted on Monday, 3 February 2020

Despite being a little off-the-wall, these travel tips may help your next trip go swimmingly...

Prevent theft with some duct tape

Add some duct tape to your camera or smartphone, and you'll make your digital belongings far less attractive to thieves. Who wants a DSLR or iPhone if it's damaged?

Don't cause delays in the airport queue

Many travellers now show digital versions of their boarding passes on their smartphones. This saves both airlines and passengers bags of time - unless someone can't get on the WiFi to download their pass! To prevent this embarrassing situation, download your boarding pass beforehand, for offline access.

Use Reddit for travel tips

Reddit (r/travel) is a mine of authentic, useful information - and much cheaper than a guidebook! It's also more up to date than the latter, and often more brutally honest about a destination. The upvoting system helps ensure the info is well-written and accurate.

Leaving things in the hotel safe

You're sitting on the airport-bound minivan, then remember you left your valuables in the hotel safe! It's not uncommon. You can solve this by tying a piece of coloured string to the safe handle and something you won't forget - like your luggage.

Make your luggage stand out

Prevent someone picking up your luggage by mistake by adding some bold badges or stickers to it. If you're feeling frugal, just add some duct tape; you'll also dissuade would-be thieves that your luggage contains anything valuable.

Make your luggage safer

This one is a little cheeky - but adding a large “FRAGILE” sticker to your luggage will help ensure the throwers are super-careful with your things. Also a good idea (and less cheeky) if you've packed glass drinks or perfume bottles.

Pack a solid version of shampoos and conditioner

Bars of shampoo/conditioner work just as well as liquid versions. They also don't explode in your luggage and you can even get them through security in your carry-on if you need to (unlike 200ml bottles of shampoo!).

Be among the first to board

When your seating group is announced, make sure you're near the front of the queue. If you get on later, there may not be enough room for your carry-on luggage in the overhead cabins, meaning your things will be put into the hold. This will delay you at the other end, so a little effort when you board is worth it!

Download Google Translate offline

Google Translate is invaluable if you don't speak the lingo at your destination - but it normally only works over wifi. However, you can download different languages for offline use - just make sure you do it before you leave home.

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