A Million Lives

A million lifestyle hacks...unlimited possibilities

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5 Awesome Travel Hacks for Your Next Vacation

There’s no question that travelling is an enjoyable, rewarding experience that millions of people worldwide love to do, but it’s difficult to deny that it can quite stressful too. Whether it’s dealing with flights, paperwork, visas, lost luggage or holiday illnesses, there any many potential stressors than can take the shine of your trip.

To make life a little easier, however, we’ve put together our 5 favourite holiday hacks to make sure your trip is as stress-free as possible:

  1. Roll your clothes

Nobody particularly enjoys packing, and trying to fit everything into one suitcase can be an extremely frustrating experience. Did you know, however, that by rolling your clothes instead of folding them, you can fit far more into a single suitcase? It also takes the hassle out of making sure everything is neatly folded, and speeds up the entire packing process.

  1. Scan your documents

There are numerous important documents you might need when travelling, from passports to insurance papers. Scan each one before you go and save them to your phone (and/or email them to yourself), so you have a digital copy of each one on-hand. Then, if you lose a document you need, you’ll know you have a backup. This recently came in particularly handy for me when I lost my Ray-Ban glasses during a trip – I had my prescription scanned into my phone, and was able to get them replaced quickly and easily.

  1. Mark your luggage as fragile

Sure, this isn’t strictly true, but putting a fragile sticker on your luggage comes with a couple of handy benefits. Firstly, you know it will be handled with a little more care than others, but it also means your luggage will be kept on top of the other bags in the hold, meaning it’s one of the first bags to be released when you land!

  1. Use ATMs for local currency

This is a much cheaper way to get local currency, as money converters (particularly those at the airport) will offer poor exchange rates and will charge a fee for the service. You’ll get much better value using your debit or credit card at an ATM, which will always dispense the local currency (just make sure you’ve told your card provider you’re travelling, otherwise they may see the withdrawal and put a block on your card).

  1. Take a ‘fanny pack’

Yes, they’re embarrassing and hideously out-of-date, but they make life so much easier at airports. Not only are your important documents close to hand, but you’re far less likely to be pickpocketed and they expedite your trip through security and check-in. In my eyes, worth the fashion faux pas!

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5 Travel Hacks For Planning a Weekend Away

For many of us, a weekend break is the ideal short getaway to reboot ourselves; to squeeze in some quality family time or spend time with friends. And, everyone has their own concept of what constitutes the ideal weekend break. However, there are a few hacks that will work wonders for everyone no matter what, or where, the trip.

 

  1. Be flexible. If the destination isn’t necessarily key, then wait until the last minute and check out late deal websites or budget websites. A lot of them have some awesome deals but they’re usually for travel within the foreseeable. Some hotels or retreats might have had last minute cancellations that you can snap up too so keep your eyes and ears to the ground.
  2. Be a savvy packer. If you do know where you’re going, pack accordingly and pack with versatility. A white t-shirt, for example, can be a handy base layer for during the day but, can also be dressed up with the appropriate elements and become evening-wear-worthy. Make sure what you’re packing, you actually need. This might sound silly, but take the time to really think about your destination, and what you’ll be doing whilst you’re there. And, sometimes, wheeled suitcases are not always the best option if there’s walking involved. Consider a back pack which won’t become a complete burden when you have to spend any time walking over less than smooth terrain.
  3. Be prepared. Research your chosen destination to ensure you get the most out of your short break there. If it’s somewhere with places of importance, work out an itinerary to make the most of your time while you’re there, plan your routes accordingly and look into transportation options. Booking excursions even before you arrive can often save some pennies. Also, check in online to save yourself time at the airport.
  4. Be careful. For a weekend break, you’re unlikely to need a vast amount of money, especially if you paid attention to hack number 4, and you’ve planned things out. Using a pre-loaded travel money card is the best option if you’re leaving your own country. They can be used in 36 million locations, in over 200 countries. You can even download the app which allows you to top-up, check your balance and view recent transactions. A much safer option than stashing your cash in your sock and hoping for the best.
  5. Be aware of your phone company’s charges. Don’t get caught out sending that tweet or searching for that restaurant you read about with a huge sting from your mobile phone provider because you didn’t check out the costs for using it abroad. Utilise the wi-fi, the majority of places have it these days.

Be sure to enjoy and make the most of your weekend break, hopefully these few hacks will have been of great use in the planning and executing of the perfect weekend break. I’m sure there’ll be more to add along the way.

A Million Lives

Travelling in all its glory is fun and exhilarating but sometimes you might want to find some information on where to go, what to see and how to go about it from someone other than the go-to websites, especially when it comes to travel hacking and the coolest, most useful ways to get the most out of your next adventure.

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