Traveling is typically equal parts magic and mayhem.
One moment you’re standing in a queue at the airport headed to Rome, feeling like the main character in a movie, and the next you’re sprinting through said airport because you were at the wrong gate and you have less than 3 minutes to make it to your flight.
Even the best adventures come with a few learning moments, cleverly disguised as pure panic. But the good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way.
The secret to more enjoyable travel lies in these eight small habits below. They don’t seem like much at first, but they make a huge difference.
1. Pack Less
No one in the history of travel has ever needed 26 pairs of shoes, 12 scarves, and 22 pairs of jeans for a few weeks in Paris – and neither will you.
A good rule of thumb is that if you hesitate or are internally debating on whether or not to pack something, you likely don’t need it.
You might be going to a different city or country, but you’re still the same person – if you don’t change outfits throughout the day now, you probably won’t there either.
2. Wear Your Bulky Clothes on the Plane
If you wear your bulkiest clothing items on the plane, you will save yourself loads of suitcase space and avoid shivering in the air-conditioned cabin.
Don’t go too far with this, too bulky and you’ll flag TSA. The goal is to wear the bulky items you will need on your trip, not every bulky item you own.
3. Download Offline Maps
Traveling and unreliable internet go together like bad airport coffee and jet lag.
One minute you’re confidently walking or driving around your destination city, and the next – poof! – There goes the loading screen or a spinning wheel. No more restaurants, no more hotels – just you and the streets of a brand new city.
Download Google Maps offline before your trip and save yourself the stress (and panic).
4. Trip Insurance
Insurance isn’t exactly the sexiest part of planning a trip – but it will save the day if things go pear-shaped.
Lost luggage, delayed flights, cancelled trips, or an unplanned tango with food poisoning after trying “authentic street food” can all be helped or solved with insurance.
When things go wrong, the right trip insurance will have your back. So go ahead and buy it. It will allow you to travel with confidence, because nothing ruins a trip faster than realizing your lobster sunburn is the least of your worries.
5. Carry Hand Sanitizer
The world is full of wonders – and people with questionable hygiene habits.
Hand sanitizer might not be the most glamorous item in your carry-on, but it is the unsung hero of a successful trip. Traveling exposes you to mystery germs, inexplicably sticky surfaces, and bathroom sinks that haven’t worked since the early 1990s.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we don’t realise how often we touch gross things and then touch our faces. Having a sanitizer handy can help you feel cleaner in a pinch.
6. Mini Toiletry Kit
If you have ever tried to squeeze toothpaste into a ziplock bag at 3am before an early flight, you know desperation on a deeper level.
Pack a to-go mini toiletry kit and have it ready to go when you are. This is one of those small travel habits that save both time and dignity.
Think travel-sized essentials like toothpaste, deodorant, face wipes, dry shampoo and conditioner, and some moisturizer – because nothing is drier than plane air.
7. Pack Snacks
The true GOAT of travel is snacks.
Never underestimate the power of a granola bar at 2am – they are the stoic, crunchy guardians standing between you and an airport meltdown.
Flights get delayed, often. A snack at the right time can be all that saves you from some stale vending machine chips or dodgy gas station mystery meat. Nobody makes good decisions on an empty stomach, and the only airport alternative could be a $20 sandwich.
8. Digital Copies Of Important Documents
Something happens to passports when their owners are preparing to travel.
They develop this knack for getting lost or buried under a pile of clothing, or maybe they decide to go sightseeing on their own.
Either way, the emotional rollercoaster that is putting your important documents in a safe space, only to forget where that is 15 seconds later, and then remember just before you start screaming, is too much for the average traveler to handle.
Keep digital copies of all your important documents; future-you will thank you later.
In Conclusion
These simple little habits will help keep you one step ahead of everything and make you look like you know exactly what you are doing.
