Noma Nazish, CONTRIBUTOR | Forbes
Beautiful sunsets. Colorful markets. Picturesque views. The joy and excitement of exploring a new place is inexplicable. However, getting there is a whole different story. From avoiding the dreaded middle seat on a flight and booking the right hotel to keeping clothes wrinkle-free and preparing toiletries. Traveling can be stressful, but it doesn’t always have to be. With the right tips and tricks, any travel situation can be made easy.
Here are ten Instagram-approved hacks that’ll help you travel like a boss:
- Organizing cords: We are all too familiar with the annoying situation when charging cords and earphones mysteriously turn into a tangled mess every time you put them inside your bag. In order to keep them untangled as well as easily discoverable you can store them inside a spare glasses case or a travel size Q-tip container.
- Packing jewelry: If you’re packing a lot of jewelry, you can organize it in an ice cube tray and cover the tray with a sheet of plastic wrap to secure the contents. You can also carry delicate jewelry or big statement pieces in your luggage by placing them inside plastic organizers or school binders.
- Space-saving bags: Pack your clothes in zip lock bags to save space. It not only gives you more room to store other belongings but also protects your clothes from any accidental toiletry leakage.
- DIY toothbrush holder: Use an empty Tic Tac box as a DIY toothbrush holder to protect your toothbrush bristles from collecting makeup dust or fuzz. You can also use those tiny boxes to store bobby pins.
- Complimentary items: Always make sure to stock up free hotel soap and shampoo samples or trial-sized essential toiletries in case you run out of them. They’re small and lightweight which makes them super travel-friendly. You can also throw in a bar of scented soap inside a clean sock and put it with your dirty laundry to keep the luggage smelling fresh.
- Snack hack: Use a crafts storage box to carry different snacks. Whether you want to store fresh fruit and protein bars or pretzels and donuts, the multipurpose box will do the trick.
- Sock it up: Wrap any fragile souvenirs or breakable items in fluffy socks to protect them from damage.
- Declutter luggage: There’s nothing more annoying than emptying your entire travel bag every time you want to find something. You can avoid this situation by using small resealable bags or drawstring bags to keep things organized.
- Charging without the wall plug: Forgot your adapter or want to charge more than one device at the same time? No worries. You can use the USB port on the back of the hotel television to charge your USB gadgets.
- Personalized in-flight entertainment: In case in-flight entertainment isn’t available, you can turn your own smartphone into a mini TV screen by placing the phone inside a snap-lock bag and hanging it using your tray table’s lock.
So the next time you take a trip or go for a vacay, use these clever Instagram hacks for a seamless travel experience.