Hello travel bunnies! Where are we going and when? I’ve shared my travel hacks before to save you money, space and time. However, I found some new travel hacks that I’ve been trying out and of course I am going to share with you. Here are my 7 travel hacks I recently started using.
7 Travel Hacks I Recently Started Using
Using Bars
Starting off strong, if you’re only taking hand luggage on this trip, get yourself a bar of soap and deodorant sticks. This will create more space for your liquids and is easy to carry. Plus, if you’ve been wanting to try a scent from a luxury brand but couldn’t justify spending £300 on a perfume, try getting a bar of soap. You’ll get the scent at a fraction of the cost. Of course most hotels provide toiletries but some don’t always have nice soaps or they’re pretty stingy with it. Oh this also goes for foundation, if you wear it. Check out for powder foundation if that works for you. I enjoy using Fenty Foundation Powder and it works well in hot humid climates. Do you have a favourite brand you’d like to try?
Compression Cubes
I’ve spoken about compression cubes before so that’s not new. However, what is new is using the compression cubes inside of the travel bags. We all know the viral tiktok bag that can be used when flying with budget airlines. Use the compression cubes in it and you’ll get more space! I tried it on my most recent trip to San Sebastian and it was easy! I will say that one of the downsides to using compression cubes is the desire to stuff it full with clothing. Anyone else have this issue if they use compression cubes?
Where’s the Plug
When booking your hotel, Air BnB, hostel, Villa or B&B please look at where the plug sockets are located. I’ve noticed that on booking.com they sometimes tell you where they are located. If they don’t say, send a message to ask. Ideally, you’d like the plug socket to be near the bed and a couple others dotted around the room. There’s nothing worse than wanting to plug your phone in and the plug socket is 10 feet away from the bed. Or, you have to unplug the bedside lamp to plug your phone in.
Decant into Containers
Again nothing new here but I’ve included it because I used to get travel minis from whatever skincare brand I was taking with me. However, since I went to Malaysia I just decided to decant to a) save money b) use the tried and tested products that work for me. I changed up my skincare products a lot in the past and it’s a bit of Russian Roulette. My skin is doing good and I’m working on getting it to great! Using stuff willy nilly is not the way to go. With that said, I will still be trying out new products but I am a bit more selective with the ingredients. All that to say, decant your skincare, hair care and bodycare products. If you click the link just above, you’ll see containers in the shape of macarons which are perfect for cream based products.
Change of Clothing
Going on a long haul flight with more than a five hour layover somewhere? Got access to a lounge with a shower? Please take yourself off, have a shower and change your clothes. I did this in Istanbul on the back to the UK from Malaysia and it was the best thing ever! Of course I couldn’t do this without having a change of clothes in my hand luggage and toiletries. You get on your next flight feeling fresh and washed away the previous flight’s air, energy and smells.
International Bank Card
We all know that banks love to charge you a lot when you travel abroad which is why I’m a fan of getting an international bank card. If you have an HSBC account you can apply online for their Global Account where you can transfer money from your current account to it and convert to your desired currency. I will say all the currencies aren’t there but a lot of them are there. I’ve also heard good things about the Monzo card when it comes to using abroad. Also, check with your respective banks and see if they offer anything similar.
Annual Leave After the Bank Holiday
My final travel hack is to book annual leave the day after the bank holiday. Most of the UK bank holidays fall on a Monday except the ones around Easter. With that in mind, book your annual to begin on the Tuesday. You can either travel the day before the actual BH or on the day and return after everyone is back. It helps with flight costs because airlines are expecting most people to return on the day of or the day after the BH.
These are the 7 travel hacks I’ve recently started using and found them really helpful. What are your travel hacks? Leave them in the comments below.
As always, thank you for reading and commenting. Until next time, be well! X
