Always Keep a Bread Clip in Your Wallet When Traveling, Here’s Why

If you’re going on vacation, I’m sure you forgot to pack a couple of useful items, like a crayon or a pillowcase. I have collected the best travel tips for your ultimate vacation. You should carefully think about when you are planning to go somewhere.

In case you have some kind of flexibility, just forget about going on a trip in July. You don’t need to travel during the busy season: it’s too expensive and there are way too many people.

The best time to travel is during the shoulder season, which is between the high and low seasons. In Greece, for example, it is April and May, and September-October. The weather is already (or still) great, but there are fewer people, and the accommodation is way cheaper.

When searching for flights, always do it in incognito mode. If you do it in the regular mode, the saved cookies files will track your searchers, and cheaper flights will be less likely to pop up since you’ve been searching for a while. Don’t give yourself away, always go incognito. Another trick is to pick a different home country and currency, the one with a better exchange rate. This way, you can buy tickets in different currencies that will be way cheaper.

Next, when buying the ticket, make a flyer account, no matter the airline you travel with. Airlines gift you miles, and when enough, you can get a free flight. Even if you travel with different airlines, there is no need to miss out on an opportunity.

And yes, don’t dispose of your plane ticket after the trip, until you saw that your miles were posted on your flyer account. Also, if you ever need to cancel a non-refundable ticket, just don’t cancel it and don’t show up. In case something happens, and the flight gets canceled, you will get your money back because no one knew you weren’t going to fly anyways.

As for picking the seats: if you fly with someone, don’t pick the seats next to each other. Keep the middle seat between you, and there will be a higher probability that it won’t be booked unless the plane is full. If you’re lucky, you’ll have three seats for the two of you. But if you end up getting a neighbor, you can just ask them to switch seats with one of you so that you can sit next to each other with whoever you’re traveling with. Most people will be happy to switch.

If you have a long layover, use it to your advantage. 6 hours layovers aren’t cool: too long to chill in the airport but too short to get out. In this case, better opt for longer layovers and use them to explore the city before your next flight. If you are booking a hotel, always join their loyalty program. Just like with plane tickets: it won’t hurt, but you will still be treated like a special guest.

Also, when checking in, ask for an opportunity for an upgrade. You can get a better room for the same price. And always make sure to let the hotel know if there’s any special occasion — like a honeymoon, anniversary, birthday, or anything. You’ll probably end up with some nice perks from the hotel staff.

Even though websites for hotel search are cool to use, once you pick the hotel, just call them directly for booking. Websites take fees for posting offers, so everything that appears there will be more expensive. Call the hotel directly to book a room, and you’ll get it for cheaper.

But don’t feel limited by hotels. Airbnbs are a great option, and often you can get luxurious places for cheap. Also, if you don’t mind hostels, they can be fun too. You can meet and befriend travelers from other countries, and maybe you can even stay at their place if you ever go to their country.

Now off to packing. First off, always make a packing checklist and keep it on your phone. It’s hard to remember everything you need right away, so put together the list in a couple of days and add another item as soon as you remember it. This way, you don’t forget anything important when packing. To fit more stuff in your suitcase, roll your clothes. This way, they take way less space.

Roll all the shampoos and other things that can spill over in a shower cap. This way, even if something explodes, everything inside will still be protected. Also, use packing cubes. They help to organize everything and save a lot of space. Learn to organize your stuff efficiently. A TicTac box can be a good storage for bobby pins, and they’ll all be in place. Use a carbine to keep all hair ties together.

Have you packed a pillowcase? You should. It doesn’t take much space, but in case you get uncomfortable when traveling, you can just stock the pillowcase with some clothes — voilà! — you got yourself a pillow.

Also, put a dryer sheet inside your suitcase. This way your clothes will smell nice even on long trips. Don’t forget to make a copy of your passport and carry it in your wallet just in case. And you can also have a scanned copy of it on the cloud. Another good item to keep is a powerbank. Those outlets in airports and airplanes don’t always work.

Also, get a crayon. It’ll be handy if you need to write something down. Pens don’t work well in planes because of the air pressure. And pencils break. A crayon will always be there for you. Also, a clothespin is another little thing you might want to have. You know when you arrive and want to keep your toothbrush from touching any counters? If you attach the pin to it, it can serve as a stand.

Another little but useful thing is a bread clip. Those serve so many purposes! You can use it as a bookmark, attach it to the end of the tape roll or keep in place your rolled cords in. But, most importantly, they are a must for your flip-flops. The V-shaped part often comes out through it. To avoid it, just slip the bread clip underneath the bottom. It’ll serve as a plug stopper, and your flip-flops will last.

What to wear? Of course, comfort is the first priority. Sweatpants and leggings are way more comfortable than jeans. A comfy jacket will ensure you don’t get cold. A fringed scarf is nice to have too — they’re fancy, and they turn into a cover. Also, make sure you’re wearing compression socks. They will spare you from feeling swollen during the trip.

Another important part of your outfit could be noise-canceling headphones. They will be a game changer if there happens to be a screaming little human on the plane. And an ultimate trick: mark your luggage as “fragile”, even if there’s nothing fragile in there. This way, it’ll be treated better, and your luggage will come out in the first batch after the flight.

Most people either sleep or surf their phones while traveling. But some travelers can even play board games. But if you need to roll a dice, here comes a problem: if you roll it not carefully enough, you might end up either losing it or crawling under the seats looking for it, which is inconvenient.

Just keep the dice in a little transparent plastic container. Then shake the container and see what you got. To find cool places to visit, go on social media. Check out photos and videos people post from your location and go to any place that caught your attention.

Pickpockets are definitely a thing, but there is a trick: just make your valuables less attractive to them. Do you have an expensive camera? Put some tape on it as if you fixed it, and the pickpockets will think that it’s broken. Do the same with your phone and laptops and whatever else you don’t want to be stolen.

Have you ever ended up with a bunch of foreign coins after your trip, that is totally useless? Some coins and bills are cool to keep from trips as souvenirs, but too much is too bothersome. To avoid it, just donate your leftover coins before you leave the country. A good deed and also less weight in your pockets on your way home!