One of the headaches about traveling is definitely packing. Regular jet-setters boast of how they keep a spare suitcase ready-packed with duplicates of all their key makeup and beauty products and ‘capsule wardrobe’ items; for the rest of us mere mortals, it’s a struggle to squish a week’s-worth of clothes into a tiny carry-on bag.
With a growing number of people opting to fly with low-cost airlines — many of whom charge eye-watering fees to check baggage in the hold — it pays to travel light.
So for the many already settled in their resolve to ‘jet-off’ this coming holiday, I thought I’d share 5 Internet-enabled tips to help you save space, keep your travel costs down and holiday smarter:
Bag a bargain
Every savvy bargain hunter knows that it pays to shop around before booking flights or a hotel. Online hotel booking websites like booking.com and jovago.com make it easy to search accommodation options and find the right place for you. When you conduct your search online, you can ‘draw’ an area on a map where you’d like to stay, look at the most popular resorts in any given destination, or even search for a hotel based on travelling distance or time from another point.
There are tons of photos to flick through too, so you can get a really good feel for the hotel. And don’t worry if you can’t decide — just save nice hotels to your shortlist so you can easily compare and contrast all the options at a later date. And for flights, travel sites like Wakanow.com and Travelstart.com can help you find the cheapest flights, most direct routes, and even the cheapest time to travel. If you’re on a budget, or aren’t a fan of long-haul flights, you can search for flight destinations based on price range or flight time.
Learn to pack like a pro
If you fold clothes before packing them in your case, then I’m afraid you’re a packing amateur — all packing pros know that rolling clothes takes up less space and helps to keep them crease-free. There are tons of packing advice videos on online video sites like YouTube — whether you’re off on the holiday of a lifetime, or have nothing more to look forward to than a week of business meetings, there’s a packing tip video to suit you. Get expert advice from butlers who have turned packing into an art form, to tips for getting the most out of your carry-on allowance (with videos tailored for the needs of male and female travellers).
One tablet to rule them all
Claw back a few kilos by leaving your library at home. Guidebooks, phrasebooks and maps all weigh a ton — ditch them in favor of a digital collection of travel tools. Invest in an inexpensive tablet device and load it up with city guides from Amazon’s Kindle store, or the Play store. Android-based tablets also support offline Google Maps — this means you can save a Map of the city or area you’re visiting, and refer to it even when you’re not in a Wi-Fi hotspot or 3G network. You can venture off the beaten track without worry about getting lost, or racking up huge roaming fees. The device also doubles as an ebook reader (with a great selection of easy reads for lounging by the pool), your music player, and is the perfect companion for a long flight or coach trip — load it up with your favourite movies to watch on its high-res screen.
Work smarter
Whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure, it’s sometimes handy to take a laptop — you can research your destination while you’re there, keep a video diary or blog, and stay in touch with friends and family. The Samsung Chromebook is a compact, inexpensive laptop that is ideal for travel. It’s operating system is actually just ‘the internet’, so it’s perfect for getting online quickly to check emails, update your Tumblr, or add the latest photos to your holiday gallery. Everything is automatically backed up for you online, so even if your Chromebook gets lost, stolen or thrown in the sea, all of the content on it is safe and secure and available on any other device at the click of a mouse. In fact, you could safely throw your Chromebook away at the end of your trip to make room for more souvenirs in your suitcase, without losing any holiday memories…
Get friendly with the locals
One of the pleasures of traveling is immersing yourself in the local culture, but that’s easier said than done if you don’t speak the language. Thankfully, your smartphone is your best friend in this scenario. There are dozens of phrasebook apps available for wherever in the world you’re traveling, plus amazing free translation tools. Google Translate, for instance, will translate words and phrases between more than 60 languages, and even works offline so you don’t need to run up roaming charges while finding your way to the beach — just install the language pack on your phone before you go away. And if you’re struggling to decipher a menu, the translate app can help with that too — simply take a picture using the camera button from within the app and you will get an instant translation. Bon appetite!
