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Traveling can be a very stressful process despite being for the purpose of leisure. From planning the trip to packing and actually going, there’s always the chance you forgot some little detail or could have done something a much easier way.  To lessen the stress and help you save some time and money, here’s a list of 10 travel hacks that are essential to help your vacation go smoothly.

1 Use private browsing to avoid flight price increases.

ENTITY's Top Travel Hacks: Private Browsing

Nowadays, it’s not only the little FBI man behind your camera that’s watching you and your browser history. Airlines do it too. Airlines and other travel booking sites often use your cookies and browsing history to increase the price of flights you keep searching. Avoid this by opening a separate private browsing window whenever you’re shopping for your next travel adventure.

2 Scan and email your passport and important documents to yourself.

ENTITY's Top Travel Hacks: Scan Passport and Other Important Documents

One of the scariest thing a traveler can face is a stolen or lost passport. Just in case, scan and email your passport and all important documents to yourself.  This includes passport, drivers license and other forms of identification, flight and hotel or hostel information, and credit card numbers. As an added precaution, take a screenshot of those emails and keep them in your photos library, in case you need the information but don’t have any wifi.

3 Find travel credit cards with no international fees.

ENTITY's Top Travel Hacks: Travel Credit Cards

A lot more money than you realize is lost in international fees. You may think you just bought a drink for 3 euros, but in reality your glass of sangria just cost you a solid 8 bucks. Avoid international card fees at all cost by checking what fees your bank has for your card so you always know what you’re spending.

You can also look into credit cards made specifically for travelers. A great option is Bank of America’s Travel Rewards credit card. With this option, not only do you skip all the international fees, but you also get points back for your travel purchases!

4 Use instant messenger apps like Whatsapp.

ENTITY's Top Travel Hacks: Whatsapp

When traveling abroad, chances are you won’t have a phone plan that will cover you everywhere you go. Thankfully, the internet exists. Make sure to download online messenger apps that function off Wi-Fi alone, so you can always stay in contact with your loved ones. This can also be a great way to keep in contact with any friends you make along the way!

Whatsapp is a great option to have. It is one of the leading messenger apps throughout the world with active users in every continent. Just remember to activate it before you leave your home country to complete that text verification. After that, you’re golden. Other popular options to consider depend on the area of the world you will be visiting. WeChat is huge in China and Facebook Messenger takes the cake in Australia and Canada. Find the one that best suits your travel plans and maintain connections throughout the world!

5 Download Google Maps offline.

ENTITY's Top Travel Hacks: Offline Maps

Google Maps has a life-saving feature that allows you to download maps offline of different cities. Instead of carrying around foldable paper maps or relying on your own sense of direction, use these offline maps to keep yourself from getting lost and save your mom a whole lot of worry.

6 Role up your clothes to save space.

There are hundreds of packing videos out there, but the most universal packing hack is to roll your clothes. This is the most compact way you can pack, saving you the most space possible while keeping your suitcase neat and organized. If you have time, you can even try rolling entire outfits together like demonstrated in the video above, making it easy to get dressed every morning before a day of exploring!

7 Pack Plastic Bag and Ziplock bags to protect your stuff.

ENTITY's Top Travel Hacks: Plastic Bags

Always travel with plastic bags and ziplock bags to save your stuff from getting wet or dirty. Wrap your dirty shoes and worn clothing in plastic bags to keep them from soiling your clean clothes. Also, use them to line internally any backpacks or purses to protect your things from rain. You can also throw your phone into a ziplock bag to continue using it while playing in the rain!

8 Split up your money.

ENTITY's Top Travel Hacks: Split Up Your Money

Never keep your money all in one place when traveling. I know this sounds counterintuitive. We all like to keep our cash and credit cards in our wallets where they belong, but this makes it easy to lose everything to one pickpocket. Instead, split your money up. Keep some in your wallet, a little in your shoe, some in your jacket pocket and maybe even some tucked into your underwear. Some people even hide money in empty chapstick tubes. Splitting up your money ensures that if you’re robbed you never lose everything.

9 Use small containers to store easily store items.

When you’re traveling, a lot of little things can get lost easily. To avoid this, pack them in smaller containers. Stick your chargers and earphones in hard cases for glasses. Pack bobby pins in empty TicTac boxes. Fill an empty cardboard earring box with all your rings and earrings. Plus, this can be a great opportunity for small souvenirs! As you travel, replace your empty TicTac and earring boxes with cute little boxes from different cities and countries.

10 Take the time to walk or use public transportation.

ENTITY's Top Travel Hacks: Public Transportation

Experience different sides of the cities you travel to by walking for taking public transportation! Walking allows you to see every aspect of the city, from side alleys and hidden shops to bustling main streets. This is a great way to make sure you see more than just the top tourist destinations

Another option is taking the metro. A lot of places outside of the U.S. have very extensive and user-friendly public transportation systems, making it easy for foreigners to understand and use. Though it seems daunting, you can definitely find an explanation of how to use the metro in a specific city somewhere on the internet. Plus, it’s cheaper than renting a car or taking a taxi and opens you up to new, unexpected spaces that locals frequent every day.

Happy travels!

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