Traveling is a wonderful way to relax, see things you wouldn’t otherwise, and be an explorer. It can keep you feeling young and it’s great for your mental health. However, if you ask most people why they don’t travel more, convenience is one of the top reasons they cite.
What’s fantastic is that today there are more ways to make traveling convenient than ever before, so with a bit of planning, your trip can be smoother and you can focus more on why you’re traveling in the first place instead of worrying about the logistics.
The following are some ways to make your next travel experience more convenient.
Store Your Luggage
This tip is a simple one—often when we get to our travel destination, whether we’re staying in a hotel or something like an Airbnb, we can’t check in until later in the day. If your flight lands in the morning or mid-morning, you can waste most of the day at your destination.
Instead of doing that, hit the ground running by storing your luggage. Some companies offer locations throughout cities, like this service for left luggage near Victoria Station, and you can securely store your belongings and have a full day of fun, instead of waiting around for your hotel to let you check-in.
Pack Light
One of the biggest mistakes travelers tend to make that ends up causing them inconvenience or frustration is overpacking.
Think about it weeks before your trip and mentally start eliminating the things you don’t need.
For example, don’t pack too many shoes because they’re heavy and take up tons of space. In your daily life, how many different pairs of shoes do you really wear anyway?
Some other tips for packing lighter include:
- Use luggage that’s the right size. Sometimes if you’re packing a bag that’s bigger than what you need, it fuels the likelihood that you overpack as well.
- Lay out every outfit you want to take, and then cut them all in half.
- Follow a packing guide. One option is the 5-4-3-2-1 packing guide, which is designed to help you pack everything in a carry-on.
- Pack neutrals that can easily be mixed-and-matched.
- Bring travel-sized laundry options such as the Laundress Wash and Stain Bar, so you aren’t stuck wearing items only once. There is also something called the Tide Travel Sink Hand Wash Packet, or you can bring some fabric refresher spray.
- Wear your thickets or bulkiest items on the plane if you’re going somewhere cold.
Get a Credit Card with Lounge Access
Honestly, having access to airport lounges can completely transform your travel experience. Airport lounges are often quiet and peaceful and include complimentary food and drinks in many cases.
A lot of higher-end credit cards will offer free lounge access and can be well worth it, particularly if you travel often. It can take much of the frustration out of a travel experience to be somewhere that’s quiet where you can work or just relax.
A great app for travelers is called LougeBuddy. If you download it, you can then add your credit card, lounge membership, and airline status information. LoungeBuddy will help you find the lounges in any airport that you have access to for free, or ones you’re eligible to purchase a day pass for.
Make a List of Priorities
Some people love the idea of just flying by the seat of their pants when they travel. They may not make any plans, and they just figure it all out while they get there. This can sound like a blast, but the reality doesn’t often play out that way.
When you don’t make plans for what you’d like to see and do and map it out at least somewhat, then you may find that you’re wandering around aimlessly in circles, not sure what you’re looking at. You may also try to go places and find they aren’t open or the lines are long.
If convenience is a big factor for you, create an itinerary of your priorities well in advance of arriving at your destination.
TripIt is a clever app that can you with your travel itinerary and it’s a smart idea. You forward all of your reservations to the planning team at TripIt. This includes any car rentals or transfers, flight information, restaurant reservations, and hotel reservations. Anything you’re doing, send to them.
Then, they create a master itinerary that you can view anytime.
There is also a pro version you can upgrade to that will help you find alternative flight routes if one of yours is canceled, and they’ll send you notifications about delays and anything else you might need to know.
