1. If your travel dates are flexible, book during shoulder season for cheaper fares and fewer tourist crowds. What is shoulder season? Welp, that'll vary by *wherever* you're going!

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

Many apps and sites that "travel hack" and find cheaper flights for popular destinations are able to mine deals because they know this and use it to their advantage.

Just keep in mind that *when* you go somewhere during shoulder season, it can affect the activities you can do. Like if you go to Iceland in the summer, you won't see The Northern Lights. And if you're going somewhere with a beach and want to swim, the water may be frigid. I ran into this recently on a Sardinia trip (pictured above) over Memorial Day weekend (with group travel company FTLO) at the start of the travel season and had the most amazing time. But! The water was very cold! Jumping into the sea felt a bit like taking a cold plunge at a fancy spa. It was completely worth it to me, though! And I just got an espresso when I got back on the boat. But! We also enjoyed walking freely around the cities we visited and few other tourists on the swim-up beaches — which felt like a total treat!

2. If you're going to an area known for pickpocketing or are a bit worried about that in an unfamiliar place, try out a flat RFID-blocking fanny pack that can work underneath your clothes or as just a regular waist bag. 

Amazon

Promising review: "This product was just as described. It fits comfortably and securely. I plan to use mine with international travel, so my cards and documents are handy." —DSCin AZ

Get it from Amazon for $23.95 (available in three colors). 

3. Or, transform one of your go-to bags with some anti-pickpocketing clips that'll easily attach two zippers and make it extra difficult to quickly zip open. 

Amazon

Promising review: "Prefect for international travel! Easy to use and protected against theft/pickpockets. Used it on my recent trip to Europe!" —Rachel Bristol

Get a four-pack from Amazon for $12.99 (available in three color combos). 

4. Consider if you *really* need to rent a car where you're going. Like with many travel costs, the cost of a car rental can cause some MAJOR sticker shock and some destinations straight-up don't need it because of accessible public transportation options and guided tours with transportation.

Spencer Althouse, Spencer Althouse / thetrainline.com

Yes, sign up for a bus tour! They're a thing for a reason and can help get you to some farther-flung places than walking. Also can you imagine parallel parking and figuring out street-parking signs in a country where you don't speak the language? It's possible, but it would take a little more effort. 

If you're hesitant to try out public transportation because you're not used to it at home, look into it a bit. It's normally one of the fastest, easiest ways to get from point to point in a destination and gives you a bit of a local experience. And, well, it's cheaper than taxis or car rentals! My colleague Spencer Althouse, who recently wrote this comprehensive list of international travel tips, explains the apps he uses to help sort out public transit options abroad: 

"I always plug my destinations into sites like Trainline, Rome2Rio, or Citymapper because they break everything down like I'm an idiot. Basically, they explain which public transit to take, where to transfer, how many stops to ride for, and so on.

Also, if you know you'll be traveling via trains or any other public transport where you'll need to purchase a seat ahead of time, make sure you do it as soon as possible. My train tickets would have cost $50 more if I'd bought them at the station the day off, rather than weeks in advance, so it definitely helps to plan things out."

5. And if you're planning on renting a car abroad, you might want to consider the smallest car your party and luggage can fit into to deal with smaller parking spaces and streets. (It'll also cost a little less. Maybe!)

Elizabeth Lilly

This is a street in the Old Town of Palma in Mallorca, Spain, where my friend and I drove around and you *do* probably need a car if you're staying outside of the capital. (Mallorca is GORGEOUS, btw.) Most of the streets were like this, and parallel parking was ROUGH. So, mentally prepare yourself. That goes double if you'll be driving somewhere where you'll have to drive on the "wrong" side of the road. 

Don't forget to check out AAA to get an international driving permit.

6. Invest in just one universal travel adapter that'll also charge several devices at once so you don't have to buy different adapters based on where you're going! (So yes, you can use this domestically.) 

www.amazon.com, Amazon

This style has one universal input and three USB ports, including two USB-A and one USB-C, so you can charge up to four devices at once. It works with outlets in most parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Dubai.

Note: This isn't a voltage converter, so be sure to check what voltages your devices are rated for.

Ceptics is a small business that makes travel plug adapters for worldwide travel.

Promising review: "I bought this adapter some three months ago and it worked perfectly in Vietnam, Cambodia, Bahrain, Oman, and Italy (where I saw two different outlet types). My phone is at the stage where it needs to be charged once or twice per day. This is my 'need to pack item' when traveling. I also like the fact that it has USB outlets because I often have to charge my phone and something else at the same time. By the way, it also worked well in the Delta One cabin and in the ANA All Nippon Business cabin. This is also what I use for charging my phone, iPod, and smartwatch using the USB connections right here at home in the US." —Mark, WV

Get it from Amazon for $19.99.

7. Prevent some nasty baggage fees and surprises with a digital luggage scale so you can weigh your personal item, carry-on bag, AND checked bag ahead of time. Airlines are really charging for every single thing they can these days and on a recent MDW trip, I saw an airline weighing passengers' *personal items* at the check-in counter too. Woof. 

www.amazon.com

You can also switch between pound and kilogram measurements. 

Promising review: "Easy to use! I'm able to determine the weight of my luggage items in my hotel or Airbnb instead of at the airport. I've avoided many overweight fees and don't have to rearrange anything at the airport." —Emily Rose Garcia

Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in eight colors).

8. Don't assume that home rentals like Airbnbs or VRBOs are the cheapest in your desired vacation area. Sometimes, hotels are the same price (and hotels don't ask you to start the bedsheets in the wash before checkout). *But* it varies by destination!

Airbnb / Elizabeth Lilly

DEF compare pricing for hotels vs. vacation stays (and make sure that when you're searching sites like Booking.com that you know what you're booking because sometimes sites tend to lump in vacation stays, hostels, and guest houses in general searches together). 

But! Sometimes vacation rentals *are* the same price/or worth just a teensy bit more than a hotel. When looking for a 7-night stay in Bologna during March this year, I came upon this STUNNING Airbnb listing, and once I did the math ($748 total split with a friend) I realized that it was indeed as good of a deal as an OK hotel a block or two closer to the university district. This was definitely an Airbnb success story. Though, you should always check your options because this was a true gem, and I can tell my grandkids that I slept under centuries-old frescoes in a loft! It felt like waking up in a museum every morning.  

And! Sometimes, vacation rentals truly are the best/most convenient option. My parents love to fly out west and ride around to national parks, and a lot of times in the towns they stay, overnight stays are limited to Airbnbs or bed and breakfasts. 

9. One way to save dough on flights is to fly when it's actually cheaper. But that's a lot to figure out solo! When you sign up for a membership to Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights), it reverse engineers when/where you'll go thanks to info on the best flight deals. 

Going, Chelsea Stuart

Premium members receive airlines' mistake fares from all their departure airports (up to 10). And Elite members receive the same for every single mistake fare Scott's Cheap Flights finds. Additionally, Elite members can refine results for fare classes. So if you absolutely refuse to sit in Economy (good for you, I'll sit wherever on a plane), you won't receive alerts for Economy deals as an Elite member. 

"I have booked many a spontaneous flight thanks to Going! Back in 2018, I scored my first success: a nonstop flight from JFK to Paris Charles de Gaulle for $276 :::insert pause for you to pick up your jaw::: TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SIX FREAKING DOLLARS. Since then, I've been hooked and used them to score incredible fares to London and Barcelona, as well." —Chelsea

Sign up for Premium membership for $49/year or Elite membership for $199/year.

10. REALLY do the math before booking with a budget airline. Cheaper airlines use lots of tactics to float to the top of flight-search results. So once you add on "normal" things, sometimes the budget airline may not be the cheapest option!

Google Flights

As you can see here, a random search from NYC to San Juan, Puerto Rico has personal item–only results from Frontier and United up toward the top. So, if you can pack all your stuff in a backpack and don't care about seat selection, great! This is an accurate representation of what you'll pay for your ticket. 

Though, I went through and figured out how much having a carry-on, and an aisle seat would cost you for the first flight! At the time of writing this, the departing Frontier flight has aisle seat selection (or *any* seat selection) for $27–$69, and the returning flight has seat selection for $27–$69. And one carry-on bag will cost you $54 each way. And THEN you have the option to add flight flexibility (one free date or time change up to 24 hours before the flight) per flight per person for $30.99. And then, if you think you'll need airport agent assistance at the ticket counter, that's another $20. So that brings the grand total of the $152 round-trip with seat selection both ways, a carry-on, airport support from a person, some flight flexibility, and all taxes and fees to a non-refundable $413.94. Yes, those were add-ons, but they're pretty normal add-ons to me, a person who flies frequently! So, it pays to compare flights from nonbudget airlines, too, depending on your needs and preferences. 

11. A little more effort can pay off $-wise when you search for flights and hotels in the destination's native language. Most sites will let you toggle back and forth between languages in the navigation so you can play around with it to see a difference.

Spencer Althouse / LATAM Airlines

My colleague Spencer has found some success in this: 

"In the photo above, I booked identical fake flights at the same exact time via a Peruvian airline. I kept one incognito tab in English using USD, and I changed the country selection to Peru in the other tab. This particular booking was over $50 cheaper in English, and in the past I've seen it where it's more expensive in English, so it always pays to check."

12. And use Google Flights and Skyscanner to set up *free* price tracking on any trips you know are coming up...or just any you'd like to make.

Google Flights

If I even consider going somewhere, I set a Google Flights tracking alert. It works super simply, and as far as I can tell, there's no max for the number of trips you can track. (I have dozens at a time.) Google Flights pulls in flight prices from all sorts of airline sites and other travel sites to find you the best deal. You can also refine your results by number of layovers and time of day a flight leaves. TL;DR it keeps an eye on flight prices for you for FREE and emails you any updates. 

Set up your notification preferences on Google Flights.

13. TRIPLE check the size constraints for every single airline you'll be flying on your trip so you aren't forced to gate-check an oversized (according to the airline) bag.

EasyJet / Via easyjet.com

Budget airlines have stricter constraints on luggage size (looking at you, Spirit Airlines and EasyJet) because, well, you get what you pay for, and they've gotta get you $$$-wise somewhere if not for the face price of the plane ticket. BUT, you can sometimes pay to carry on a bag that doesn't fit their FREE.99 baggage allowances or are allowed one depending on the type of ticket you book. For example, three summers ago, I paid for priority boarding and to take on my roller carry-on on an EasyJet flight from Palma de Mallorca to Gatwick and then from Gatwick to Rhodes, Greece. It was worth the peace of mind to have my stuff with me and not risk the airline losing my bag (which has been happening QUITE frequently lately, in case you've been living in a cave). 

Plus! Make sure that you're measuring correctly when planning ahead. Confusing centimeters for inches would be downright tragic. 

14. If you often travel budget airlines with restrictive carry-on baggage and personal item requirements, consider investing in a wheeled carry-on bag. This one can fit underneath an airplane seat! Take that, Spirit Airlines. 

www.amazon.com

Now you won't even have to pull your suitcase outta the overhead!

Promising review: "I bought my bag September 2022 for Hawaii. Airlines lose so much luggage, I wanted to only bring one bag. I bring five pairs of shoes and two outfits a day. Always travel with two large suitcases AND a carry-on. Did not think I could do it. I got eight days of clothing in this bag, airline-approved size toiletries, my medications, my camera, AND my travel CPAP machine in this bag. I only took one pair of shoes, which were the ones I was wearing. Incredible!! Going back to Hawaii this October and am taking my bag again. I can not believe I got everything I needed in this bag. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!" —J. P. Delano

Get it from Amazon for $48+ (available in three colors).

15. Nuzzle up with a neck pillow you can stuff with clothing — even a whole outfit — to give you some comfy flexibility and help get around super strict carry-on size restrictions. The listing says you can even pack three days' worth of clothes in it! This would especially be welcome if your carry-on-only budget doesn't exactly align with your fashionista status. 

www.amazon.com

Check out a TikTok showing how someone used a similar neck pillow case to just take that and a personal item onto a RyanAir flight that was charging for hand luggage. 

Promising review: "I bought this looking to both save space and gain comfort for those long airplane rides. I was pleasantly surprised that they worked so well and fit so much into them while not sacrificing baggage space. I could fit at least a full day's worth of clothes within it. Also works well if you have one of those backpacks with the attachment clip and loop system as you can use this as a strap to avoid purchasing another carry-on bag from airlines." —Victor Tolentino

Get it from Amazon for $43.95.

16. Consider a set of compression bags if you're not beholden to carry-on weight limits (v much more of a thing for European flying these days) and tend to overpack. Here's your sweet spot ;). And in the event that security has to go through your bag (it happens!) this'll make it a bit easier for them to sort through your stuff. 

www.amazon.com

And they come with a hand pump for travel! I invested in this very set of compression bags. I found success in packing a down coat in one for a wintry 2022 trip to Vienna and Prague (lucky me, I was there the week during a major cold front!) and was able to pack plenty of other things in my carry-on roller suitcase. Then, for a February 2023 trip to Iceland, I used one of these bags to pack all my stuff for a trip into a backpack so I wouldn't have to pay $110 to check a bag. It worked so well! Yes my backpack was heavy, but it did what I needed it to do. And I was able to easily fit all my dirty clothes into said compression bag at the end of the trip and repack. The pump is smaller than the size of a water bottle so I was able to easily make room for it in my backpack.  

Promising review: "This is a great product. I have a memory foam pillow that I try to take on trips, due to neck issues, so I purchased this product and put it to the test to see if it could flatten the pillow so I can also carry my clothes and the pillow in the same bag, a carry-on size travel bag. The pillow's been sitting in the vacuum pack for the last three days now and hasn't let any air into the package at all. The pump removed so much air that the foam is as solid as a rock with less that an 1/8 of an inch of give when I press on it firmly with my thumb." —4-H Shooting Sports Instructor

Get a pack of five from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in four sizes).

17. When planning your cruise, booking shore excursions through third-party vendors *can* save some dough. Yes, the cruise line has bookable stuff, but if you plan accordingly AND trust yourself to make it back to the ship on time, then you can def cut costs here. (But you know yourself!)

Spencer Althouse / BuzzFeed

My colleague Spencer has been on many cruises and weighs the pros and cons from his experiences here: 

"Booking through the ship is definitely the most expensive route, but it's also the safest because you'll never have to worry about the ship leaving without you. Ships have strict docking schedules to follow on port days, so they ~will~ leave without you if you aren't back in time. Otherwise, you're in charge of making it to the next port of call on your own, so good luck. If you have a short port day and are only docked for a few hours, then I'd suggest booking through the ship so you don't risk getting left behind."

Check out the rest of his amazing cruise tips and secrets.

18. Look up *free* museums and attractions in your destinations. You'll be surprised by how many things are available and you can fill out a vacation schedule with all sorts of free (or extremely cheap) sightseeing!

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

Here are some thought-starters for your search (but note that not *every* thing that would fall into these categories is free; like, you've gotta pay to go into some historic churches):

The National Park Service has a list of free entrance days to its parks. And many places run by the NPS are free *all* the time, including a few I've visited where I live in NYC, like the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace and Alexander Hamilton's Grange.

If you're into spooky things, lots of major cities have ornate cemeteries and graveyards you can visit for free. I recently visited the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano (which you can tour with me in the TikTok I made about the impressive cemetery), and the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris (which contains some famous inhabitants like the pictured grave of inventor Charles Pigeon and is near the Catacombs entrance). Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn is absolutely gorgeous. And if you ever find yourself in Deadwood, South Dakota, the Mount Moriah Cemetery contains some legendary folks you'll recognize from the fantastic HBO series.

There are lots of free museums and free museum days! Stateside, the majority of Smithsonian museums have free entry. On a recent trip to Bologna, Italy, I spent some time in the free Museo Davia Bargellini, where I saw all kinds of gorgeous art and even an 18th-century puppet theater. Just google "free museum" and where you're going to check out your options.

A lot of beaches can be free to enter but will charge you for a chair and an umbrella at a beach club. If you're down to just park it on the sand (or pebbles, depending on where you're going!) on your beach towel, there's a great sunny op for ya! (Psst, here's a great sand-free beach blanket.)

A lot of people have designed some beautiful houses of worship around the world, and if you abide by the required clothing rules, you can enter many of them for free! Of course, look up the requirements for entry and be respectful of local practices! I mean, did you even visit Rome without walking into St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City?! Above, you can see me at a Buddhist temple in Hoi An, Vietnam, which was totally enchanting and I covered my shoulders and knees to enter.

Public parks sometimes get overlooked as tourist destinations, but they can be wonderful places to do some people- (and dog!) watching.

National monuments can be awe-inspiring and help you learn a bit more history about your travel destination. So go ahead and crane your neck to check out the Washington Monument in its glorious stature.

19. When booking a cruise, consider an inside room because it'll run you cheaper than one with a sea view or a terrace.

Virgin Cruises

Yep, you gotta pay a little more for your own private view of the water when staying on a cruise ship. That's worth it to many people! 

For example, this is the two-person "Insider" cabin (aka no windows or balcony) on a Virgin Cruise ship for a seven-night New Year's cruise (that I just booked with friends, actually!), and it starts at $3,718 per cabin. A "Sea View" cabin (aka a window that has a water view) starts at $3,972, and a "Sea Terrace" cabin (with a private balcony and hammock) starts at $4,168. There are also bookable "Rockstar Quarters" suites ($10,150+) and Mega Rockstar Quarters ($26,898) options on this ship BUT if you're reading this story on budget tips, those luxurious options may not be your first picks! 

20. If you want to sign up for a way to skip airport lines, but are hemming and hawing between TSA Precheck/Global Entry and Clear Plus, go for TSA Precheck/Global Entry. It's $100/five years vs. $189/one year. And! Out of the dozen or so flights I've been on the past year, the PreCheck line was almost always MUCH shorter or nonexistent in comparison to the Clear line. 

Elizabeth Lilly, AmEx

THOUGH, I'll say that if your credit card company will cover your Clear Plus membership, just go for it. (I'm the credit card rewards friend, BTW.) I recently got Clear after enjoying Global Entry and TSA PreCheck since September 2021. The hook was...the (pricey) annual fee is covered by my American Express Platinum every year! You can do most of the work online for an application and just spend a few extra minutes at a Clear kiosk in an airport terminal before you go through the security line. So the application is more convenient than Global Entry (no need to go in for an official interview) and gets you through the security line much faster than TSA PreCheck. I travel about 10x a year and have always been put off signing up for Clear because of the annual fee. Though, I (and so should you) take advantage of every single credit card membership benefit that I possibly can, so that was the clincher for me. Is it worth it if you only fly a few times a year? Unlikely. And if your main airport doesn't have the kiosks, it's even less worth the money. But if your credit card or someone else (like, ahem, your job that makes you travel) will foot the bill, go for it!

Right now, I have both Global Entry *and* Clear, which has been especially helpful because, as I said above, sometimes, one line is much longer than the other, and I can choose which I'd like. For example, when flying out of Las Vegas about a week ago, I skipped the Clear line and opted for TSA Pre-Check because Pre-Check had a slightly shorter line. But! If you're only going to do one, I say opt for Global Entry (which includes Pre-Check) because it's overall a better value. 

Sign up for Global Entry (includes TSA PreCheck) for $100/five years or Clear for $189/year from Clear or visit American Express to learn more about credit card rewards, including the paid annual fee for Clear through AmEx Platinum. 

21. And while we're on the subject of credit card rewards, remember to search for hotels through your cc rewards site and make sure you're taking advantage of ALL of your money-back options.

Amex Travel

Like I already said, I try to eke out every last possible reward out of my credit cards. And I always check the Amex Travel site to see if I can score a better hotel deal. the Amex Platinum has an annual reward of up to $200 back when you book select hotels. I've done this every since I've had my card and have booked some nicer hotels than my budget would've allowed for otherwise. 

As you can see above, Amex specifically has some hotel perks that include food and drink credits, which can add up to a bit more savings. 

22. If you're road-tripping and like to pack your own food or are planning a camping trip, make things way more hospitable with some vinyl picnic table and bench coversreviewers found extremely helpful for camping and park use. Yes, they're an ~investment~ but cost way less than a trip through the drive-thru for your fam. 

www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com

RNOONY is a small biz. 

Promising review: "Great product! I bought it for my backyard picnic table. I think the table and bench covers are well made for the price I paid." —Maria

Get it from Amazon for $34.99 (available in eight patterns).

23. Skip the cruise ship spa and opt for one at port if you're looking for a spa treatment and your schedule allows.

Spencer Althouse; Carnival / Carnival HUB App

Like Spencer points out in his cruise tips story, spending time at the spa is a GREAT way to pass time on the ship. But like most everything else on a ship, the cost can be higher than off-ship. 

24. If you're checking a bag or NOT flying and struggling with finding a way to transport your toiletries, a pack of LeakLocks Toiletry Skins will *snugly* fit onto the tops of your full-size toiletries and keep your $$$ Sephora conditioner from exploding all over your clothes. 

www.amazon.com

Rinseroo is a small business specializing in problem-solving cleaning, pet, and travel products. 

Promising review: "I used these on my travel toiletries on a month-long road trip. On several occasions, the toiletry lids opened, but none of the product leaked out of the toiletry skins. I was even able to pour the leaked shampoo back into the bottle. I rinsed out the skin and placed it back on for the next leg of my journey. These are my new travel must-haves." —Tyson Mohr

Get a four-pack from Amazon for $11.99 (also available in an eight-pack). 

25. Finding a great hotel deal doesn't have to feel like work (for real). Try Hotwire Hot Rates (which show up in red while you search the travel booking site) to help you score some solid discounts on your next vacation. Just note that they're often nonrefundable, so make sure you're REALLY going before booking.

Hotwire

As you can see from the above screenshot, a Hot Rate omits the name of the hotel but (with some basic ingenuity and a few minutes of your time), you can match up the number of Expedia ratings with the hotel name and location on other sites. But WHY are these hotel listings cheaper? Hotwire works with top-rated hotels that have excess availability. So it's preferable for these hotels' to fill up rooms — albeit at a discount — than for them to remain empty. But like I said up there, make sure your plans are solid before booking because while searching some deals for an upcoming trip, I noticed all the available ones were non-refundable. 

Check out my colleague's full Hotwire Hot Deals explainer. She used it to find a deal for the Hilton Orlando-Bonnet Creek Resort for a trip to Disney World, only paying $159 instead of $229 per night, and saving a total of $210 for three nights. I also recently used this to find an affordable Milan hotel a mere ~six-minute stroll from the Duomo. 

26. Also check out the Hopper app (a personal fave). It lets you sift through all sorts of travel deals for hotels, flights, car rentals, and home rentals. You can also set watch alerts for flights and get push alerts when the prices change.

Hopper

As you can see from my app screen grab, I have a list of flights set to watch and the Hopper app sends me push notifications about a route/date's current price and whether or not it predicts that the price will fall more.

I successfully found and booked a gorgeous 4-star hotel in Hội An, Vietnam for a March 2023 trip, and was able to easily cross-reference reviews on other travel websites to make sure it would be perfect for my purposes. When you book items on the app, you also receive Carrot Cash rewards that you can apply to future bookings. For this booking, I applied $23.20 in Carrot Cash to my two-night booking of $80.98. Once the app added taxes and fees ($10.37), a Cancel for Any Reason guarantee ($11) and a tip to the app ($5), my total came out to $84.15. So the rewards cash basically paid for all the hotel's fees and taxes that get lobbed on to any hotel booking.

I previously booked a 2-star hotel in Rhodes, Greece, through the app for a six-night stay and it was just what my friend and I needed (basically a clean dorm room with housekeeping) and the dirt-cheap price meant that we could afford to stretch out our trip in Greece!

27. If you're making a multi-stop trip, compare activities in the locales. You might be able to opt for a cheaper option in one location vs. the other! For example, I saw a chamber concert in Prague for cheaper than one in Vienna on the same trip.

28. Pack a collapsible silicone water bottle that can help make sure you stay hydrated without making you sacrifice other things in your bag or running the risk of leaving water in your bottle as you go through airport security. Then, if the water is safe to drink at your destination, fill 'er up before you head out sightseeing instead of buying a series of water bottles. 

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

I bought this water bottle before a 2.5-week trip to Vietnam (where you don't drink tap water) and Malaysia (where you do). I didn't want to bring one of my ride-or-die S'well bottles because it would take up extra room in my bag when I wouldn't be able to use it during the majority of the trip. This handy silicone bottle did just the trick! It's very easy to roll up and *stays* rolled up thanks to the just-stretchy-enough loop. Said loop was also very handy while walking through airports and just around sightseeing. The bottle is easy to clean and doesn't make my water taste weird. I'm now using it as my daily water bottle and feel confident it'll serve me well for a long time. Plus! With a collapsible water bottle it's easier to remember if you left water in it before you go through security. 

Get a pack of two from Amazon for $9.99 (available in 12 colors/styles).

29. And while we're on the subject of water bottles and flying, when you're boarding or being forced to shove your personal item into a sizer, carry your water bottle!

A water bottle stuffed in a side pocket can make or break whether a backpack fits into a sizer. And we don't want to have to argue with the gate agent about your personal item being a fit, right? Right. 

30. Skip the stuff that you *think* you should go to at a destination and prioritize stuff you want to see! Life is short, if you're not into art museums you're allowed to skip The Louvre and go to the Paris Catacombs instead!

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

On a recent two-night layover in Paris, my friend and I skipped going to any museums (we'd been to many of them on prior trips) and prioritized The Catacombs and strolling all over the city. And it was perfect! "Must-see" lists (even here on BuzzFeed) make for good jumping-off points but if something seems like something you're don't into, you'll likely be happy you skipped anyway. 

31. Always pack more Imodium (or your fave tummy-taming meds) and electrolyte drink mix than you think you'll need so you don't have to miss out of a nonrefundable food or boat tour because you got a little too adventurous at last night's dinner. Trust me!

Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF

Hanna-Barbera Productions / Via giphy.com

Traveling can wreak havoc on your body, and even food that doesn't bother your stomach normally can REALLY take a toll. Better to be prepared! (I think this is something I heard Anthony Bourdain say once — RIP — and have taken it to heart...and tummy.) 

I swear by Liquid IV while traveling. I like to drink one before my flight (it keeps me hydrated without guzzling tons of water and going to the bathroom every hour), once I land, and on any morning after I've gone out or taken advantage of delish Italian table wine. And it comes in so many yummy flavors! 

Get them from Amazon: 24-pack of Imodium for $11.48 and a 16-pack of Liquid IV for $23.98

32. And it's just a good idea to bring along some meds in an compact eight-compartment pill organizer so you don't have to hunt down overpriced some ibuprofen in a tourist trap souvenir shop. 

www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com

Promising review: "My husband and I travel a lot and take a number of prescription drugs. It was always a hassle accessing our medication when needed, so I purchased this organizer to make things easier. I used a label maker and labeled each little compartment and it has performed wonderfully. I highly recommend this organizer to anyone who travels and needs medications throughout the day." —Jacqueline

Get a three-pack from Amazon for $9.97.

33. Stop before you buy any activity-specific items because your hotel, guide, or places likely provide stuff for free or a small fee instead of you making a bulky investment that might just force you into bringing a bigger bag on your trip.

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

For example, will you be visiting French Riviera beach clubs that'll rent a towel to you for a few euros? (The one above in Nice did!) Do you need some athletic sneakers for zip-lining through the jungle? Or will the whitewater-rafting company have water shoes you can wear as you paddle through some picturesque canyon? I can bet that the boat tour company definitely has snorkeling gear you can use. 

34. Research whether tipping is part of the culture. Depending on your destination, that's how some people make a living or could be incredibly offensive. And it can also help determine how much cash you should exchange for local currency.

It varies by location and by the service! 

35. Pack some snacks, like a variety of CLIF bars I bought for a trip to Iceland where I was trying to cut costs. I ate a few on my flights and then kept others in my coat packets for snacking when I was on the precipice of hanger but driving between waterfalls in the south of Iceland, where it's a bit harder to find a snack on the road. 

Amazon

Psst, if you're packing your own snacks avoid packing nuts because sometimes flights are no-nuts due to other passengers' allergies. And some countries won't let you bring in meat, so jerky can be a no-go for certain destination. 

I learned a long time ago that you should pack a snack bag for a trip because you can never predict the food sitch in a new-to-you locale. In an attempt to really stick it to Icelandair and avoid paying $100 for a checked bag, I parked very smartly and ended up sticking these CLIF bars in any available space in my backpack or coat pockets. Toward the end of my trip I actually found two of the bars in an inside coat pocket I always forget I have. What a nice surprise! To me, the size of these bars and the nutrition content staves off hanger and also works as breakfast in a pinch when your 7 a.m. route to the bus stop for a day trip doesn't take you by a coffee shop to pick up breakfast. In fact, I bought this pack again for a trip to Vietnam and Malaysia. 

Get a 16-pack from Amazon for $27.81.

36. And if you're going on a cruise, *carefully* check the rules to see what you can or can't bring onto the boat in order to save some cash on snacks!

Spencer Althouse / BuzzFeed

For this cruise that Spencer talks about in his cruise tips story, his friend was able to bring a six-pack of ginger ale (pictured), and cruise lines will generally let you bring up to 12 cans of nonalcoholic drinks on board. Just make sure to check the rules for your cruise line *and* voyage.

37. Make the best use of your personal item (that'll fit under an airplane seat) with a Beis backpack that zips open like a suitcase without *looking* like one of those backpacks that does that. It's sleek and minimalist on the outside while allowing you to pack a weekend's worth of stuff into it (unless you're an overpacker). OK if you're an overpacker, it's just an overnight bag. 

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

I snagged this backpack after hearing my colleague Chelsea Stuart sing its praises. I had a trusty (now discontinued) InCase backpack I used as a personal item and served me well on dozens of trips for about five years. But I wanted a bag for some upcoming travel (2.5 weeks in Europe with *just* carry-on for five flights) that opens up like a suitcase for easier packing. Since buying, I've taken it on two long weekend trips (Amtrak to Newport, RI, for a wedding and regional train to a CT country lake house) with no complaints. In fact, for both of those trips I packed MORE than I needed. 

Inside, you'll find a mesh zippered pocket and a plastic pocket perfect for your toiletries. I can fit enough wet toilet toiletries in the second pocket as I'd be allowed to carry-on for a plane. In the mesh pocket I put other necessities like cotton swabs, medicine, eye glasses, etc. The main compartment is deceptively deep so you can easily roll clothes and Lego-fit them in together without using packing cubes. In fact, I fit all of the stuff in the second picture in that section (a romper, PJs, a bikini, sunscreen, five pairs of undies, a pair of jean shorts, nap dress, three pairs of socks, two pairs of sandals, two T-shirts, a slip skirt, sleep mask, curling iron, mini flat iron, makeup bag, and tote bag). AND it has stretchy X-straps to keep it all secure like you'd see in a roller suitcase so when I unzip it, everything stays put. But before I forget, there's a separate cushioned laptop pocket close to the backpack straps that I found works well for books or a Kindle if your travel leaves you laptop-less. 

I love that this backpack has DEEP side pockets so your umbrella or water bottle won't fall out. In fact, I stuck a flashlight and an umbrella in one side pocket. (You could always use a flashlight.) Plus! It has a generously sized pocket on the front of the backpack with easy access for sunglasses, snacks, writing pens...all sorts of those little extras you need to access quickly. To top it all off, the backpack straps and top handle are STURDY. I felt totally secure toting it around and slinging it into overhead storage compartments on the trains. I love the look and construction of it with faux leather and sturdy black canvas, and the trolley passthrough to easily fit on my roller suitcase I'm about to drag through a bunch of airports. At nearly $80, this isn't the cheapest backpack option but if you're a frequent traveler, you'll get so much mileage on it and seriously save on some baggage fees, making it well worth the cost. This backpack and I are going places, for sure. 

NOW when it comes to air travel, you won't be able to put your wet toiletries in the waterproof pocket (as I have in the above pic for a train trip). But! Lots of nonliquid toiletries and essentials fit in there just fine. 

Get it from Beis Travel for $88 (available in eight colors). 

38. Consider rather it's REALLY worth paying for an airport lounge pass. Sometimes the ones you pay for are pretty meh and entry costs about the amount of an overpriced airport sandwich and drink anyway.

Yes, sometimes, depending on your credit card membership rewards, you can get into a lounge for free. American Express Platinum rewards grants you access to 1,200 lounges in 130 countries through a complimentary Priority Pass membership. But! That doesn't mean that you get into all the lounges for free. 

I've definitely used the Priority Pass to get into some lounges that had lackluster food and then had to buy a sandwich near my gate later. But I've been to some excellent ones! Factors like if you're willing to pay a fee, how long you're waiting to board, and more can help you decide. 

39. Plan on bringing back some wine? Buy some reusable bottle bags because did you even go to the Champagne region if you didn't bring back some goodies? Even better: If your bottle breaks in this, the bag catches the spill and saves everything else in your bag! 

Amazon

JetBag is a small business specializing in creating bags to protect your wine and your stuff. It's designed with absorbent padding on the inside, so in the event that the bottle breaks, it won't get everywhere in your luggage. 

Promising review: "Bought to bring wine from France home from vacation. We bought three bottles (one of which was champagne). All three made it on the Eurostar and two flights in perfect condition." —Katie

Get a set of three from Amazon for $15.99 (available in four colors).

40. Embrace rewearing clothing items. It's perfectly fine and fun to repeat outfits!

That's it. That's the tip. 

41. Avoid some tech meltdowns with an electronics organizer with a place for just about every one of *your* and every member of your family's devices and corresponding cables so you won't be scrambling at an airport or tourist shop (over)paying for a charging cord. 

www.amazon.com, Amazon

Promising review: "This case has been amazing for storing my earbuds, various loose cable connectors, chargers, etc. I am using it right now on a trip and it has been fantastic for keeping these items in one convenient, organized place. It is lightweight and fits easily into my one carry on item when boarding the many flights I am taking. I’m pretty sure I will still be using it to keep all these items together and more easy to locate when I return home! I am so glad I bought this!" —V. Elia

Get it from Amazon for $9.85+ (available in 11 styles). 

42. When getting to/from the airport, taking a taxi isn't always the best option! In large cities, there are often regional trains with luggage racks that will take you to/from airport terminals. And once you factor in vehicle traffic, sometimes the public transit option takes about the same amount *or* less time.

trenord.it

Even if you're not used to public transportation, this is a good option. Trust me! If you've taken an airport shuttle to another terminal or to a rental car pickup, you're basically an expert. 

This is a train map for Malpensa Express train in Milan that goes to terminals 1 and 2 of the Malpensa airport. I took a taxi *to* a train station to grab this 13€ train to the airport back in March, and it was ridiculously easy. (I did the math and a cab from my hotel to the airport would've cost about 100€). And because it's an airport train, there are a ton of announcements and signage about where you should deboard. I live in New York City and almost always take the train to Newark and JFK airports, and as long as you don't have lots of giant bags, it's very manageable. 

43. Sometimes it's easier and cheaper to pack less and launder your clothes on a longer trip vs. paying to check a bag with more clothes/worry about said checked bag actually making it to your destination. Pack a set of laundry soap sheets as a reliable option and then dry your stuff on a toilet warmer (if your European trip schedule allows that time). And depending on the exchange rate of where you are, hotel laundry service might be quite affordable!

Amazon

Three summers ago I took a two-and-a-half-week Europe trip (I stayed in Nice, Barcelona, Mallorca, and Rhodes) and only had in-unit laundry in one of those places. These sheets were a lifesaver for washing underwear, clothes that I sweated SOOOOOO much in, and also swimsuits that were laden with very salty seawater. They got the job done, and I even found that the towel-warming rack in my Nice hotel did a fine job of hang-drying my hand-washed undies much faster! Now, I went through about half of the sheets because my friend and I had to wash a lot. But it was such a small investment (size- and money-wise) to keep our travel loads significantly lighter. 

Promising review: "This came SO in handy during my vacation to Europe! I was making lots of different stops at places with different types of weather. With these laundry soap sheets, I was able to wash my clothes in the sink — letting me pack just the right amount of clothes for all the different places I went." —Katie Fujarski

Get it from Amazon for $11.08 (available in four other styles, including hand soap and shampoo).

44. If you're flying internationally, just use a plain old plastic baggy for your toiletries so you aren't forced to sacrifice your beloved face serum at security.

I have a gorgeous reusable toiletries bag that I constantly travel with domestically in the US. But every single time I try to use it when going through security in a European airport, I'm made to switch to a plastic bag that's the EXACT size constraint. On a trip last summer from Grand Cayman, agents were making *most* passengers switch over to plastic baggies. I've learned my lesson and have just started keeping the plastic baggy left over from a trip to pack my toiletries in from the jump. Yes, it's more wasteful, but rules are rules!

45. Get as comfy as possible in-flight with an inflatable foot rest that'll run you less than the cost of ONE flight upgrade. Your IG may read as "jetsetter" but a lot of the jets you've been taking are, in fact, Ryanair.

www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com

Promising review: "I was hesitant to order this for our upcoming travels to Europe, but I'm so glad I did. The foot rest pillow is sturdy, inflates very easily (with a choice of two different heights), and once deflated, folds into a small carry pouch. The footrest came with a contoured sleep mask and ear plugs." —Maria N.

Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in four colors and also in a two-pack). 

46. Use ALL the pockets of your outerwear to stash all kinds of odds 'n' ends you'd need while in the air. It'll also cut down on what you have in your personal item.

I used this trick with a coat that has TONS of pockets on my trip to Iceland where it was going to cost me a LOT of money to bring a roller carry-on or check a bag (due to the airline's strict luggage requirements). I was *so* good at filling up said pockets, that I found some CLIF bars in a pocket on the way back to the U.S.! 

47. And if you're in LOVE with that idea but flying during warm weather, wear a fly fishing utility vest with tons of storage pockets on it as an extra layer on your plane that'll let you technically carry on much MUCH more than what you can cram into your personal item. And depending on your trip's adventures, it'll come in handy for all kinds of wear!

Amazon

Awhile back I saw a TikTok where someone wore one on a plane and thought it was genius, but I sadly can't for the life of me find that TikTok to link now. Though lo and behold, a week ago while flying out of Newark, I saw someone using this hack in action! I did something similar on a trip to Iceland where I loaded up my coat pockets to avoid paying to bring a carry-on bag for my flight. 

Promising review: "Very nice light wear, very comfortable and convenient during traveling, good quality and good looking/design! Just order your regular size!" —xiao jie wang

Get it from Amazon for $27.99+ (available in men's sizes S–3XL and nine colors).

48. Check into your flight ASAP! Don't wait 'til you get to the airport. You want to check in before other passengers to secure your seat assignment and avoid getting bumped from the flight.

Airlines overbook flights and sometimes even when they don't, passengers can get bumped simply for the reason that they were the last to check in for a flight. 

I used to be one of those people who refused to give up space on my phone for an airline app and would check into the flight at an airport kiosk before going through security. I stopped that a few years ago when I saw a fellow passenger find out that he didn't have a seat assignment, and the airline counter employee at the gate told them that they didn't have a seat because they were the last to check in to the flight. Now, when I'm ready to go on a trip, I plan accordingly to check into my domestic flight 24 hours before, and for some international carriers I've been able to check in days beforehand (for example, EasyJet lets you check into your flight starting 30 days before). 

49. Help prevent motion sickness on ferries, boat excursions, and just plain ole riding in a car with a set of Sea Bands with a little nub that targets the acupuncture point on your wrists meant to help reduce nausea. Cheers to using these instead of having to buy Dramamine over and over and over again. And then accidentally taking it too late. 

www.amazon.com

Read more about acupressure and nausea at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Promising review: "These were awesome! My entire family suffers from motion sickness, especially car sickness. My little one gets sick in the car on a regular car ride through the city. So I knew that a long road trip was going to be a disaster. I was amazed at how well these bands worked for everyone! Not one single person complained about being sick for 12 hours in the car. At one point I did have one child remove their bands because they said they were getting too tight. But after only a few minutes without them, a headache started to come on, so they immediately put them back on and the relief was instant. I have suffered for decades and now I know better. I will never travel without mine again!" —1SmartCookie

Get a set of two from Amazon for $8.51 (available in adult and children's sizes).

50. Embrace signing up for group excursions! You can get some serious bang for your buck without doing as much research or figuring out transportation to much-see things. Poke around Airbnb Experiences, Viator, and Get Your Guide to explore all sorts of option. Even if you're THE designated vacation planner, they can be a big help.

Elizabeth Lilly

There are lots and lots of reviews on these sites to help you vet possible bookings. 

I've used all three sites to much success to source excursions. On a 2021 Italy trip, I used Airbnb Experiences to book an excellent Rome ghost tour (s/o to our tour guide Yash!) who was able to answer our questions about certain things while still telling us all sorts of spooky, macabre stuff. We also had an amazing Venice walking tour with Claudia, a native Venetian. 

While in Rhodes, Greece, in 2022 I booked a cruise to picturesque Symi Island and a full-day all-inclusive cruise that included stops at three popular beaches on the island for swimming and snorkeling. 

And on a February 2023 trip to Iceland, I booked nearly every tour through Get Your Guide to great success. We saw the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the Blue Lagoon, *and* the Northern Lights.

51. And look for free walking tours in your destinations. These tend to book up a bit earlier than paid tours, though, so it's worth googling them as soon as your trip is booked.

Elizabeth Lilly

I've been on two Strawberry Tours, both in London on separate trips (the Jack The Ripper tour and ghost tour). The tour guides for each were top-tier and I didn't feel as if I were missing out on quality by not paying for the tour from the jump. Though, you MUST tip the tour guides (you should be doing that anyway). But they're literally working for tips. So the tour does cost you in that regard. Just google "[destination] free walking tour" and you'll come upon all sorts of options!

(I took this eerie pic of Buckingham Palace in St. James Park while on the said ghost tour. Spooky!)

52. If your traveling involves bodies or water or amusement park rides, invest in a waterproof pouch to help you capture all kinds of impressive memories, making people pause at your IG videos and wonder if you have a social media assistant capturing all this stuff. I bring these on all my beach vacations and have taken some really cool underwater videos without compromising my phone OR investing in a waterproof camera!

www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com

It fits any phone up to 100 mm x 170 mm (or about 3.9 inches x 6.7 inches). It also keeps out sand, dirt, and rain. 

Promising review: "I bought this because I do a lot of water sports when I travel and it was amazing!!! I had no problems with it the actual pouch detaching from the lanyard when I went snorkeling and my phone stayed completely dry. The touch capability is also great." —TJ

Get it from Amazon for $6.99.

53. Zero in on bookable cars near you with Turo. It also lets you cancel your plans as close as 24 hours in advance. Because, well, have you priced out a regular ole rental car lately (or had to drive to the airport *just* to get a rental car)?

Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF

Turo

My colleague Danielle Healy has used Turo:

"Every car rental experience before using Turo felt like jumping through a million-and-a-half hoops, from schlepping out to a remote airport parking lot to the long wait times just to get my car assignment. Turo is essentially Airbnb for cars but with a better app (I'd argue).

You can browse cars from your phone, filtering for all the usual things like availability, price, and seat number, plus a bunch of extra stuff like pick-up location (some will deliver it to you for a fee), the make, model, and desired features! After booking, you'll communicate directly with your host to coordinate pick-up and drop-off details. Some hosts will meet you with the car, others are 100% contactless!

Every experience has been really smooth and easy, and the app walks you through check-in and checkout procedures that include taking pictures of the car before and after use to avoid any misunderstandings between you and your host. Unlike standard rental agencies, all the fees I'm responsible for are clearly outlined from the get-go so I'm not fretting about surprise charges during my trip. Not to be dramatic, but Turo has transformed my car rental experience and made it soooo much better (and cheaper) that I really can't imagine renting any other way at this point."

54. Google the mpg (both for city and highway) for the type of car you're booking for a rental. You might score a daily rental fee deal but if it's a gas guzzler, it probably isn't such a deal after all.

::queues up Charli xcx's "Speed Drive"::

55. Download the *free* app GasBuddy to help you zero in on cheaper gas options to fill up your rental car (or just your regular car). After all, that pre-dropoff fillup always feels like a bit of a slap in the face to your travel budget.

GasBuddy

The app promises to save you up to 25 cents per gallon and you're even able to alert other drivers via the app about cheap gas prices. According to this Reddit thread, people find it most useful when traveling in unfamiliar territory where they don't have go-to spots. 

56. You can sometimes buy a combo city pass that covers many attractions for a discount. Look up passes by the locale for everything from transportation to parks and historic sites.

cityPASS

But! Actually compare the pricing and make sure that it's worth your time/money depending on the length of your stay and what you actually wanna spend your time doing. For example, if you're planning a trip to New York City and are weighing the $138/per adult cityPASS but out of the available list you'd really just like to hit up the museums on the list, this probably isn't quite the deal. 

57. Let Omio compare transportation option prices for you (think trains, planes, ferries). Now you can get to where you're going without wasting valuable sightseeing (or lying-in-bed-watching-TikTok) time.

Omio

My colleague Chelsea Stuart has used this to much success:

"I just used Omio for the first time this year when googling how to get from Barcelona to Girona for a day trip. Omio popped up, and I booked my train ticket through them as they showed various options and price comparisons. You can book trains, buses, flights, and ferry tickets — with thousands of travel partners like Renfe, RyanAir, Delta, etc. — through them, and if you download their app, you'll have access to mobile tickets which don't require any internet connection to pull up or scan."

Plan your transportation options on Omio.

58. If the airline you're looking at has the possibility to "bid" for a premium seat and that sounds appealing/within budget, consider it instead of paying for just, like, an economy aisle seat or outright buying a premium seat.

Norse Atlantic Airways

I recently flew JFK to FCO and back on Norse Atlantic Airways and splurged on a premium seat (which is like their first class; psst paying for this on a cheaper airline is still cheaper than first class on a bigger airline) and on the way back to JFK, four people in my row bid on their seats and won them. And an FCO > JFK, Sunday night flight, seems like a popular one to fly. So this seems like a viable option! 

59. Take advantage of weird departure times hours after hotel checkout by having someone babysit your bag with Luggage Hero. Yes, a lot of hotels will watch your bags but maybe that Airbnb you got for a song's checkout time doesn't align with your leaving for the airport.

LuggageHero

Chelsea has also used and loves this: 

"LuggageHero has saved me from schlepping my suitcase across cities around the world! I've used it in Philly, Boston, Barcelona...basically everywhere I've gone the last few years. I typically use it when I have an early checkout from an AirBnb or hotel but a late flight out and want to make the most of my final hours in a destination. I book a LuggageHero location in whatever neighborhood I plan to hang out in and then pick up my bag when it's time to head to the airport. It's super easy to use — just pull up the app, pop in your location, and it'll tell you what shops participate in the program and prices for by-the-hour storage or a flat rate for longer storage. Most of the time, it hasn't cost me more than a couple of bucks and I don't have to babysit my bags all day long."

60. If you're road-tripping and camping, source FREE places to camp through Campendium and iOverlander. You may rough it a little bit, but that's what you want with camping. Right?!

Campendium

You can search both iOverlander and Campendium by the desired location to find your perfect camping spot. Both have lots of *very* honest user reviews so you can weigh the pros and cons of each spot. Check out more info on the pictured Bride Canyon designated dispersed campsites. 

61. And finally, REALLY weigh your need for souvenirs and focus on smaller things that you can truly only buy at your destination (like magnets or *flat* wall art prints you can frame later)...unless it's something bigger that you can ship home!

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

Souvenirs can quickly hog space in your luggage and add to your costs, so don't make any promises about bringing home random souvenirs for people if you can help it. 

I, for one, love a magnet, which you can almost always squeeze in a suitcase, and I have a friend I travel with who limits her souvenir shopping to JUST magnets. Sometimes, if I see a piece of wall art or a print that speaks to me, I'll store it flat in my carry-on suitcase. I grabbed this pencil sketch of a minotaur in an art market in Havana and was able to slip it into my carry-on suitcase easily. Post-vacation I put it in this frame that I got from a buy-nothing Facebook group haul. And now when I see it in my bedroom, I'm reminded of that fantastic trip!

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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