5 Travel Tips That Will Make You Feel Smarter

It's no surprise sh*t can happen when you travel. It's important to travel smart so you're prepared when faced with the unexpected. These 5 #traveltips have helped me travel smarter by saving me money, keeping me organized, and keeping me comfortable. I hope they do the same for you too.

1. Look For Flights On Incognito/Private Browsers

My roommate's mom was looking to buy a #flight to Japan. She kept searching the flight and noticed after a few days, the price skyrocketed. No pun intended. She felt hurried to book the flight before it went up more when she searched it in a new browser (i.e. Firefox instead of Chrome). She was able to find the same route for the original price.

Browsers will use your cookies and cache to inflate prices when you search a particular flight repeatedly. This is in attempt to scare you into booking before prices raise even more. When you search in incognito/private mode, this will ensure you will be able to see the lowest fares.

My favorite ways to find flights are using Google Flights, which allows you to easily compare dates in order to find the cheapest #airline (remember to use incognito), Skyscanner, where you can compare flight deals with no hidden fees and create a price alert for your route, and Kiwi.com, which combines airlines to create routes that are cheaper than just #traveling with one airline.

2. Packing Cubes

Packing cubes have transformed traveling for me whether it's a short weekend trip or a month of #travel. They make it easy to stay organized among the chaos of traveling and are definitely worth the investment. My favorite brand is Eagle Creek because I found them to be the lightest. The last thing I need is to make my #suitcase weigh more.

They come in many different sizes and colors. The medium is a good starter size. I usually can fit all my tops into a medium, bottoms into a medium, underwear/socks into a small, and makeup/other in an extra-small. If you get different colored cubes it makes #organization even easier. I've found that when I roll my clothes they fit in the cubes better and it's always a good idea to have an extra to keep your dirty clothes separate!

3. "Just In Case" Medicine Bag

When I was little, my mom would always carry around a painkiller in her purse "just in case of emergency". I didn't really understand this concept until I traveled to #NusaLembongan and my friend broke his ankle surfing. Nusa Lembongan is a tiny island off the coast of #Bali and has very limited access to medicine. Unfortunately, my friend suffered in pain until we could get back to Bali and go to a doctor. At that time, I really wished I would have thought ahead like my mom and brought emergency medicine.

Now, I always travel with a small bag of every kind of medicine. This includes, but is not limited to: pain killers, emergency anti-anxieties, Dramamine for motion sickness, Mucinex, Dayquil, Nyquil, Cough Syrup, Cough Drops, and Sudafed for cough/cold/flu-like symptoms, Advil and Tylenol for fever, Benadryl (pill and lotion) for allergic reactions and bug bites, Immodium anti-diarrhea and Pepto-bismol for upset stomach, Bandaids/Wound Kit for injuries, you get the idea...

I know this may seem like overkill but it's gotten me out of some sucky situations. I put this pack together for a month of traveling and within that month, I got a respiratory infection. Luckily, the cough suppressants and decongestants kept me comfortable until I was able to see a doctor. Also recently, I sprained my ankle while traveling in #Australia and the pain killers I brought were a life saver. My parents say I need to travel with a doctor because I always get sick/hurt. Although I put this emergency pack together for traveling, it's always nice to be prepared and have this convenience at home on a regular basis as well.

4. Ear Plugs & Eye Mask

These essential travel items are often over-looked, however, they are powerful tools that can transform a noisy and uncomfortable sleeping situation into cozy beauty sleep. Let's be honest, while traveling, sleep is #1. Lack of sleep can ruin a trip by changing your energy, mood, etc. However, when we travel, we often encounter very awkward sleeping situations that make it hard to get our much needed and important rest.

These items are a perfect backup for these situations. I ordered these ear plugs and this eye mask and now I can't travel without them. I even use them sometimes at home when I encounter a particular difficult night of sleep.

5. Travel Insurance

Travel insurance, travel insurance, travel insurance!!! This can potentially be the smartest traveling decision you make. It's easy to get in the - it won't happen to me - mindset. My friend was in this mindset when she traveled to Australia. Unbeknownst to her that later she was going to get in a surfing accident that will cut a major artery in her thigh leading to her being airlifted to a hospital. Now that ain't cheap.

Travel insurance is ALWAYS a good idea to protect you from unseen costs. There are different types of travel insurance covering situations such as trip cancellations and lost luggage. A good way to search for an insurance plan is looking at the options on insuremytrip.com.