10 Dec 6 Travel Hacks Everyone Should Know

The first video of my series in Martinique is out and I want to take this moment to share with you 10 travel hacks. In fact, during that video, you can see that I am simply taking you in my journey between my house to the airport but throughout the video, I share different tricks that I will mention below. As a traveler, you start noticing different tips and pattern to make your traveling experience smoother and this is why I will share with you 6 travel hacks that everyone should know.

Travel Hack #1 – Use Google Map Offline

It is not everyone that travels with a roaming data plan. If that is the case for you but would like to use your phone to get your way in a destination, simply download the maps from Google Maps. You can save an area from Google Maps to your phone or tablet and use it when you’re offline. I’ve done it when I went to Portugal and it was working perfectly and was using 0 data. To do so, simply

1. On your mobile device or tablet, open the Google Maps app.
2. Make sure you’re connected to the Internet and signed in to Google Maps.
3. Search for a place, like Aruba.
4. At the bottom, tap the name or address of the place then tap More.
5. Select Download offline map and that’s it!

Travel Hack #2 – Drop off at Arrivals

One of my biggest pet peeves when flying away is the moment when I arrive at the airport and there’s traffic in the departure line. Flying out during the peak season is not always the best. There’s nothing fun at being at the airport and being stuck in your car for an extra 10-15 minutes because of traffic.  In the vlog above you can see that Rich dropped me at the arrival lane because it was less busy. This is a great alternative and will make you save time and money (if you are in a taxi or Uber), Departure and Arrival lanes at airports, you can still get where you need to go regardless of which lane you choose. If there’s crazy traffic in the departures lane, consider changing it up and getting dropped off at the arrivals lane

Travel Hack #3 – Use Google Flights + Google Flight Alert

Patience is a virtue that can make you save money. In the past, I’ve used Google Flight to book my trip to Aruba, Martinique, and Guatemala! Google really made it easier for any of us to look for flight prices and to play around with the dates and different criteria such as the flight time, number of layover and more. In addition, the Google flight alert will send you daily/weekly emails about a flight that you want to book if you are not flexible with the dates.

You can also read more on how to use Google Flight to find cheap prices and discover destination by clicking here!

Travel Hack #4 – Choose Your Own Data/ Connection

I use my data at all time when I am away, for work and safety purposes. However, in Martinique, I realized that my data connection was not always the best but for my friend Paul it was working perfectly. How so? On iPhone, you have the possibility to choose your carrier when away and it can make a difference. Imagine being in another country and your phone decides to roam on the smallest company line when you can use the biggest company coverage. To do so, here are the simple test.

1. On the iPhone, go in Settings and then cellular.
2. In Cellular options, choose Cellular Data Network.
3. Click on Carrier and switch the automatic to off.

From there, you will see all carriers that are available and you can decide to use the coverage of a bigger carrier.

Travel Hack #5 – Talk to Locals

Your parents may have taught you to not talk to strangers but when I travel, I totally do the opposite. I am not a fan of doing researches before going on a trip. I love the feeling of being in a new country and to not have a specific plan in mind. Usually, locals will give you great suggestions that you may have not found online. When I went to Martinique with my friends, we didn’t have a specific plan in mind but we knew that we wanted to discover the island. If you read my blog post about that trip, you can see that we did a lot and that is because we talked to the locals and took their recommendations on what to do, where to eat and more.

Read My Detailed Blog Post About My Trip In Martinique Here.

Travel Hack #6 – Amazon Prime Toiletries To Your Destination

This hack was given to me by @Pezliz on Instagram. It is a great idea when considering to leave for a long period of time to a specific destination. By doing so, you are saving yourself from packing beauty products, shampoo, soap and additional items that may take space in your luggage.

What are your thoughts on this? Share with me in the comments below.