6 Incredibly Useful Travel Tips You NEED To Know

We’ve all seen the ‘life-hack’ videos on various platforms. You know, the ones where you can find a way to peel a banana in 4.5344 femtoseconds quicker than the conventional peel.

But what about the things you truly need to know?

Take traveling, for example. Over the past 10–15 years, travelling around the world on a respectable budget has become more popular and accessible. Working-class Gen X’ers could have only dreamed of boarding a flight to Bali and partaking in its bounty when they were young. Nowadays, with a little saving and begging the boss for time off work, travelling far and wide could easily be an option.

But herein lies the negative side of travelling so freely. A lack of understanding of how these countries work day-to-day. Is this your fault? Absolutely not. Can you research and educate yourself prior to take-off? Sometimes. A lot of this information is on an ‘if you don’t go, you won’t know’ basis.

This article has been written with the aim of giving you some fantastic nuggets of information that help with day-to-day travelling and make your life that little bit easier.

Extension Cords with Multiple Outlets (Gadgets)

A hack that could potentially rival the Citibank hack in ’95. A hack so hack-y, Anonymous is jealous. A hack so ingenious, the deep-web has ceased their revenge hacking services…

Pack an extension cord with multiple outlets in your suitcase.

Most low-budget hostels and hotels offer a single plug socket in the room you are staying in making it near impossible to charge your life on the go. With the simple addition of a travel adapter, you can now use this household item to charge all of your must-have electricals. Now there is no need to make the painstaking choice of prioritizing your phone to take Instagram by storm or your rechargeable e-cig. The opportunities are endless.

This is a fantastic idea for budget travelling whilst making sure you’re still connected and working efficiently. Make sure you tip the local fruit lady for some lovely karma.

Find yourself a basic extension cord from an online store or your local hardware store.

Electrolyte powder (Medicine)

A very under-rated medicine that can be found in any pharmacy worldwide. Packed full of sugars, salts, vitamins and minerals, this soluble powder can be your lifesaver in countries where the sun (and unsanitary food preparation) packs a devastating punch.

This will help replenish any of the essentials you have lost during the dehydration and/or the upset-stomach process and will enable you to carry on enjoying the travelling experience. Also fantastic for hangovers, but we’ll leave that optional research for yourselves.

Commonly found at a fantastically cheap price, there is no excuse for not recovering after the street kebab has had its way with you.

Top tip: Couple this travelling necessity with Immodium if things go “south”…

Note: Read more about the dosage, side effects and benefits of electrolytes in the link and video below.

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-59969/electrolyte-solution-oral/details

Revolut (Finance)

Revolut is a fantastic way to save a lot of money on the dreaded ATM withdrawal fees. “Take sufficient cash before you leave!’’, we hear you cry, but the fact of the matter is, there are too many variables at play to allow common planning to prevail.

Who wants to get stung by the poisonous venom of the foreign ATM snake? Allow us to introduce Revolut. They offer various plans that allow you to load up your money onto a shiny new card and withdraw from any ATM in the world without the ridiculously high fees. Yes, there may be a local charge of 1–2 dollars, but Revolut never charges any more fees than this. If you’re planning to travel for a long time, this is an absolute necessity. They also provide content and medical insurance to keep you safe while traveling.

So, if you find yourself a little bruised after falling from a hotel balcony whilst taking a ridiculous selfie with a wild monkey in Thailand, then Revolut has you covered. It’ll also replace the selfie stick you broke on impact too.

Available in European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan and the United States.

https://www.revolut.com/

Alternative Airlines (Airline)

Want to travel but can’t deal with the high airline ticket prices at the moment? Has the proverbial hit the fan in the country you’re travelling in, need a quick exit, but don’t have the cash right now? Look no further than Alternative Airlines. They use a plethora of online check-out services that enable you to buy now and pay later. Companies such as Klarna and Paypal Credit offer their services that allow you to pay for the cost of the flight over the course of 3 months- usually interest free!

Top Tip: Prices are significantly higher than on Skyscanner, so only use it when absolutely necessary!

https://www.alternativeairlines.com/

Fast Track Visas (Documentation)

Unlike their theme park counterparts, visa fast track services are worth their weight in gold, especially if time is of the essence. They essentially allow your visa to be put at the top of the list for stamping, but of course, this comes at a fee. Although not a high cost in SEA countries, it could get pricey in western countries such as the UK or the USA.

Some countries allow tourists to arrive on a VOA (Visa On Arrival), where no real prior information is needed. It’s simply a case of writing down your information in the airport immigration area, paying a fee and then waiting for a period of time to collect the visa.

Only recommended to be used during emergencies, but a useful tool to have in the ever-raging war between travel and time.

https://www.fasttrackvisa.com.

Messaging Apps Abroad (Apps)

Messaging apps have become a huge part of our lives. Whether you despise or admire them, there is no denying that they are useful.

When abroad, messaging apps that require WiFi or mobile data are key to the success of your journey and even safety. A lot of messaging apps nowadays will go above and beyond the call of messaging.

So let’s take Vietnam as the first example. Their main messaging app is called Zalo and is used by nearly everyone in Vietnam. It will come pre-installed on most new phones and offers everything from food deliveries, government disaster warnings, to the use of QR codes during the COVID-19 pandemic. It truly is something that is valuable when navigating around the country.

Next, we have LINE, primarily used in Thailand. Everything from money services to QR codes on the metro system, this messaging app has it all. With over 44 million users in Thailand alone (2020), it’s another app you can’t live without whilst there.

Lastly, South Korea. The most popular messaging app here is KakaoTalk. The funky, friendly, yellow app serves over 52 million customers worldwide, 47 million of them being in Korea alone. Taking into consideration that Korea has a population of nearly 52 million (as of 2021), this app is not to be overlooked when visiting Korea.

It is highly recommended that you do a quick Google search before you travel to your destination. Yes, it may not be available to download outside the target country, but it is something you will need when you’re inside it. Check out the website link below for a full list of country’s most popular messaging apps;

https://eagernomad.com/most-popular-messaging-apps-by-country/

By Daniel Hoadley