These essential hacks will transform the way you travel

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A little expertise, acquired or otherwise, can make a big difference when you’re out and about in the world.

It’s especially the case in the post-pandemic travel landscape where knowing, and being able to execute, a few travel hacks, tricks, fixes, ploys and workarounds – call them what you will – will keep you in the fast lane.

And, just as important, who do you turn to if it all doesn’t go as planned? Fear not, as Traveller has compiled this surefire guide of 50 essential trip-transforming tricks of the travel trade.

Airports

Credit: Greg Straight

• If you have a stopover of several hours, check the Sleeping in Airports website (sleepinginairports.net) to make your downtime as comfortable as possible. You’ll get insider tips on rest and relaxation areas, the best dining, pay-for-use lounges, free internet, family- friendly services, charge points and much more.
• Finding a superior cup of coffee in an unfamiliar airport can be a challenge. If in doubt, look for where flight crew are queuing.
• In a crowded terminal where seats are scarce, an expensive, or not so expensive, restaurant can be a lifesaver. They usually offer calm, quiet and comfort, and you don’t have to order something pricey to get in – a hamburger or a sandwich and a coffee, and you can relax for an hour at the very least.
• When flying economy, make it a hard and fast rule to complete the online check-in. You should get a shorter queue, and it may be next to the business class check-in counters. When there are no business customers waiting, they’ll signal to the closest economy passengers to come forward.
• Everything costs more at an airport, but if you take an empty water bottle, once past security you can refill it in the terminal, provided the local water is safe to drink.

Airlines

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• Airports have different landing fees and taxes, and this can affect airline ticket prices. A return flight from Sydney to London may cost $200 more than a flight on the same days to Paris or Frankfurt. The reason is the higher costs associated with landing and taking off at London’s Heathrow Airport.
• If your flight is operated partially by a partner airline – a codeshare flight – check the fares offered by both airlines. The difference between the two can often be several hundred dollars. You’ll know if your flight is operated as a codeshare in the booking process, usually under the flight number with the words “operated by”, showing the partner airline’s name.
• Worried about the weight of your carry-ons? Wear it. Jumper, hiking boots, jacket – and you can stuff the pockets with whatever weighs most, no questions asked.
• Got an issue with your airline (and who hasn’t these days?) If you can’t get satisfaction through the normal channels, go straight to the top. Write to the CEO as well as the chair of the company. One avenue that can produce surprisingly fast results is taking your grievance to your federal member. If the incident happened in Europe, Airhelp (airhelp.com) or Flightright (flightright.com) may assist, but these are commercial enterprises , so you’ll pay a fee.
• If your flight involves a stopover of eight hours or longer, your airline may offer you hotel accommodation. This is often the case with Middle Eastern airlines on flights to and from Europe. There is no obligation on the part of the airline, but they won’t always let you know, it’s up to you to find out and request it.

Travel insurance

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• If you travel overseas more than twice a year, an annual multi-trip travel insurance policy will probably save you money over buying for each individual trip. Remember though, that you probably won’t be covered for domestic travel.
• Finding travel insurance for the more mature traveller at a reasonable price is tough, but Probus (probussouthpacific.org) might be the answer. Probus is a network of clubs that organises social events for retired or semi-retired seniors. You need to be a participating member to qualify for travel insurance, but the obligations are not onerous. Alternatively, the travel insurance that comes when you pay for your travel using certain credit cards has a less restrictive age qualification. For example, American Express offers cover for anyone aged 79 years of age or younger making a qualifying travel purchase on their Amex card, while there is no age limitation for some categories of cover.
• If you have car or home insurance, your insurer might offer a discount on a travel insurance policy. Reach out to any existing insurer and see what they have to offer. Loyal, long-time clients have some bargaining power.
• Before you close your suitcase, snap a photo of what’s inside. If you need to make an insurance claim for lost luggage it will help your case if you can prove what’s missing. Your insurer might also ask for receipts for that $900 Balenciaga t-shirt, be prepared.
• Got a persistent problem with your travel insurer? Contact the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (afca.org.au). The Financial rights Legal Centre (financialrights.org.au) is a free legal service available to anyone needing advice on insurance law or how to resolve a dispute with an insurer.

Hotels + resorts

Credit: Greg Straight

• If your hotel is part of a major group, sign up for their loyalty club, it costs nothing and the perks begin from day one. It might be faster Wi-Fi, or an early check in or late check out or even a room upgrade if it’s available.
• A lot of hotel rooms in Europe don’t have an electric kettle. If that cuppa in bed puts a smile on your dial, you can find two-cup electric kettles on Amazon (amazon.com.au). Throw in some coffee or tea bags, milk powder and whatever else sweetens your morning and you’re a world warrior.
• If you have a problem with your hotel, try to get it resolved on the spot. If that’s not fruitful, document everything. Take photos, get the facts in writing and take down names. Contact your state’s consumer protection authority. If it’s a hotel overseas, contact the head office. Taking to social media to air your grievance should be a last resort as it’s likely to stall any redress that may still be on the cards.
• If you have reason to believe your hotel room security may not be up to scratch, hang the “Do Not Disturb” tag on the door when you leave the room.
• When you check into a hotel, reception staff will usually block an amount against your debit or credit card as a deposit and that reduces your available funds. Use a credit rather than a debit card; it might take a couple of weeks for the refund to appear in your account.

Money

Credit: Greg Straight

• Buying foreign currency at an airport means you’ll lose on the exchange rate. If you need local currency the moment you hit the ground, order it from Travelex (travelex.com.au) the rate is reasonable, and you can collect it from any Australia Post office.
• It’s too easy to tap your card to pay for goods and services when you’re away without knowing how much it’s costing you in Australian dollars until the transaction is complete. The website Xe (xe.com) has an excellent currency converter app that tells you exactly how much that transaction is costing you in Aussie dollars, all the more important considering the prevailing weakness of our currency.
• Travel money cards are essentially debit cards, and some come with fees that whittle away your hard-earned cash. One card that many frequent travellers prefer is the Wise Travel Money Card (wise.com) There are no card fees for depositing Australian dollars and while you can choose to have those dollars converted to foreign currency, I prefer to leave it in Australian dollars. When I make a transaction, those dollars are converted at the mid-market exchange rate, which is as good as you’ll get. Any funds left over at the end of the trip I can return to my local bank account with no foreign exchange fees.
• If a restaurant or hotel offers to charge your bill in Australian dollars, politely decline. If you do, the merchant will apply a currency conversion rate that is grossly in their favour, a Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) that will cost you around five per cent more than if you elect to pay the bill in local currency. Depending on which card you use, you might still pay a currency conversion fee, but you’ll dodge the DCC sting.
• When you’re out and about, don’t keep all your cards and cash in the same place. Take only what you need for the day, and you don’t need a lot of cash in these tap-to-pay times. Two cards are sufficient and if there are two of you, divide your cash and cards.

Food + drink

Credit: Greg Straight

• In Europe, get used to drinking your coffee standing up. You’ll pay more if a waiter serves you at a table rather than ordering at the bar, but be prepared to bend. Caffe Florian in Venice’s Piazza San Marco or Cafe de Flore in Paris deserve a leisurely sit-down coffee, the experience is priceless, and you can linger.
• Swap lunch and dinner. Restaurants usually charge more for dinner than they do for lunch, even when they serve the same dish. Eat your main meal at lunchtime, have a snack for dinner, and you’ll save.
• Street food is a great way to eat on the cheap. Rice and noodle dishes in Asia, porchetta rolls, arancini and panzerotti in Italy, stuffed baguettes in France are all money savers. The same goes for markets, there’s usually local, ready-to-eat food available. Look for where the locals are queueing and if it’s hot food and cooked to order it should be safe.
• Convenience stores in Japan and South Korea have pre-prepared dishes that you can take away and eat in your accommodation, or in a local park or on an intercity train. In Japanese stations look for stalls selling bento boxes, you’ll usually get delicious, nutritious food at a cheap price.
• Public toilets are scarce in Italy, France and Spain, but head for the nearest bar or cafe. Any place where food is served is required to have a toilet. Do the honourable thing and buy something, this is not a free service, but a cup of coffee will do.

Car rental

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• If you’re renting in a foreign country, try the local version of the hire company’s website as well as the one in Australia – it’s often cheaper. For example, if you’re looking to rent a car from Avis in Spain, Google “Avis Espana” and you should get the Spanish version, (avis.es). You will need to negotiate the website in a foreign language, but that’s not difficult.
• Buying full collision damage waiver for your hire car from your car hire operator costs a bomb. If your travel insurance policy doesn’t cover you, Rentalcover (rentalcover.com) has comprehensive cover at a reasonable price. One caveat: in the event of any damage, you will need to pay for the excess before making a claim with Rentalcover.
• You might collect your hire car in a dim and dark undercover car park, without a hope of spotting unrecorded damage. Head for the nearest service station, take a walk around your vehicle and head straight back to the car hire depot if you see anything worrying.
• Service stations are often unattended in Western Europe, and working out how to use a pump can be challenging. Also, you’ll pay with a card and a deposit of €100 might be charged to your card, on top of the fuel bill. Find a service station with an attendant, and you’ll make life a lot easier. Service stations at supermarkets charge less than those on the motorways.
• Book your hire car as soon as your travel plans firm up, prices increase as the supply dwindles. You can usually reserve a car without prepaying. If a cheaper option becomes available closer to your trip, grab that instead.

Tours

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• Visiting a new city? Start with a hop-on, hop-off bus tour, they’re cheap, and it’s a great way to get your bearings. You don’t need to investigate all the museums, galleries and other attractions along the way, make a note and come back later.
• Freetour (freetour.com) is a worldwide network of free walking tours. They’re usually conducted by students or retirees, group size can be 20-plus and quality varies, but if you don’t know anything about the city you find yourself in these tours usually provide a decent introduction. Although they’re free, the guide’s efforts should be rewarded, and if they’ve gone the extra mile for you, so should you for them.
• Food tours are a brilliant way to dive into local culture, and they’re available in just about every major city these days. Why the people in the Italian province of Umbria eat bread without salt and why Koreans eat rice with a metal spoon while the Japanese and Chinese use chopsticks will reveal and explain a lot about their histories and cultures.
• Travelling in Switzerland, Scandinavia and Japan can tear a hole in your holiday budget, but take a guided tour, and you’ll benefit from discounted hotel, travel and activity rates.
• City tours are often cheaper if you book online or through the local tourist office rather than from your hotel, which might add its own surcharge.

Cruising

Credit: Greg Straight

• Put yourself on the cruise operators’ mailing lists and you’ll be first in line to know about special deals, promotional fares and spot-price specials. If you can travel at short notice you can take advantage of last-minute discounts on cruises with empty cabins.
• European cruises in April to mid-May and mid-September and October can usually save you a bundle over the cost of high-season cruising. January to February is another season when cruise operators also find it hard to fill their ships. Expect sharp discounts on Caribbean cruises operating out of US ports, and you won’t have to contend with hordes of other tourists.
• A cabin with a balcony looks spiffy, but it can jack up the price, and the amount of time you’re likely to spend on it is close to zero. A cabin with a window will satisfy most, while lower-deck cabins cost less than those above.
• Look out for new ships joining the fleet of your favourite cruise lines. To attract the crowds, they typically launch sprouting the latest gee-whizz trimmings, and that works to the detriment of older vessels in the fleet. Keep your eyes peeled and you could score a bargain cruise on one of the latter, still perfectly acceptable ships.
• The shore tours offered by your cruise operator can be pricey but alternative operators such as Shore Excursions (shoreexcursionsgroup.com) and Venture Ashore (ventureashore.com)offer cheaper deals. Just be aware that these tours may leave the vessel after the cruise operator’s own tours so make sure you’ll get back to the ship in good time. It won’t wait if you get caught in traffic.

Credit: Greg Straight

Trains

• The difference in price between first- and second-class train travel in Europe can be just a few euros, particularly if you book well in advance. You’ll get more legroom, a better seat and fewer passengers in the carriage. On some trains, a light meal is included in the price of a first-class seat.
• For just about anything you want to know about train travel, The Man in Seat 61 (seat61.com) has the answer.
• Trainline (thetrainline.com) is the ultimate train ticket search engine. Key in you origin, destination and travel date and Trainline scours the booking websites to find the best available fare.
• Sleeper compartments are a great way to pack a lot into a tight itinerary, and the difference between a second-class train seat and a berth in a sleeper is often less than you’d pay for a night in a hotel. You can choose between a same-sex compartment or splurge on a private cabin.
• If you’re offered a seat reservation when you book, take it. Window seats trump aisle seats, a forward-facing seat is usually preferable and if you book second class without reserving a seat you might find all seats already occupied when you board.

Five travel hacks that don’t really hack it

Myth Dress well, and you might get an upgrade at the airline check-in desk.
Reality Unless the plane is chockers and you’re a loyal airline customer, you’re flying in the class you paid for. Ever seen the folks flying business? Trackie dacks and T-shirts are not unknown.

Myth Wait until the last minute to buy your flight ticket and you can score a bargain.
Reality The cheap seats are the first to sell out, and aircraft are mostly flying at near 100 per cent capacity these days. Wait for a bargain fare and you’ll grow old, and stay home.

Myth Check in late and your baggage will be first off the carousel.
Reality Apart from premium-class travellers who get priority baggage handling, where your case comes off the carousel depends on many different factors but the time when you check in is not part of the equation.

Myth Cache and search history and you’ll get a cheaper flight/room/car rental if you return to a website you’ve already visited.
Reality Prices fluctuate all the time, day to day in many cases, particularly as booking time draws near. It’s basically supply and demand that determines the price you pay at the time you book, nothing to do with the seller hiking the price because you’ve shown previous interest.

Myth When you check into your hotel, slip the receptionist a decent tip and you’ll get a better room.
Reality Nope, but you’ll probably get a smile.

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