7 Travel Hacks Every Guy Should Know
Fellas, I know you’ve been anticipating your turn all week. The girls went first, and it’s finally your opportunity to snatch up some sweet travel tips from yours truly.
After scouring famous travel blogs, harassing world travelers, and searching through my own inventory of memories, I now have a condensed list of the more essential travel hacks that every traveling dude should know. Keep these in mind before hopping on the next plane.
1. Take a small keychain flashlight with you when traveling
If you happen to slip into a hostel in the middle of the night, you can search for your bed without waking up your new bunkmates. A flashlight is also great to have handy in case you wander off the path at night when exploring.
I wish I had had one myself when walking the beaches in the Philippines at night. I was terrified of stepping on a little biting creature. Still makes me shiver to remember that long walk back to the resort.
2. Pack an empty water bottle in your carry on
You can’t take liquids through security, but empty bottles aren’t banned! Save your extra bucks for those pricey airline cocktails and instead take an empty bottle to fill with water once you’re by your gate.
Which reminds me, be smart and hydrate. You’ll be much happier and ready to explore once you’ve landed in a new country.
3. Tack a post-it note to the bottom of your laptop
With the new rules through airport security that forces you to place your naked laptop in its own security bin, laptop mix-ups are far from unlikely.
Save yourself from accidentally grabbing a stranger’s porn-filled laptop by sticking a colorful sticky note on your laptop. (Unless you want a stranger’s porn-infested laptop, in which case, no judgment here.)
4. Slip a small extension cord in your carry on
I think the worst feeling in the world is getting to an airport gate ready to find an outlet to charge all your essentials, but all you find is that toddlers on iPads have taken up every single outlet.
Instead of giving a kid side-eye, calmly unpack the small extension cord you smartly packed and ask someone if they’ll share the power. Genius I tell you! Genius!
5. Move your wallet to your front pocket
An oldie but a goodie. This advice is still smart for any guys that are traveling, especially because I know you’re not going to wear a tacky fanny pack or obvious money belt.
6. Download cool apps for iPhone photos
Traveling light makes for an even better trip because you don’t have to lug around heavy suitcases or worry about being robbed of all your things. Leave the bulky DSLR at home and invest in some cool iPhone apps and tools instead.
There are now cool little lenses that you can clip onto your phone to give your photos cool effects like a fisheye view or zoom.
Leaving the heavy camera at home also means you now have room in your bags to take home some great souvenirs! Just make sure the souvenirs you grab are legal to take, i.e. leave the cute animals where you found them.
7. Carry a padlock and key
You never know when you’ll have to lock up your things in a dorm locker or hostel safe.
Calling all traveling dudes! Which travel hacks would you add to this list? Share your answer with other expats in a comment below!
