Little travel hacks

These strategies will save you time and hassle

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
This week we're talking about travel strategies, and today's episode
is about a handful of my favorite little travel tips
for me. Many of these have been learned the hard way.

(00:26):
I hope to save you some time and hassle during
your next trip. First, one of my biggest travel breakthroughs
was realizing that my brain capacity is limited. This is
especially true when I'm on the road, so I want
to get as much out of my brain as I can. Now.
Whenever I park at the airport, I take a picture

(00:48):
of my car so I can remember which way it's
facing and roughly the row. Sometimes the rows are labeled,
and that's helpful too. I take a picture of the
floor number as well. It seems silly because I think,
for sure I'll remember that I'm on the third floor
in Garage D, but then as soon as I land
from my return trip, I'm struggling to remember if it

(01:09):
was that or the fourth floor of Garage A, which
is where I was the time before. Likewise, I take
a photo of my hotel room number. Maybe I'm in
four thirty five, or maybe that was last week. Best
to have photographic backup. Another lesson learned from hard experience.
If you live somewhere that snow is a possibility, don't

(01:33):
park on a garage roof deck. There is nothing like
shoveling yourself out at one am after a delayed flight
to leave you cursing the past self that thought this
was a good idea. If you're a u S listener,
definitely sign up for t S a pre check, and
if you travel internationally at all, go for Global Entry.

(01:53):
You'll save time on every trip to the airport for
the next five years. I save time by staying actually
packed for any trips. My carry on duffel bag always
has one pair of running shoes, a pack of earplugs,
band aids, and my little travel umbrella in it. That way,
all I really need to remember is my clothes and
toilet trees, all in less than three out sizes. Of course,

(02:16):
my husband does me one better on this. He keeps
an extra set of toiletries packed so he never has
to bother packing those for me. Though, makeup is expensive
enough and stuff like mascara has to be replaced frequently
enough that I haven't gotten around to doing that, but
maybe someday I'll take the plunge. As for that carry
on duffel bag, this is intentional. My duffel bag can

(02:39):
fit in almost all overhead compartments. Even on very small planes,
rollerboards often need to be gate checked. I'd prefer not
to waste time waiting after deplaning for my bag to
be returned to me. I use my purse as my
carry on personal item, which means I always buy tote
shaped purses. I make sure to it one big enough

(03:00):
to carry my laptop. I love when bags can do
double duty. I always travel with headphones, air plugs in
an eyemask. You can never know for sure if your
fellow passengers on a plane will be quiet, or if
your hotel room will be quiet or dark enough. I
also bring a snack because you never know if you'll
have a long wait or wind up hungry at odd

(03:21):
hours thanks to a time change. Always check the weather
in your destination before you go. Just because it's summer
everywhere doesn't mean it really will be in northern Minnesota
or even Texas can have a cold snap. I also
assume that all hotels and conference centers will be massively
over air conditioned, so I pack a cardigan and a

(03:41):
pair of wool socks for sleeping. Even in summer, I'll
wear a light jacket on the plane, so I'm prepared
for that. Another tip. Hotel gyms can be great, but
they can also get crowded in the mornings. A lot
of people go to the fitness center about ten to
fifteen minutes after they wake up, so you're were likely
to get your choice of machine if you set your

(04:02):
alarm for fifteen minutes before the hour rather than on
the hour as most people do. And of course brings
something to read. E books are great. If you've forgotten
to pack a book, you can still buy and download
one as you're waiting to board a plane. Travel often
features small pockets of time where it's hard to do
much else. Books are a more fulfilling way to spend

(04:25):
this time than searching Twitter. Again, what are your favorite
little travel hacks? Please let me know at Before Breakfast
podcast at iHeart media dot com. In the meantime, this
is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making the
most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear

(04:50):
from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram at before Breakfast odd that's b E the
number four, then breakfast p o D. You can also
shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i
heeart media dot com that before Breakfast is spelled out

(05:13):
with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward
to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of
I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.