22 Travel Hacks You Need To Know This Holiday Season

Merry travels.

Candace Lowry for BuzzFeed / Via Thinkstock

1. Buy tickets on Sundays for the best deal.

Warner Bros. Pictures / Via watermelongifs.tumblr.com

Holiday airfare can put a serious dent in your wallet, especially if you wait to purchase your tickets closer to the holidays. A recent study showed that fare on Sunday was nearly $71 cheaper than Monday. If you can only purchase fare during the week, aim for Tuesday.

2. Make sure to clear your history, cookies, and cache before searching flights.

Candace Lowry / Via BuzzFeed

Many airlines and travel websites track how many times you've visited their website and change their prices accordingly. To make sure you're getting the best prices when you book your holiday air travel online, be sure to to clear your internet browser's history, cache, and cookies to make it seem as if it's your first time visiting the site!

3. Book a red-eye, if possible.

site.popdeluxe.net

If your holiday plans permit, take the red-eye home (the last flight out of the airport that night) to avoid the madness of holiday traveling. Plus, red-eyes are typically cheaper AND you'll be in and out of the airport in no time.

4. Fly out on the actual holiday.

If red-eye flights aren't your thing, try flying out on the actual holiday to still avoid the high volume of holiday travelers and expensive flights. Look at it this way, you'll be arriving fashionably late for the holiday.

5. Bringing presents home? Don't wrap your gifts until you're at your destination.

designmom.com

Pack the wrapping paper and the present with you separately to avoid tears and wrinkling while you're traveling. Also, TSA can open gifts in checked bags. So, once you get to your destination, wrap it up!

6. Use Seat Guru to plan your seating arrangement.

Seat Guru

Seat Guru allows you to look at the layout of the exact airplane you'll be flying on when it comes to your holiday travels. You can scope out your ideal seating situation based on leg room, under-seat storage, and how close you're located to a lavatory.

7. Use the app GateGuru to map out your airport visit.

GateGuru

GateGuru will help organize your holiday traveling from the start of your trip until the moment you leave the airport. The app provides airport weather, departure info, estimated TSA waiting lines, location of ATMs, and rental car information for over 200 airports across the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

8. Before you leave to go home for the holidays, get a flu shot.

NBC

Airports during the holidays are an easy way to catch the flu if you're not prepared. Make sure to get a flu shot two weeks before you start traveling to avoid spreading holiday viruses to your loved ones.

9. Use curbside check-in.

Curbside check-in usually takes less time and you can avoid the hellacious holiday lines that will inevitably be inside.

10. Use the airline's app to get your boarding pass.

androidpolice.com

Having a mobile boarding pass means one less physical thing to worry about and carry.

11. Use airport TVs to charge your phone if all the plugs are taken.

Of course everyone will be desperately looking for charging stations. Fortunately, TVs have USB ports in the back of them, and you just sneakily plug your phone into them. With a fully charged phone, you'll be able to keep in touch with your loved ones during your travels.

12. Bring a hoodie, even if you're flying somewhere warm for the holidays.

conceptualdevices.com

From a travel pillow to a laptop sleeve, you can turn your average hoodie into the best holiday companion you've ever had with simple folding techniques.

13. Wear compression socks to increase blood circulation on longer flights home.

In order to keep your blood flowing to avoid clotting in your ankles and thighs, wear compression socks, especially if you have a longer trip home.

14. Save holiday money by bringing your own liquor on your flight.

As long as liquor is 3 ounces or less and fits comfortably in one quart-sized clear plastic zip-top bag, TSA will let you bring your own liquor through security. If you do this, all you have to ask for is a mixer on your flight and you'll have affordable cocktails to sip on until you get to your holiday destination!

15. Need to pass time on your flight home? Turn your smartphone into a TV.

instagram.com

If your airline doesn't offer in-flight entertainment, don't fret, just bring a baggie with you! Lodge the baggie with your phone in it using the tray table holder as illustrated in the picture above. Before you know it, you'll be home for holidays!

16. Staying at a hotel over the holidays with your kids? Turn your kids horizontal.

instagram.com

To conserve space and avoid an extra rollaway, turn a queen bed into two comfortable twins, by having your kids lay across the bed horizontally. Then, create boundaries with a few extra pillows. Here are some other helpful tips if you're traveling with kids over the holiday season.

17. If presents are taking up extra space in your luggage, roll your clothes, don't fold them.

Simply folding your clothes in your luggage will take up extra space that could be used for presents. Roll your clothes to optimize your luggage space. To get even more extra space in your suitcase, try bagging up your rolled clothes with oversized Ziplocs!

18. Hate the smell of luggage? Use a dryer sheet!

youtube.com

Place dryer sheets at the bottom of your luggage before packing your clothes to get that freshly laundered smell.

19. Traveling with your New Year's jewelry? Find an old button.

Put your posh new pair of earrings in a button to keep them organized and to prevent you from ever losing them again.

20. If you're taking any holiday treats or goodies, keep them refrigerated during your flight with frozen sponges.

instagram.com

Freeze wet sponges the night before your trip and slip them into your luggage when you're ready to go, protecting your treats from melting or going bad. As long as the sponges are completely frozen, you can take them through airport security.

21. Pack holiday wine and/or champagne with ease.

youtube.com

Nothing rings in the holidays quite like champagne or wine. Put the bottle of your favorite holiday drink in between a pair of your shoes to ensure it travels safely.

22. Keep all your bobby pins in one place by storing them in a Tic Tac container.

instagram.com

We all know that bobby pins find a way to slowly disappear if you don't have a place to put them. By keeping them in a Tic Tac container, you have a perfect stash of the sneaky hair accessories when your New Year's Eve party rolls around.

Merry travels!

Paramount Pictures