12 Strategic Hacks Travelers Are Doing for Every Trip in 2025 #travelhacks

Here are 12 travel hack shortcuts for airline passengers in 2025. These travel hacks are systems, methods, and time-saving strategies that you will benefit from. I have divided these travel hacks into shortcuts according to packing, planning your outfits, and proceeding through airport security. I define a hack that can be used for travel as any system or strategy or item that helps me as a passenger save time, pack less, and therefore have less stress. My husband who is an airline pilot uses this travel hack number one. He has two of every travel electronic. His travel case is much more full than mine is or much fuller than mine is, but in his travel case he has a How does that save time? He does not have to look for the right cord for the right electronic device before a trip, and he will not forget any of his travel essentials as a pilot or a passenger. Here's a travel hack for cords or technology if you do not know it. You're going to use like decorative tape like washi tape. I get it from Michaels. You can peel it off and use it again if that makes sense. You're going to match up that decorative tape to the cord and the device that it will be matched to so that you're not having to fumble through your travel case to find the right cord. He uses that same hack with his liquids. He has a duplicate Conair like electric really loud ticklish toothbrush that he travels with, and he has one at home. He also has a duplicate toothpaste for travel. I have four duplicates in the outer pocket of my backpack. This is the one that is closest to me, so that's where I keep my duplicates, and then I have a whole carry-on suitcase full of stuff that I need for different trips. I use these little medicine type baggies for my stretchy waterproof band-aids. I just keep them in that outer pocket. Number two, my travel case for my fingernail file. I do not like the glass ones that it comes with, but I like having a case for my fingernail file. I always break it in airport security, and then a few more than five years ago, I saw that NASA was using my reading glasses cleaner, and so I always have one in my backpack and one in my purse for everyday use, and then I always have my travel wallet or one of my RFID blocking technology wallets in there as well. It also depends on where I'm going for vacation as to what I need, and then also what excursions I'm going to be doing. For every flight, I have some duplicates, and this will be my antibacterial wipes. They come in little boxes. They are juicy, but not drippy, and they do not smell, or you can choose the citrus kind. I also have this no-tangle cord that attaches to my AirPods. If I fall asleep during a long flight, I will not lose my AirPod in the dark, dark airplane. The only duplicates that I do travel with that would be toiletry items would be my travel set of makeup brushes. They should pop up right here. My hooded eyes set of brushes also fit in there. I love this case. One travel hack is, remember, you do not have to zip that case up. I lay it flat. If I have it in my suitcase, I just lay it flat, and it's fine. I also have a duplicate of my folding toothbrush. It has the little air holes in it, so I just fold it up and have it, and it stays in my toiletry kit, and my store-bought mousse, and I guess my toothpaste would count because that is a duplicate. Travel hack number three is my husband uses the hotel shampoo, conditioner, and lotion so that he does not even think about packing those. My skin and my hair is more sensitive, so I cannot use that one. Number four is two-fold. You're going to save any shower caps that you get at a hotel and use those to protect your shoes from getting germs, or if you're going to the beach for vacation, all the sand in all of your suitcase and clothing, but you can also use a produce bag from the grocery store. One travel hack is to pack small essentials in the Ziploc clear bags. There are two benefits of using plastic bags versus like pouches and cases like this. Number one, it saves you time because you just bring the box of Ziploc baggies to your bathroom, and then you fill them whatever with whatever you need to go in there. You don't have to find the cute case that is for your toiletry items. You don't have to find the cute case that's for your airplane seat pouch that goes in the airplane seat back pocket. The number two benefit to using baggies is they are so lightweight, especially for my poor Australia travelers who are so restricted on weight. Number six is packing shortcuts. I travel in only carry-on luggage, so after 20 something years, I have learned some shortcuts. You may think that a shortcut is to just throw everything in, but I think if you use these strategies, they're going to help you in 2025. One shortcut for packing for me is to plan my shoes first based on two things, the weather compared with my excursions I'm going to be doing. If you know that the weather forecast for your trip on Tuesday is going to have a high possibility of rain, and that's when you're supposed to be touring the little city of Colmar, France, I think, then you're going to make sure you pack one pair of water-resistant sneakers is my recommendation. Then I'm going to think of other outfits that could go with or be worn with those little sneakers that are water resistant for that Tuesday, but I can wear those shoes on other days with other outfits. Now choose two more pairs of shoes and make every outfit versatile enough to be worn with at least two pairs that you have chosen. Travel hack number seven is you're going to open up space in your carry-on luggage if you wear your bulkiest pair of shoes in the airplane. My next shortcut is to lay out my tops and my bottoms with the sandals for that trip. Since this is coming out in the summer, I'm talking about sandals. If I lay all of those things out, I can make a list of my outfits for every day. While I'm on vacation, I just look at the list. That's what I'm wearing. It's right here in this stack. The eighth travel hack is to pack a scarf because it is multifunctional. This one is made out of silk in cashmere, so it's super thin, but it is effective in keeping you warm if it needs to and regulating your body temperature. You can wear a scarf in the airplane to keep you warm. I used a scarf on a flight recently because my arms were cold. Easy peasy. Just that thin layer of warmth helps on a flight. Travel hack number nine is to tie the scarf in one loop. You're going to drape that around the tray table bars. You don't want it to be tied around the tray table because it's going to shake the seat back of the person in front of you, but you're going to put it around the bars of the airplane seat in front of you. Then, periodically, you're going to rest your feet at the bottom of this to help the circulation of your blood in your legs keep flowing for that long flight especially. Travel hack number 10 is to pack a rectangular scarf like this one. It should be popping up there in the bottom left corner for you. See how it's rectangular? This is a travel hack that's going to help you if you are wearing a sleeveless shirt and you need to get into a church or a museum with modest attire on. You're going to tie a little tie at the end of each end of your scarf. Once you have both ends tied in little bitty knots, those are going to be on your wrists. Okay, so slide them over your wrists and then you're going to slide the scarf around your shoulders, over your back, and twist it around. Twist it around and now those are now sleeves for you getting into a place like Abu Dhabi. If you are wanting to go to Abu Dhabi like it seems like everybody is, I have a fabulous video that I'm going to put in the first comment and the description paragraph right underneath this video for you. Here are some quick methods to help me not forget any of my travel essentials. Travel hack 11 is to use a packing list every single trip. Pilots use a checklist before they deem that the airplane is safe enough to fly. It is a standard operating procedure to go through every little box in the checklist every single time. Travel hack number 12 plus two bonus ones for you is a method I use two days before every trip is I leave my liquids that I've been using every morning to put on makeup or at night for my nighttime routine. I leave those on my bathroom counter along with different type of things like my deodorant. I'll keep those there but I'll separate the liquids and that way when it comes time to packing my toiletries, I have my liquids already separated and other items that I may need like hair tools. I almost forgot my curling iron. I look like a drowned wet dog if I do not curl my hair. This method just helps me not forget them when it comes time to putting them in a travel case or a liquids bag. This bonus travel hack could literally save your life. All medicine should be packed in your personal item bag, never in your carry-on luggage or checked bags because carry-on luggage could be checked last minute into the belly of the airplane and then the airline could lose your bag. A travel tip would be to keep your medicine all in one location especially for airport security and then you can put it like farther down in your personal item bag just in case they need to see something. Liquid medication is allowed in carry-on luggage or personal item bags in quantities larger than 3.4 ounces. The transportation security administration officers only ask that you declare that you have liquids that are prescription medicine. In Honolulu, I said hey I've got some prescription shampoo and this cholesterol medicine and a cooler. Do you need to see it? Some airports will want those items in the gray bin, not your pills, your liquid medicines. Some airports will want them in the gray bins for extra screening. Here in Houston, they did not need me to take them out of my bags at all. It stayed in my, I think I was taking a backpack that day. When you check the weather, it helps you pack for more than a three or five day trip, but it makes it so tricky because weather is so unpredictable. So the method that I use is I always pack, I usually pack my travel sized Mighty Umbrella or you can pack a little travel poncho. It can fit in the pocket of your vest. This is another bonus travel hack. It is a recent thing that I have been using. It is a travel vest. It is a way to get you through airport security without having to add weight to your bags, especially if you are wanting to keep valuables on your person or just some things that you want to keep close to your chest. Pack them in the hidden pockets. Pack them in the outer pockets. When you get to airport security, just take that vest off and lay it in the gray bin. Walk through. You've got them for the long flight. If you're about someone stealing your valuables, those could be on your person in that vest. If you would benefit from having an ultimate packing list, I have like 75 items that could be used for different trips depending on where you're going. You're not going to pack all 75 in one suitcase. Okay. Just find that in the description paragraph box that's under this video. And then also leave your shortcut that helps you save time, save space, or save stress because you stress less by using a travel hack system before a flight. And say, hey, if we have not met yet, thanks for your time.