Tourists who have planned their trips carefully in advance by reviewing cheap travel options such as cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, discount travel deals, and cheap vacation packages can sometimes feel completely off kilter when arriving in new surroundings and trying to find belongings in luggage.
The following are suggestions from Smarter Travel how to stay organized while traveling:
Download itinerary apps that organize all of your itineraries on your smartphone. Travelers no longer have to try to keep sorted paper copies of flight information, hotel reservations, rental car confirmations, schedules, maps, and directions.
One of the best itinerary apps is TripIt which will generate a complete itinerary for you, after you forward confirmation emails, and then customize your itinerary by adding maps, directions, and notes. This app allows users to share their accounts with others. Some travel apps feature mobile airport alerts so that you will be notified if your gate changes or your flight is canceled or delayed.
Upon arrival at your hotel unpack immediately. Otherwise living out of a suitcase can result in a disorganized vacation. Place your clothes in dresser drawers and hang up any garment that may wrinkle. Unpack your toiletries in the bathroom. Afterwards you will feel more relaxed and will not later have to waste time searching for things or pulling clothes out of a messy pile.
Use packing aids, such as packing cubes, folders, and compression bags. Not only do they save space, they also result in a well-organized bag. If you want to save money, grocery bags and gallon sized zip-top plastic bags will work as well.
Create and use packing lists before departure and during your trip. By packing a duplicate copy of your list you can check items off as you place them in your bag to ensure that nothing is left behind.
Go digital and download your boarding pass on your smartphone. This way you will not have to search for printed boarding passes when you arrive at the airport.
Organize your digital devices and their accessories so that cords do not get tangled, devices lost, and accessories accidentally left behind. Cell phone chargers are the number one item that hotels find is left behind by guests. A company named Cocoon makes a variety of accessory organizers that feature GRIT-IT!, an organization system that includes rubberized elastic bands to hold charges, headphones, backup storage, and other accessories in place. These flat, lightweight cases easily fit in carry-on bags.
Carry a well-organized wallet that comes will ample pockets for clever storage, but not too bulky to pack and place in your pocket or handbag. Brookstone offers several good options with enough organization features to hold your passport and boarding passes.
Place your belonging in your hotel room similarly to how you find them at home. If you keep your keys and wallet on a table near your door, place a bowl or box near the door of your hotel room to hold your purse, keys, wallet, lotion, etc. Unpack clothing into a similar dresser drawer configuration to replicate what you have at home. If your belonging in your hotel room are placed in similar areas to how you have them at home, it will be easier to later find them.
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