Check out these top 5 travel hacks that can make any trip easier!

1. Get a NEXUS card

We picked up this travel hack recently and it sure has made travelling a lot easier. If you have been to any airport lately, you have probably experienced long lines for customs and security. With a NEXUS card, you get to bypass these long lines. Before our NEXUS card, we would arrive at the airport earlier than the airline recommends to check in and yet with the long lines at customs and security, we would be heading straight to the gate and onto the airplane without any time to spare. Now with our NEXUS card, not only are we bypassing the lines, we bypass the stress of clock-watching in the long lines.

Bonus Hack: To get a NEXUS card you have to set up an interview, which can be done at an airport or a land crossing. Schedule your appointment at a land crossing as they will be able to see you a lot sooner than at the airports.

2. J-Pillow

I will not leave home without my J-Pillow. It is a travel pillow and is the comfiest travel pillow I have ever owned. It supports the head and stops your chin from dropping to your chest and waking you up.

3. Colour-coded Passports

Attach different coloured paper clips to each family member’s passports so that you can easily tell whose is who’s without having to flip to the photo page.

4. Erase other tourists from your photos

When taking photos of landmarks where there are a lot of tourist walking around, you can easily get rid of them using Photoshop. Take 10-15 photos from the same position (using a tripod will be handy here) and then go into Photoshop, click File > Scripts > Statistics. Set the Stack Mode to Median and then browse for the 10-15 photos you took. Make sure you also check the box ‘Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images’. This works well if the other tourists in your photos are all moving.

5. Fill small empty nooks

To make the most of all of the available real estate in your suitcase, make sure you fill all of the small empty nooks, such as shoes, hats and beach bags with items that are easy to stuff like socks and underwear.

Bonus Hack: Take a portable luggage scale with you so you know if your bags are overweight and you can do something about it at your hotel rather than at the airport.

About the Author

Rhian Torontow is a Family Travel Consultant with Magical Family Adventures. Rhian creates travel experiences that foster connections in your family that will last a lifetime and transforms your children into open-minded, flexible, well-travelled people. During Rhian’s childhood, her father travelled for work constantly and it was always travel that brought her family back together. You can follow Rhian on Facebook at www.facebook.com/magicalfamilyadventures, Instagram @MagicalFamilyAdventures and you can also connect with her on LinkedIn ca.linkedin.com/in/rhiantorontow/