Travel tips

Because you never know when you’re going to need that squash ball, old can of Pepsi or spare pair of pants – do you? Compiled by Mike Peake

We like bold claims at Ryanair Mag – The Most Fantastic Inflight Publication In The World – but it’s with good reason that we can state the 30 tips we’ve collated right here are “the business”. We asked more than 100 travel experts, from Ryanair frequent flyers to hotel managers to travel authors, to give us their smartest, canniest, cleverest and sometimes most obvious tips that will help make your holidays that little bit better. We had more than 300 suggestions – and these are the best.

1 Don’t use public computers to log into any sensitive accounts. Criminals install keystroke readers – often without the knowledge of internet café owners – and can then access any account you’ve logged into.
GAIL GREENBERG, CEO, WWW.TRAVELWOWS.COM

2 If you have kids and want to visit a “boring” museum, head to the gift shop first and let them buy some postcards of items in the museum. Then turn the visit into a treasure hunt. They must not only find the things on the cards, but they have to write a couple of facts on the back to prove they saw it.
WENDY VANHATTEN, TRAVEL WRITER, WWW.TRAVELSANDESCAPES.COM

3 Buy a bag in an unusual colour or pattern so that no one will accidentally take your luggage at the carousel. It’s easier to spot, too.
JESSICA GOOD, OWNER OF TRAVEL BOUTIQUE PASSPORT, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, US

4 If you’re going on holiday with a partner or friend and taking more than one suitcase between you, always split your clothes between the cases. That way, if one gets lost or destroyed you’ll always have some clothes for your holiday.
CHRIS BROWN, WWW.SUNSHINE.CO.UK

5 Never ask a concierge for dining advice unless you want to hang out with other tourists. You’re better off asking a bellhop or a maid or, better yet, asking a local where they eat.
TIM LEFFEL, AUTHOR, MAKE YOUR TRAVEL DOLLARS WORTH A FORTUNE

6 Use your digital camera for more than just taking pictures of the sights. Take a photo of your bag in case your luggage gets lost; take snaps of public transport maps so they’re always to hand; and take pictures of your travel confirmations and your passport.
KATIE FREDERICK, TRAVEL AGENT, BLOG.EASYEUROTRIP.COM

7 Press your clothes before travelling, then fold and pack them carefully using tissue paper. Once you arrive at your destination, just hang them up and marvel at the fact that there are no creases!
HILARY CROSS, GENERAL MANAGER AT THE K WEST HOTEL & SPA, LONDON, WWW.K-WEST.CO.UK

8 When I travel with my family of five, we bring our oldest underwear, socks and pyjamas and as they get dirty we dispose of them along the way. We lighten our load as we travel, come home with less luggage than we left with, and there’s less laundry when we return.
SUSANNA REPPERT, FREQUENT FLYER

9 Taxi drivers will try to pretend they don’t have change to get more out of you, so always try to have small bills and a pocketful of coins before you get into a cab.
GARY ARNDT, FREQUENT FLYER

10 Couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.com) is an amazing way to save 100% of the money you would use on hotels. It also allows you to meet new people because you’re staying in their house on their sofa, find the non-tourist things to do, and see all the secret spots.
ORI BENGAL, BLOGGER, WWW.COUCHSURFINGORI.COM

11 Bring half the clothes and double the money.
JASON L SARRACINI, TRAVEL BLOGGER, WWW.TRIPQUIPS.COM

12 Use Google Earth to find hidden beauty spots before you fly. I once found a tiny, off-the-beaten-track eco-hotel on a nature reserve in Mexico by exploring the area online starting at the airport. I clicked on a link to the nature reserve and discovered the lodge had a few rooms. It was just a few miles away from the main tourist area but the beaches were empty and other holidaymakers didn’t know about it.
GEMMA ELWIN HARRIS, TRAVEL WRITER

13 If you use your credit or debit card overseas you could be hit by a thwack of hidden charges. This includes adding a “load” on the exchange rate; cash withdrawal fees on both credit and debit cards; interest charges even if you pay off in full and for some even a penalty each time you spend. The trick is to get hold of a specialist overseas credit card that avoids most of the above hidden charges. The best UK card is the Post Office credit card. Though it does charge a 2.5% cash withdrawal fee, it has no foreign exchange loading anywhere, so you get the best possible exchange rate at all times.
MARTIN LEWIS, FOUNDER, WWW.MONEYSAVINGEXPERT.COM

14 A squash ball is one of the most unexpectedly useful travelling companions. It acts as an impromptu sink or bath plug, and can also be used for improvised ball games when waiting for buses and trains. Plus it’s cheap and light.
TOM HALL, TRAVEL EDITOR, WWW.LONELYPLANET.COM

15 When travelling with cosmetics, squeeze some air out of the plastic bottles before putting the lids back on. It will make them far less likely to leak.
SYLVIA CUTTING, WWW.BLUECHIPVACATIONS.COM

16 Before you go, take a look at www.isubwaymaps.com and download metro and underground maps for the city you’re visiting onto your iPod or iPhone. It’s free.
SUE REEVE, WWW.CONSIDER-IT-DONE.CO.UK

17 Scan in your passport and email yourself a “jpeg” of it. If you lose your passport or it gets stolen, you can print off a copy anywhere in the world to speed up the process of getting a new one.
SEAN CAULFIELD, WWW.TO-TUSCANY.COM

18 Check with local estate agents instead of travel agencies for inexpensive monthly rentals. Many people who own a second home in foreign countries are willing to rent those homes at a huge discount rather than have them sit empty.
BILL DISSELHORST, WWW.ITALIANCOUNTRYCOOKING.COM

19 If you’re self-catering, find out in advance what day the shops are closed and avoid arriving on that day. Otherwise you’ll be treating the kids to wild grass and frogspawn for dinner.
FELIX EL-HAGE, TRAVEL JOURNALIST

20 When going on a mountain or skiing holiday, many people forget to pack their swimsuits. Big mistake, as most mountain hotels have hot tubs and indoor pools.
NEIL HASTINGS, WWW.MOUNTAINLODGETELLURIDE.COM

21 Ladies: pick a shoe colour and select everything else around that. This way, everything will coordinate with everything. If you then pack extra necklaces – dressy, casual, chunky and so on – you can change a look by changing the accessories.
MARY MCDONALD, FREQUENT FLYER, WWW.HEALTHYFOOD123.COM

22 Many museums offer free admission on certain days or nights of the week or at certain times of the month. The Louvre, for instance, is free on the first Sunday of every month, as well as Bastille Day on 14 July. Check ahead for details of other offers.
SARAH SCHLICHTER, EDITOR, WWW.INDEPENDENTTRAVELLER.COM

23 If you need to wash some clothes in the sink but the hotel doesn’t have anywhere to dry them, try hanging them up in the bathroom with the light on. They’ll be dry by morning.
DAVID C REYNOLDS, WWW.BOOKHOTELSCHEAPER.COM

24 Women should pack boxer shorts when they travel alone. Before opening your hotel room door to anyone you don’t know, turn on the shower, shut the bathroom door and toss a pair of boxer shorts on the floor. The person who knocked will see the boxers, hear the water running and assume that there’s a man taking a shower.
NICOLE M BEACH, WWW.MEDEXASSIST.COM

25 I sometimes get notes from guests at the end of their stay, saying “I would have liked a room on a higher floor”, or “Why was I put in a room beside the lift?”. If you have a preference that would enhance your stay, email the general manager directly with a polite request, rather than leave dissatisfied.
CIARAN FAHY, GENERAL MANAGER, THE CAVENDISH LONDON, WWW.THECAVENDISHLONDON.COM

26 Women struggle with which facial products to pack, as we generally want them all, but an easy way to create a facial scrub is to pick up a packet or two of brown sugar. Rub this into your cleanser, et voilà! A facial scrub. Add it to the body lotion in the hotel and you’ve a body scrub, too.
CAROL MARGOLIS, FOUNDER, WWW.SMARTWOMENTRAVELERS.COM

27 Take a photo of your child on your phone or digital camera every morning before leaving your hotel. It’s easy to get separated in unfamiliar environments, and a bang-up-to-date snap is a great visual aid that would help others quickly find your child should they accidentally wander off.
ANYA CLOWERS, WWW.JETWITHKIDS.COM

28 When I can’t speak a language of a nation I’m visiting and desperately need to communicate, I get out my little, wordless, universal phrase booklet Icoon (or flash it in digital on my iPhone!). It uses images for you to point and gesture. Regardless of whether you need a toothbrush, safety pin or swimming trunks, or want to explain what hay fever is without using words, ask about how to change money or are trying to rustle up a replacement battery for your camera’s light meter, Icoon speaks the world’s most universal language – pictures.
GOSIA WARRINK, CREATOR OF ICOON, WWW.ICOON-BOOK.COM

29 If you get the dreaded tummy bug and start to lose all of your liquids but struggle with the taste of re-hydration salts, don’t panic. Flat Pepsi will provide you with all of the electrolytes, salts and sugars you need.
SALLY BECK, WWW.LANDMARKLONDON.CO.UK

30 Always carry a small, high-intensity flashlight when you travel to countries with frequent power outages. Amazing, the number of times I have needed this — and there’s nothing worse than being in an unfamiliar place in the dark. You can also have it in your bag at night.
STEVE BARRYMORE, TRAVEL BLOGGER, HTTP://BLOG.NEWSOK.COM/THEWANDERER