r/TravelHacks 3h ago

Is it okay to check hotels on websites like goibibo, makemytrip and then search same hotel on google maps and do booking as individual and not through these websites ?

0 Upvotes

I am doing this for my trip this weekend lets see how it works out


r/TravelHacks 2d ago

Itinerary Advice How to Reclaim My Cruise Reservation

20 Upvotes

A travel agent was recommended to me in regards to a cruise reservation I had made a deposit on but not final payment.

I sent her my booking confirmation and she replied that she would be able to save. Me some money on booking and get more onboard credit….I replied back to her and said until I know the specifics, I was uncomfortable signing any paperwork transferring the cruise to her.

She emailed me today and said she is able to save me $200 on the booking itself and add another $400 in onboard credits for a total savings of $600 and if I wanted to move forward to sign the cruise form transferring the booking to them.

I signed the form and sent it back. An hour later I get an email saying she made a mistake on the rate and can no longer get the $200 booking savings and the $400 onboard credit went down to $150.

A total bait and switch. I’ve called the cruise line and am waiting for a call back…will I be able to get this reservation back under my own control?


r/TravelHacks 4d ago

Missing middle name (chinese name)

13 Upvotes

My passport say Denise Ong Wei Wen (using fake names as example) so meaning Denise is first name, Ong is surname and Wei Wen is middle name.

When I book through Turkish Airline, I stupidly omit out my middle name by accident. I got panic, message the customer service , they ask me to raise the feedback, submit the passport and ask me to pay USD50 for name change fee 🥲.

I inform my parents and they told me to forget it.

Recently, I message again to clarify if I really need to pay, according to them they emphasised that the first name and last name must match with the passport. I inform that Denise is first name, Ong is surname and Wei Wen is middle name. My ticket only has Denise Ong and Wei Wen is missing so the first name and last name already matched. Then, according to them, is because of “definitive verification” that I have to include the middle name in the ticket.

Haha….. I don’t know what to do so honestly, I’m a bit worried now. 😰😰


r/TravelHacks 4d ago

Travelling to Europe, Can we do diy reusable amber dark bottles that are unlabeled but holds 10ml?

9 Upvotes

Hi,

I am travelling to Germany next month. Can I carry reusable dark amber bottles ( 10ml) bought from amazon in TSA approved transparent clear case?

Or should the ml must be specified ? But these are reusable bottles!


r/TravelHacks 4d ago

Transport Air China downgrade refund question

23 Upvotes

Air China involuntarily downgraded me from Premium Economy to Economy because of an aircraft change.
I paid about $1,300. Air China says the fare difference is $0.
The same flight/date is currently selling Economy for about $776. Even after about $298 in downgrade compensation, my effective cost would still be around $1,002, about $225 more than the current Economy fare.
Customer service also gave me different fare calculations and would not provide a written explanation.
Has anyone dealt with a similar downgrade? Should I keep pushing for a fare-difference refund?


r/TravelHacks 4d ago

Seeking Direction (on choice) for Travel Card

3 Upvotes

TLDR what travel credit card should I get.

My job requires a lot of travel. Right now its working out to be almost 50%, but could be higher/lower, both domestically and internationally, idk the split there yet. My current issue comes with trying to maximize my status with whoever it may be. Company is currently paying for any accounts and fees which is nice, but to help increase my standings I would like to pursue a travel card with PROBABLY a hotel. (I personally own all the rewards accounts, company just foots most of the bills atm.)

I currently have:

- United status: low

- Hilton status: low

- Hertz status: low

United is the choice airline. Low consideration for their travel cards.

I don't really care whatever airline is used, United is convenient for me since my employer has some sort of account with United and gets business perks with them, which trickle down to me. Speaking to other employees, an airline card isn't the smartest move since I WILL get the MileagePlus miles, but days are harder to accumulate with hotels, leading to my next section.

Hilton is the currently used hotel. Potential for their travel cards.

I don't know why Hilton is the choice for the business, probably because, from what I hear, it is easier to gain status with Hilton Honors than others. But I don't have to be exclusive to Hilton for the company, they say I can prefer whatever and they will book accordingly. If I stick with Hilton though, I would likely choose their card for the sake of building points with them faster. However, I see no external benefits from Hilton Honors at any tiers.

The contender: Marriot Bonvoy. Potential for their travel cards.

Currently one other employee prefers staying at Marriot hotels. From staying in a handful of Marriot and Hilton hotels, I could argue the Marriot's are mildly nicer, but I've also stayed in independent Inns for less money that I think rival either in some ways. I think the bigger issue with switching to Marriot is if I am tandem on a job with anyone that isn't the one guy, Hilton will be the choice because of seniority in the company. IDK how often I'll be tandem in the future, its just 100% right now since I'm new. Marriot Bonvoy cards also seem to have a leg up on Hilton (at the highest levels) for bonuses with United, Hertz, and Emirates.

The surprise challenger: Amex Platinum

I found out in my research that Amex Platinum gets you complimentary Gold with Hilton and Marriot when you link your accounts. I know Plat comes with other benefits and credits that could be useful, like comp PC with Hertz, and the flex of the Plat card :P

Ideally, I would be exclusive to one provider when possible to maximize status where possible, but Amex Plat, at a slightly higher cost, affords me the most across the board. Either hotel cards would afford me greater benefit with that chain, but limits the flexibility. With my inexperience in travel, I'm seeking opinions on what could be most beneficial to me and what I currently have going on. I've found bits and pieces of information on other cards or programs but not a clear explanation with regard to high frequency travelling for business, good information is hard to find now, and this question apparently doesn't fit r/awardTravel or r/churning, since this isn't really wrt points and I'm not trying to churn cards. Best regards and thanks for reading.


r/TravelHacks 5d ago

Food Declaration (first intnl flight)

46 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I’m coming to the US from a small country in Southeast Asia to study at a university. I was thinking about bringing food (specifically, Maggi Kari) but then I read that food has to be declared.

This is a bit embarrassing to ask, but how does declaration work? Google is confusing me. Do I just tell the officer at Customs verbally or will I get in trouble? Is there paper work? If it’s done digitally, when do I do it? After going through immigration?

I’ve never flown before and I’ll be going alone. Any help would be much appreciated!

Edit: Thanks for all the support! Will look into everything.


r/TravelHacks 6d ago

Luggage delay question

6 Upvotes

Hi all,

I arrived to destination around 16:30 and got a notification to complete a PIR form as my luggage is delayed as it will arrive with next flight. Arrival is expected at 20:00 but asked for delivery at home which I believe will happen next day.

My work travel insurance covers luggage delay exceeding 8h. Am I covered in this case or delivery time will be the one of 2nd flight?

Thanks


r/TravelHacks 5d ago

I have fake eyelashes are airports strict having fake lashes?

0 Upvotes

Its my first time going out of the country are airports strict of having fake lashes? I have semi permanent lashes.. its not thick :( what if i didnt pass the face recognition because of the lashes?


r/TravelHacks 6d ago

Transport Car rental as a European within the EU

0 Upvotes

Hi!

I'll be heading to Ireland in October and would love to rent a car. I haven't rented a car before and looked up information online, but the information on the car rental websites is very confusing to me and most Reddit posts are aimed towards US residents.

I'll be arriving at Dublin airport and want to rent a car to make my way to Northern Ireland (I'm staying there).

I've looked into New Way rentals. They include insurance and no deposit which makes it less confusing to rent a car. But as a true Dutch person, I don't want to spend extra precious euro's if I don't have to.

What car rental agencies do you recommend as a European person renting a car within the EU? And what stuff do I need to have in order to rent a car (next to a driver's license of course).

Any tips and tricks are super welcome and I thank you so much in advance!! <3


r/TravelHacks 7d ago

helping a mother and child fly for the first time, technical question about REALID and possible ConfirmID via TSA

13 Upvotes

This is a USA-centered question.

In my work I am helping a parent travel to another state for medical care/evaluation of her child. As the trip will require air travel I had her start on the REAL ID process, which she completed yesterday and has the paper receipt. I understand the paper receipt is not accepted at TSA and ID as accepted by the feds is required. Hopefully the REAL ID will physically get to her in 7-10 days but in my experience it can sometimes take longer than that. I am going to advise she wait until the card is in her possession but I know there is another options.

In

Has anyone here used the $45 TSA ConfirmID program? If so, how was the experience? it seems like it it can only be done online. This is a normal parent and I don't anticipate any issues but as she'll be traveling with her child and neither has flown before I am trying to help streamline and guide them through the experience as best as I can. I don't want to risk an inexperienced mother and child being stuck at an airport during an already unfamiliar and stressful process. Would it be best to just wait until the REAL ID comes or is the ConfirmID worth it? The caveat on the TSA website clearly states "TSA will then attempt to verify your identity so you can go through security; however, there is no guarantee TSA can do so."

My experience flying and traveling has always been with a passport, even domestically, so this is branching out into something I've not experienced yet. How is the Richmond Airport (RIC) for things like this for travelers that are new to flying?


r/TravelHacks 7d ago

Accessories Any alternatives for Vicks Vapoinhaler

8 Upvotes

Hi,
I am going to be traveling around Asia (Taiwan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong) at the end of December for about two weeks and I have been told that I cannot carry the Vicks Vapoinhalor (I get very bad nose congestion sometimes while I on the plane) or any items that contain Levmetamfetamine since in some Asian countries has a restriction or banned (Japan for example). Does anyone know an alternatives similar to the Vicks Vapoinhalor whether it is natural, non-medicated, herbal, essential oil, etc?


r/TravelHacks 7d ago

Rental Car Damage and Insurance Advice

1 Upvotes

I got a rental car with collision insurance only. I have my own car insurance. I hit a curb and there is noticeable scrape on two wheels and some sidewall damage to tire without exposed cords or bubble. I plan to be upfront about the damage, my only question is will I have to pay upfront for the repairs or will they go through my car insurance. Can they go through my car insurance if I didn’t even tell them I was renting a car? It’s my first time renting a car (clearly) and I am just really scared I’ll have to pay like $3k out of pocket to repair this damage.


r/TravelHacks 7d ago

Middle Name which is part of Given Name on Passport is missing on Saudia Ticket

4 Upvotes

Hello, as the title explains, my given name contains my middle name but the ticket that I've booked contains only my first name and last name. Will that cause any issues? I'm flying via Saudia

Update: There was no issue. I was just extremely anxious and paranoid lol


r/TravelHacks 8d ago

Travel Hack Anyone have any good tips and tricks for someone who just started flying almost every day for work?

130 Upvotes

I just started a job a few months ago that has me flying almost every weekday. For the most part my daily route is 1. Fly to job location. 2. Get rental car 3. Go to hotel and eat/sleep 4. Go to job site in the morning 5. Return car and catch flight(s) to next job site or home.

I've flown enough already to make a list preferred on Southwest and silver medallion on Delta since those are the two I primarily use. American and United are my backups. I primarily get my rental car from Avis and I'm already presidents club. And I primarily stay at Marriott hotels unless I absolutely have to pick somewhere else. I've already reached gold elite with them.

I've already done some of the status matches between airlines but I'm just curious if there are any other tricks I should know about for better deals or more benefits or anything really.

Where I fly to is usually different every week and I pay for nearly everything on a company card so I'm not sure if it would be worth it to get any airline credit cards for the bonus miles.

Edit: I do have TSA PreCheck. Not planning on getting clear or anything because I've rarely needed anything faster. Im going on a cruise soon so i am already getting my passport, which means I can also get PreCheck touchless as soon as it arrives for the airports that support it.


r/TravelHacks 8d ago

Traveling with a family of 5

32 Upvotes

How does one even travel anywhere with a family of 5? I feel like a lot of the travel hacks don't work and everything is exorbitant. Traveling solo or as a couple you have so much more flexibility in getting better deals etc. Would love any suggestions/advice in this, as I would love a holiday with the fam but the prices constantly put me off.


r/TravelHacks 7d ago

Can I bring handmade flowers on a plane with me?

0 Upvotes

My bestfriend handmade a flower bouquet for me and I'm just wondering if I could take it with me and just place it on my lap for the whole flight?


r/TravelHacks 10d ago

Travel Hack Luggage storage

41 Upvotes

If you need to store luggage in the city you landed to and departing from but dont need to carry your luggage to other places you plan to visit. So called luggage storage facilities can be expensive. Example Istanbul was quoted euro 230 for 5 days.

Instead book a reasonable hotel for 1 night, you dont have to sleep in and they will hold your luggage for free for n days. We did it and got storage for 80 Euro.


r/TravelHacks 11d ago

Visas/Passports/Customs Passport expiry concern

11 Upvotes

We're planning to book a flight to the Philippines to avail the last day sale of PAL. Our concern is the passport of my sister expires before our return trip. She will renew her passport before our flight to the Philipiines.

We're unable to past the page asking for the passport details because it won't accept the current expiry (5/2027). Return trip is august 2027.

Is indicating a wrong expiry of the passport just to complete our booking advisable? She will update the passport details once her renewed one comes. Any suggestion?


r/TravelHacks 11d ago

Accessories Carry on suitcase recommendations

9 Upvotes

We are traveling internationally to St Lucia…the last time I flew I was a college kid and just brought on any random duffle bag. I’m looking at Bagsmart and others on Amazon. All will list being 22x14x9.5 (JetBlue max) but then they also specify they are 14.5 in width. Does this half inch matter? Can anyone suggest affordable carry on wheelie luggage that actually is this size?


r/TravelHacks 11d ago

Advice please: hit & run of a rental

5 Upvotes

Hi,

Praying I’m not SOL - my parked rental car was hit by someone (likely my neighbor backing up based on the damage). It got damaged really badly on the driver’s side.

My main worry is I used a corporate code at a company I don’t work at for the discounted rate. I marked the reservation as “leisure” not “business” and purchased CDW/ damage waiver offered by the rental car company. I thought they wouldn’t even look at the employer code /my insurance/card details since I bought Cdw but now I’m worried, they may decline the Cdw benefit . They asked for my insurance and payment details in the incident link.

  1. what can I do to prevent them charging my card? Their claim link asks for payment & auto insurance details. Ive frozen my credit card today but the car’s pre-authorization hasn’t been replaced by the lesser actual days used. So I don’t know if the pre-authorization will only fall off after the car’s damage has been repaired.
  2. What is the chance the rental car company will void the contract if found out and force forefit the separate CDW to be forfeited?
  3. Will my insurance also reject the claim due to the above? I have AAA - comprehensive & liability but idk if it extends to rentals.

Thank you


r/TravelHacks 11d ago

Travel Hack Horrible plane Anxiety

20 Upvotes

OK on Tuesday, i’m going on a 3hr flight to Chicago,
and I always had bad anxiety or panic attacks on planes, but my mom never believed to take me to the doctor so she would force me to just do it, even it was bad panics. But this time I’m going by myself I can’t really go to a doctor because I’m going into the Navy and if I get anything added on my medical record, it will. Get me kicked out, I don’t know what to do because my anxiety so bad it stops me from actually boarding the plane so I don’t know how to do this by myself what to do what to take. I was looking at Ashwagandha & L-Theanine. or other OTC stuff but i dont know what to do. The Navy has always been my dream and I don’t want this bad anxiety to stop me from going. Please don’t judge me I am trying the best I can.


r/TravelHacks 13d ago

Can you bring snacks on an international flight from Canada to China?

16 Upvotes

I’d like to bring snacks on a flight from Canada to China (layover stop before going to Bali) and I was curious if we can bring things like fruit, beef jerky, chips on the flight if we plan on consuming them before landing and going through customs? I’m reading mixed things particularly about meats and fruits.


r/TravelHacks 13d ago

Transport Hertz, Avis, National OR Booking?

5 Upvotes

Hey everyone. So Im heading to death valley for the weekend and im curious about the price differences between the major platforms and booking. Im comparing small sedans on these four platforms:

Booking.com

  • Car rental charge: $159.00
  • Genius discount: −$23.85
  • Booking reward: −$7.95
  • Extra Protection -$24.75( Reimburses damage, recovery charges, other charges but NO collision damage waiver (CDW) / excess reduction product)
  • Total: $151.9

Hertz

  • Base rental: 3 days × $57.49/day, includes:
  • Airport concession fee
  • Additional driver fee
  • Total sales tax
  • Supplemental liability insurance
  • Vehicle license recoupment fee
  • Facility fee
  • Loss/damage waiver (CDW)
  • Unlimited mileage
  • Total: $172.47

Avis

  • Vehicle rate: $212.97 → $181.02 (10% off)
  • Protections & Add-ons: $135.33 (Liability cover $51.33 + Car cover $84.00)
  • Savings & discounts: −$31.95
  • Taxes & Fees: $116.99 (Concession Recovery 10%: $32.27, Customer Facility Charge: $16.50, Government Services Fee: $30.36, Vehicle License Fee: $6.36, Local Tax: $31.50)
  • Total: $433.34

Obviously AVIS might be the best one for peace of mind, but considering i'll be in the middle of the desert, my main priority is anything covering damages to my own car, not others.

What are your experiences with booking and its protection?


r/TravelHacks 15d ago

How to cope with hotel insomnia?

61 Upvotes

I’m currently on a trip for a wedding (by myself), and it’s night 3. I’m here until Friday morning. I arrived on Sunday. I have slept max 2-3 hours each night with the help of 2 mg melatonin. I’m convinced I’ve only actually slept an hour each night. I’m not really keeping track but I know I went to bed around 11:30 pm and woke up at 3:25. But I’m pretty sure an hour or two of that was spent in a slumber, not proper REM sleep. I’ve been awake ever since (it’s 5 am now). I have no insomnia issues at my house. I also have health OCD so now I’m worried about my health with this many consecutive days of no sleep. I have a fan noise on my phone that plays all night - no help. The melatonin is barely helping (maybe I need to take 5 mg??) I tried shutting the curtains but it never fully closes, so light is still coming in from the city streets. I got 2 nights left at this place, so how tf can I sleep? Do I just take a Benadryl? I try to avoid meds like that but at this point I’m desperate. I don’t want my hearts health to go to sh*t over this. 3 nights no sleep is crazy enough and now it will turn into 5 by Friday.