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Travel Tips with Melissa Beers, co-owner of My Journey Begins Travel follow below.

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Demetria Gallegos is an editor for The Wall Street Journal in New York. Email her at demetria.gallegos@wsj.com.

Here’s what I do before taking a trip: I tidy up the house so I can return to the best version of my home. That often means I don’t spend enough time packing, and I end up forgetting things. But I figure I can borrow or buy anything I left at home. The trade-off is well worth it for me.

Everybody has their own travel hacks, the stuff that makes travel that much more enjoyable and that much less of a pain.

So we asked Wall Street Journal readers for their secrets. What advice do they have so people can make the most of their travel opportunities? They came back with plenty of tips, big and small.

Here are twenty small hacks that save time, minimize setbacks and make the adventure more enjoyable:

Longer layovers – Travel Tips with Melissa Beers, co-owner of My Journey Begins Travel

Most people want to save time with the shortest layover on a connecting flight. However, they often don’t appreciate the risk of missing that connection (especially on a holiday weekend when finding a seat on a later flight may prove to be difficult if not impossible). The stress associated with rushing to catch the next flight simply is not healthy and sets the traveler up with a less-than-optimal frame of mind for the rest of the trip.

ILLUSTRATION: STUDIO IANUS

It’s smarter to aim for a 60- to 90-minute layover. Use the time to grab a meal or a snack or simply relax with your smart device or a book. Sip a beverage, watch someone else sprinting past you to catch their flight and flash a knowing smile, thankful it’s not you doing the running!

Melissa Beers, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Travel Tips with Melissa Beers, co-owner of My Journey Begins Travel – the above tip was featured online on October 27, 2024 and in print on November 2, 2024. See Melissa’s tip #18 in print below:

Travel Tips with Melissa Beers, co-owner of My Journey Begins Travel. The rest of the reader tips follow below.

Stay packed

I travel a lot for business and pleasure. The key for me is my “go bags.”

I have duplicates of all toiletries (travel size), daily vitamins, prescriptions, protein bars, electronic cords and chargers in a bag that is always packed and ready to go. Nothing can derail travel like forgetting your laptop cord.

I have a second go bag for international trips with power converters, euros, a phone battery, copies of my passport and emergency contacts.

Ron Kitchens, Wichita Falls, Texas

Pay attention when you unpack

Your suitcase contains valuable real estate. If something travels with you, it has to justify its space. So, when I return home and unpack, I ask myself: What did I take that I didn’t need? Did I really need special clothes for dinner? Wouldn’t one pair of running shoes have sufficed in most situations? Shouldn’t I have used hotel-supplied shampoo, conditioner, body wash (use for laundry!) and lotion for a few weeks?

Also, what should I have taken? Did I remember ibuprofen, decongestants for air-travel sinus and ear issues, Band-Aids of all sizes, a hat? I always pack extra socks, because, of all the items you hand-wash in your hotel room, socks dry the slowest.

A. McMurry, Sacramento, Calif.

Departing by arriving

My wife and I were taking an Uber to the Seattle airport last Memorial Day weekend after a quick visit. We were dreading the rush at the airport after the informal kickoff of summer travel. Sure enough, as we got off the freeway, we could see a long line of cars inching toward “Departures.”

“Watch this,” said our driver. He neatly veered into the Arrivals lane, which was almost empty of traffic. “Works every time,” he said.

A minute later we were pulling up to a nearly deserted curb.

Karl Higgins, Fallbrook, Calif.

Plan B for every day

My tip is to always have a Plan B for the day. Prior research gives you options when the weather or unexpected circumstances prevent you from following your original plan.

Even if traveling on a tour, look up the sites nearby and think about what you could substitute or opt to do. That’s how we ended up seeing the magnificent Marc Chagall window at Chichester Cathedral in England on a rainy day.

Anne Laband, Auburn, Ala.

Don’t waste the plane trip

I used to dread getting on a plane but I decided to look at that time with interest, curiosity and compassion for other travelers. Everyone has a story, if you’re open to hearing it.

If the person next to me is not reading or sleeping, I like to ask something like, “Are you coming or going?” That simple ice breaker may spark a whole, memorable conversation. In my experience, a positive encounter has boosted the trip, leaving me feeling as though I’ve made a personal connection.

Marian Rothschild, Boulder, Colo.

Shed weight as you go

Pack some clothes you intentionally leave along the way. What may be a little worn or out of style is often much appreciated by housekeepers (especially in developing countries). Saves a trip to Goodwill and frees up space for the inevitable souvenirs.

Doug Brown, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Pad your plan

One nonnegotiable is having a buffer day before and after the actual trip dates. Even if it means shortening the time at the destination a little, those mandatory days off are everything.

No manic morning scramble to the airport. I get my life organized, do any last-minute boring adulting stuff, and hit the road renewed and Zen.

I use the catch-up day when I’m back to re-enter reality gently: deal with mail and laundry, answer my mom’s 1,000 texts. This transition period prevents the post-vacation blues. Your future chill self will thank me.

Glen Loveland, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Drop your plans

Vacate the vacation. In essence, drop the plans du jour, pretend there is nothing to do (no phones in hand) and ruminate or rock and roll impulsively. Spontaneity surges and novelty can be the guide.

Tom Connor, Bedford, N.Y.

Travel lessons

Waze is a nice travel app as one cruises down the highway, but each night, use paper road maps to plot the trip with the kiddos. They will learn some geography, travel costs and planning skills.

Stuart Schwarzer, Pulaski, Va.

Study the specifics

Tap the power of travel forums, where there tends to be deep expertise willing to help answer questions and give advice. Focus on people who seem to match your travel style, and be sure you demonstrate that you have already done your research and are asking them about specifics that you will not find elsewhere.

We rely on Fodor’s travel forums. They can be used to read trip reports and flesh out the plan, and to then ask for more details. Reading them takes a commitment of time, but our first monthlong trip to New Zealand was greatly augmented by the hiking reports of one woman who also has cranky knees. It turns out that she and her husband travel broadly and have tastes similar to ours. We make sure to look for her posts. Our questions on forums have yielded an incredible travel agent in Argentina and a magical place to base near Granada.

PJ and Marty Rosenthal, Berkeley, Calif.

One open day

After years of me planning our trips to the last minute, my wife demanded that at least one day should be left as an unplanned or spontaneous day. I thought that would mean wasting a precious travel day but it has been absolutely the best travel decision anyone can make.

On our recent trip to Seoul, South Korea, we met up with my niece and her husband. When they heard that I love the outdoors, they told me about Baegundae Peak in Bukhasan National Park. A mountain in the middle of a large, bustling cosmopolitan city like Seoul? How did I miss that? It wasn’t in our itinerary, but on our day off, I climbed to the top of that mountain, and it was by far my favorite day of our two-week trip.

My wife and daughter love city sights more than nature so they decided to go to a Korean hair spa together (Not a hair salon, but a hair spa. Yes, a spa just for your hair. Who knew?) It was their favorite part of the whole trip.

Here are some practical tips: 1) Make your unplanned day toward the end of your trip so that you have time to learn something new about the place that you’re visiting. 2) Meet and talk to the locals and get to know them. They are a greater source of local travel pearls than anything online. And 3) Don’t worry! The worst that can happen is that you can’t think of anything new and you’ll spend a relaxing day at a cafe or the beach.

David Kim, Medina, Wash.

Organized bags

Roll pack your undergarments (underwear, T-shirt and socks) into a bundle for each day’s use. Pull out one roll in the morning for that day, then roll them up again when they’ve been worn. Roll packing takes up less space and keeps clean and used clothing separate.

Rolando Garcia, The Woodlands, Texas

Stop, thief

Before I leave for a trip, I scan my credit cards and IDs, both front and back, and email them to myself. That way, no matter where I am, if I have access to the internet I can retrieve the information. I also keep a photocopy as a backup.

This came in very handy on one of my trips. I was in a petrol station in London, paying for the gas I had just put in my rental car, when I laid my card on the counter and reached over for a candy bar to add to my purchase. When I turned back to the clerk, my credit card was gone! Because I had the photocopy in my vest pocket, I immediately called the overseas number from the back of the card to report the loss. I am sure the thief didn’t get a chance to use it.

There is another lesson from this story: Never rely on just one card. Always have at least two credit cards with you when you travel.

Marcia Brandes, Atlanta

Cloud assist

As a lifelong traveler, I have a few favorite tips:

1) I set up a Google Drive folder for every significant trip and drop all related travel information there for easy reference. It’s faster than trying to dig through emails looking for a reservation number.

2) I also have an evolving pack list in a Google Doc that’s finely tuned after years of travel. I revisit it after each trip to make notes of what I actually used and to note anything that I didn’t need.

3) If you’ll be in a location with limited internet, consider downloading an “offline” map via Google Maps to have on your phone.

Steve Conway, New Albany, Ohio

Companion compatibility

Make sure you are compatible with your companion. Are you vacationers or travelers? Do you want to sit by the beach and read all day or go from sun up to sun down, experiencing a new city? Do you like the same foods? Are you adventurous and trying to get a flavor of the local dishes or are you looking for the safe option and the nearest McDonald’s? Are you early risers or late-night partyers, planners or go-with-the flow types, introverted or extroverted?

If you don’t agree up front on the type of experience you want, you definitely won’t enjoy the trip and you may ruin a friendship or relationship in the process.

Jill White, Indianapolis

What interstate?

When taking a car trip to your eventual destination, if not time-constrained, turn off the highway option on your GPS. Off the freeway, you’ll see so much more of the countryside.

Bernhard Ebner, Geneva, Switzerland

Friendly foot forward

Travel forces you to be more sociable—to start conversations, to meet new people—on vacations, wherever I end up. My tip is to open up, try to overcome shyness, break out of established patterns, and greet the world. As you read this, I’m off on a trans-Atlantic cruise and can’t wait to force myself to make new friends!

Bryan Wirwicz, Houston

Go it alone

Travel solo. When traveling with friends, one is at the mercy of their sleeping habits, late rises and differences in taste. What to visit? Should we spend a whole day at a single place or try to fit in two or three attractions?

With solo travel, you are the final decision maker as to how to spend the limited time you have at your destination.

It’s hard to find the time to travel. So don’t be apologetic about being selfish with this precious time to see a new part of the world.

Some readers may object to this approach, saying that solo travel can be lonely. I completely agree. That’s why I recommend making use of event-finding apps such as Meetup.com. They are great ways to socialize and make friends with strangers who might be locals, longtime expats or fellow travelers but from different parts of the world.

Thomas Murthi, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Open your eyes

As a park ranger once described to us, our national parks provide us with the opportunity to experience “BUWA”—beauty, uniqueness, wildness, and adventure. While his comments relate primarily to our national park system, I think that we can search for “BUWA” in many travel opportunities.

Ted Cohrt, Grass Valley, Calif.