Three Smart Tips That Will Change the Way You Travel

(Reuters)

By now, savvy travelers know most of the tricks to navigating the air travel jungle - print or download your boarding pass to your smartphone so you don’t get bumped from your (probably oversold) flight if you’re a bit late to the airport, wear slip-on shoes to get through security faster - but there are lesser known tips to help you travel smarter.

The Wall Street Journal’s travel column “The Middle Seat” recently posted a list of ingenious travel tips compiled from frequent fliers and airline employees - here are three helpful hints that will change the way you travel.

No more (permanently) lost luggage. Make sure your misplaced luggage always finds its way home by putting your business card inside your bag - often, luggage tags are lost or mangled in baggage machines.

Buy some peace of mind. If the airport is extra chaotic due to bad weather or other travel disruptions, buy a day pass to your airline’s club for about $50 - a small price for an oasis of calm, refreshments and a nice space to lounge and work but most importantly, access to “experienced, unrushed airline agents [that] can solve problems and help rebook”.

Keep your laptop safe. Put your computer on the X-ray belt last after your bags, shoes, and other personal items when going through security. If you get held up at the metal detector, it won’t be hanging out at the end of the belt waiting for another traveler to walk away with it.

Anything you can do to improve your travel experience will go a long way to reduce the stress of air travel - it helps to approach travel with a strategy for planning your next move in case of a travel disruption. Frequent fliers - did we miss any travel tips that have saved your trip?