My line of work entails a significant amount of travel. Since 2019, I’ve racked over 500,000 miles—enough to reach the moon twice. For many of us, spending time in the bright neon lights of airport terminals and cramped airplane seats is an inconvenient step toward a much-needed vacation or a project. However, having flown hundreds of times, I’ve learned to enjoy the process. It allows me downtime to tackle backlogged work, read, write, catch up on Netflix shows, and sometimes, catch up on much-needed sleep. Through my extensive travels, I’ve developed valuable tips that have made the experience more enjoyable and efficient. As I embark on 22 hours of travel (Greece → London → Miami), I figured I’d share these secrets with you. These tips are guaranteed to make your time above the clouds easier. And if you have a tip I haven’t mentioned here, please share it in the comments below.

Essential Travel Apps

TripIt

TripIt is an essential app for any frequent traveler. It syncs with your email to gather all your bookings into one coherent timeline, including flights, car rentals, hotel reservations, and itineraries. This way, you have all your travel plans organized in one place, from take-off and landing times to terminal and gate numbers. While premium features allow you to secure a better seat or get live alerts, the important information is completely supplied with the free app. You can download the app here

Been App

Been is a simple yet satisfying app that tracks all the countries you've visited. As you mark off each country, the map slowly fills with green, giving you a visual representation of your travels. It's a fun way to see your progress in exploring the world, and there's something rewarding about watching the map grow greener over time. The app can be downloaded here

SplitWise

SplitWise is a fantastic tool for managing shared expenses, especially when traveling or working on group projects. Whether it's during a project or after it's wrapped up, SplitWise helps ensure that everyone knows exactly what they owe, making expense tracking fair and transparent. It's been invaluable for avoiding any awkward money conversations and keeping everything organized. App can be downloaded here

Offline Google Maps

Whether it's a lack of cell service or an unreliable carrier, being in a foreign country without the ability to navigate is easily solvable with Google Maps' offline features. Simply open the Google Maps app:

• Tap your profile picture.

• Select 'Offline maps'.

• Tap 'Select your map boundaries'.

• Adjust the map to the area you want to download.

• Tap 'Download'.

This ensures you have navigation available even without a data connection.

Packing Hacks

Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are the MVP of traveling smart. As a filmmaker, I have numerous cables, chargers, batteries, screens, cardholders, nuts & bolts, hard drives, and other items that make packing challenging. The day I discovered packing cubes was a game-changer. I have several packing cubes, each with a specific role: one for batteries and chargers, another for sound equipment, and others for memory cards, readers, and hard drives. I even have a personal packing cube for my phone’s battery packs, chargers, cables, and other essentials. These cubes keep everything organized and easy to find. I also use packing cubes for my clothes, with separate cubes for underwear and socks, pants, and shirts, making everything organized and easy to find in a very packed suitcase.

Airtag in the Suitcase

Buy an Airtag or Google Tile and hide it inside your suitcase. You’ll always know where your suitcase is; if your luggage gets lost, you can direct the airline to its location.

The Personal Item Accessory Cube

My latest and probably one of the most helpful hacks I've recently discovered is carrying a small packing cube inside my carry-on. I've always found it maddening to try and retrieve an item from my overhead luggage or get something from my personal item that is crammed under the seat in front of me. I ordered a small zipper packing cube from Amazon that has lots of different storage solutions. I stuffed it with varying cables of charging, battery banks, a small adapter that fits a plane, and pills I sometimes don't take because of the hassle of getting them, as I previously mentioned. Now, whenever I'm about to sit down, I place that cube in the storage compartment in the seat in front of me. It may sound silly, but this hack alone has made life so much easier. The one I got can be found in this Amazon link.

Travel Strategies

Mileage Plans

If you haven’t discovered the importance of mileage plans, I highly suggest you sign up. It only takes a minute and is free. Most companies allow you to accumulate miles that never expire, which you can use for future travel, purchasing tickets, or luggage. More importantly, you can build status with airlines. I’ve managed to build status with United, and even at the lowest status level, I get upgraded to economy plus on every flight, along with free luggage, earlier boarding, and the occasional free upgrade. If you ever achieve status with one airline, you can request another airline to match it, making it easier to build status with other airliners.

TSA Pre-check

For US residents, TSA Pre-check is a game-changer. After a quick interview at one of the 500 TSA offices nationwide and paying the small fee of $85 for four years, you can pass through a special security line with minimal waiting. You won’t need to remove your laptop from your bag or your shoes from your feet. It’s fast, efficient, and absolutely worth the price. Just make sure to fill in your “Known Traveler Number” when booking your flight. For more information, click here.

Standing Last in an Earlier Group Line

As a filmmaker, I often travel with heavy gear. Boarding late means I'm more likely to need to check my luggage, which is often well over the weight limit—adding an extra layer of anxiety to the experience, as I'm really not supposed to board a plane with such a heavy carry-on. Here's my trick: whenever you buy cheaper tickets and are assigned to later boarding groups, try to position yourself at the end of the group boarding ahead of you. For instance, if you're in Group 4, stand behind the last person in Group 3. This way, by the time you reach the end of the boarding group, the flight attendants will already be calling the next group in line, increasing your chances of finding overhead space for your bag. If you're feeling bold, try boarding with earlier groups. Once priority boarding and the first few groups have gone through, stewards rarely check group numbers.

Keeping the Middle Seat Open

Traveling with a companion? When selecting your seats, a good practice to attempt to have the entire row for yourselves is to book two seats while leaving the middle one open. If the flight isn’t full, this will increase the likelihood that the middle seat will remain empty, as it’s the least preferred choice for travelers.

Comfort and Convenience

Ultimate Neck Pillow

This is going to be short and straight to the point. Usually, I spend a lot of time researching an item before I buy it. Without going into too much detail why, this is hands down the best travel pillow I've found. It's a bit on the pricey side, but it's worth it: Amazon link.

3D Sleep Mask

I never liked sleep masks until I discovered the 3D sleep mask. It’s cozy on your face and doesn’t put pressure on your eyelids, making it very comfortable to sleep with. I like it so much that I immediately buy a new one if I ever lose it. If you want to get the same mask I use, the link is here.

Pack Two Days Before Your Flight

Packing the day of your departure is stressful and a recipe for forgetting important items. Packing two days before your flight leaves you relaxed and stress-free on the day you leave. This allows you to close loose ends the day before your flight without worrying about packing.

Cost-Saving Tips

Cheaper Uber/Lyft Outside the Airport

Uber and Lyft often have higher prices when picking up passengers from the airport. To save money, take a free shuttle to a nearby train station or hotel and order your car service there. This will usually save you $20 to $30 each time.

Order Flights on Tuesday Nights

Tuesday is the day that shows the cheapest flights across all airlines. Airlines adjust their prices based on competition and seat availability early in the week. Also, statistically, the cheapest time to buy a plane ticket is 64 days prior to your flight.

Bonus Pro-tip

Flight Code Text Message

Is someone picking you up at the airport? Want to check the status of your flight with a click of a button? Text the airline code + flight number (e.g., United Flight 1424 = UA1424) to yourself or a friend, and you’ll be taken to a page showing all the information you need. But of course, you won’t need that, because you already have TripIt!

That’s it—all the travel knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years. If you have any tips or secrets, please share them with us. Happy flying!