21 Travel Hacks You Need to Know Before You Go From the secret to snagging an entire row of seats on the plane, to rigging your suitcase so it (hopefully) appears at the baggage claim first, here's a bunch of clever little tricks that make traveling much less of a crudstorm.

By Kim Lachance Shandrow

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

mbocast | Foap.com

The best part of traveling is arriving at your destination. All of the other stuff that comes before is typically a drag. Overpaying for airfare. Check. Cramming your life into a suitcase. Check. Sitting uncomfortably close to strangers in a winged tube in the sky. Ugh, check.

Also on your pre-flight checklist: Jumping through the TSA's anal-retentive hoops (barefoot). Packing no liquids, gels, aerosols, creams or pastes over 3.4 measly ounces per itty-bitty container. Then plopping them into quart-sized, clear plastic Ziploc bags. Oh, and ditch the shoes. You have to prove they're not dangerous.

Related: This Crazy Contraption Straps Your Head to an Airline Seat for Better Sleep

Bon voyage, baby. Isn't traveling fun? With a few simple -- and sneaky -- travel hacks up your sleeve, it can be. Or it can suck less, at least.

From snagging an entire row of seats on the plane, to rigging your suitcase so it (hopefully) arrives in the first batch of bags at the baggage claim, the quick travel tricks detailed in the infographic below can help make getting there and back much less of a headache. It comes to us care of the globetrotters over at Hassle, a London-based startup that matches busy traveling professionals with home cleaners.

Pack a few of these helpful travel hacks for your next trip and happyish trails to you.

Related: NYC's JFK Airport Is Building a New Luxury Terminal Exclusively for Animals

Click to Enlarge

21 Travel Hacks You Need to Know Before You Go

Related: Solar-Powered Plane Completes First Leg of Journey Around the Globe

Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist at Los Angeles CityBeat, a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She has also written for Government Technology magazine, LA Yoga magazine, the Lowell Sun newspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at @Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebook here

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Starbucks Is Opening a New Location Next Week — And It Was Constructed with a 3D Printer

The 1,400-square-foot 3D-printed location will only handle drive-thru and mobile orders.

Growing a Business

No Sales Experience? No Problem. Here's How to Confidently Turn Conversations Into Revenue.

Here's a practical, no-fluff guide for founders who need to sell but don't see themselves as "salespeople."

Business News

Saying 'Please' and 'Thank You' to ChatGPT Costs OpenAI 'Tens of Millions of Dollars'

It's more environmentally friendly (and cost-efficient) to skip the niceties.

Marketing

Word-of-Mouth Alone Can Double Your Revenue Growth — Here's How to Turn Your Customers Into Brand Advocates

Customer experience isn't just about feedback — it's your biggest growth lever in 2025. Discover how turning customers into advocates can double revenue growth, boost conversions and maximize customer lifetime value.

Business News

Everyone, Including OpenAI, Wants to Buy Google's Chrome Browser, According to a Top ChatGPT Executive

ChatGPT's Head of Product was called to the stand in Google's hearing on Tuesday.