5 Tips to Make Your Next Trip Cheaper, Easier and More Fun

To travel is essential for a more fulfilled life, so say the great philosophers and the every-day greeting card philosophies. And, whether your vacation is a long weekend away or an Odyssey-like journey, travel does present its fair share of challenges. It is no wonder that travel and travail are related words! 

So, to help make your summer (and beyond) travels all the easier, we're offering up the latest in travel tips. Some more great philosopher, others more dime-store musings, but all will contribute to your trip with your significant other living up to its epic potential. 

1. Plan together and apart

At the risk of this point being #obvi, make sure your destination is one you both truly want to visit. And, make sure that while there, you both get to do the things you're most interested in doing.

Now, this doesn't mean being together 24/7 necessarily. We find that deliberately planning some time apart - and we don't mean a run here or a visit to the gym there - helps you both deepen your experience of the destination and with each other. After a morning or afternoon apart, coming together to share your experiences breathes new life into a trip. 

And, for the times you are together, consider each of you planning alternating days. Make it a surprise what you have planned for the other and keep the sense of adventure and mystery going throughout the trip. This can and should include those more intimate times, too!  

2. Explore one ways

Common wisdom says it is cheaper to book roundtrip tickets, but the reality is that more often than not cobbling your itinerary together as a series of one-ways, on different carriers and to less-frequented airports, can save you some big bucks. And, by flying into unexpected destinations and airports and then driving or training to points further afield, makes for not only great savings, but great discoveries. 

3. Stay cheap 

This is all about the "travel hack" which is best embodied but the Points Guy who has taught a new generation all about getting the most travel for the least outlay. Some examples: sign up for credit cards with the best (and most flexible rewards) air and hotel rewards. Wirecutter has the best comparison of these cards. Book directly on an airline or hotel's website for better fares and rates. Reserve the lowest rental car fare and ask for a free upgrade at the check-in counter. And, check your personal car insurance  to see if there's an option for additional rental car insurance on your policy. 

4. Tech it up 

Despite every bit of our lives going the way of ones and zeroes, we still have ways to improve our "tech package" while traveling. Some of our dos and don'ts include: 

Do bring a lot of extra battery packs. One portable to have with you as your wander and explore. One bigger to have at your hotel to charge up a lot and fast. 

Do bring noise cancelling headsets and a noise machine or app. Make sure you're resting and rested every step of your trip. 

Do bring a compression sock (or two) to make your inflight and, more importantly, your landing experience much more comfortable. 

Don't bring your smart luggage. Airlines are still figuring out these hi-tech bags and you're more often than not going to be inconvenienced by varying security standards at the many airports you'll travel through. Give this gimmick a beat or two for the whole eco-sytem to catch up to it. 

5. Write it down

Yep, we can document every minute of our day: snapping, streaming, tweeting as we go. But, there is nothing like taking 30-minutes together to each write down your memories and, more importantly, impressions of the day. Sharing your individual recollections later in the trip or even on your way home provides a wonderful window into each other's journey and almost a second version of the trip. 

Capturing the nuances of your experiences are likely to be more meaningful than the 5,000 photos you took. And, once you've edited those photos, having some lines to add to them, will make for a killer photo album or diary.