Over the years I have seen several articles on travel hacks, and sometimes they’re a little too obvious to be useful.
One thing I find interesting, however, is the advice given by crew members, those people who spend a lot of time on cruise ships or airplanes for work.
Since they spend most of their lives traveling, they are the people I trust the most and usually also the ones who give the most original advice.
In this article, we are going to look at 6 travel hacks provided by a KLM crew member that are useful for both cruise cabins and hotel rooms.
1. Use a Shower Cap to Cover Dirty Shoes
The first suggestion is to use a shower cap to cover dirty shoes.
Not everyone uses shower caps, and you can ask your cabin steward or the front desk for extra ones if you need them.
If you’ve never done it, let me tell you that it’s important to cover your shoes especially when they are dirty and when you have to pack them in contact with clothes.
If your hotel or cruise line does not have shower caps you can also use the laundry service bags.
2. Put a Shoe in the Safe
The second hack will be very useful for forgetful people who often leave things behind when traveling.
As I always say, when you get to your room put your valuables in the safe. Avoid carrying them around with you because you risk losing them or having them stolen.
However, when you have to check out remember to take them and not leave them there. To do this, some people put a shoe in the safe along with valuables so that they cannot leave unless they have taken all their belongings.
I know this may seem silly to some people, but if you travel with a lot of jewelry or a lot of cash it can really save your life.
PRO TIP: Never bring too much cash on vacation. Theft from tourists is very common, especially in some areas in South America and Europe.
3. Use a Hanger to Clip Your Curtains Closed
Some people cannot sleep well if there is light in the room. Often the curtains do not close perfectly, and some sunlight may come in, especially early in the morning.
In this case, you can use hangers to pin the curtains together and prevent them from opening.
Of course, you can only do this with the hangers that have clips. If yours don’t have them, you can still use one of the methods to sleep like a baby on a cruise.
4. Use the TV’s USB port
If you have forgotten the adapter for your electronic devices, or it is broken or not working properly in your cabin, you can always use an emergency solution.
Modern TVs have a USB port that can be used to charge devices. You only need to turn on the TV in the room and plug the cable into the USB port.
It may be slower to charge than a regular outlet, but it’s still better than having your phone out of charge on vacation.
To prepare in advance, you can check out the plug sockets on Royal Caribbean and the 7 hidden things you can find in a cruise ship cabin.
5. Use Your Shower Cap on the Remote
It’s kind of disgusting to say but according to some research, the remote control is one of the dirtiest items you can find in a hotel room or cruise cabin.
If you do not have sanitizing wipes with you, you can use a shower cap to cover it up and use it without touching the buttons that all the other people touch.
Unfortunately, not all cruise ships are cleaned in the same way. If you care about cleanliness check out the list of the dirtiest and cleanest ships of 2024.
6. Put a Card That You Don’t Use in the Card Slots
The last piece of advice the crew member gave to her followers is to put a card you don’t use in the card slots for the electricity.
As you probably know, in some rooms you have to insert the door card in the designated slot for the power to work.
Many travelers, forget the card inside and then cannot get back in. For this reason, it may be best to keep the door card in your wallet and insert any card you no longer use into the slot.
PRO TIP: If you don’t have a spare card, you can also use clothes tags.
In addition, remember that there are at least 10 things you must never do in a cruise cabin (can get you banned).