My 5 most underrated travel hacks

I recently graduated from business school, where I learned a thing or two about the importance of demonstrating value. (Of course, that learning happened between the “networking” ski trips that I kept sharing on social media.)

In that vein, let me welcome you to From the Tray Table with five of my most underrated travel hacks — the ones you won’t find the other travel influencers sharing on social media.

Never proactively cancel your flight

Most people assume that they should cancel their flights when they decide not to take them.

Wrong.

Unless you’re cool with an interest-free loan to your airline of choice (aka a credit or voucher), there’s no reason to cancel your flight voluntarily.

In fact, you should always wait until the day of departure, ideally about an hour before departure.

Why? Because if your flight gets delayed or canceled — even if you have no intention of taking it — you’d be eligible for a refund back to the original form of payment. Not a credit.

Additionally, when bad weather or a government shutdown disrupts airline operations, carriers typically issue travel waivers or advisories that provide increased flexibility for restrictive airline fares.

This includes the ability to make free changes without paying a fare difference or change fee, and sometimes, even allowing you to get a refund.

Case in point: I recently booked a round-trip flight from New York to Buenos Aires. My return flight was supposed to operate during the government shutdown.

It didn’t get canceled, but I used a generous travel waiver from American Airlines to get a refund for the unflown portion of my trip.

While I’m at it, this experience reminded me of two other smaller travel “hacks.”

One: American Airlines’ X/Twitter customer service is the best in the business. My refund request was originally denied, so I reached out on X, and in 24 hours, the money was on its way back to my credit card.

Two: I only booked a round-trip flight to save money. I only needed the outbound leg, but international round-trip fares are often cheaper than one-ways.

So I booked it as a round-trip and fully expected to forfeit the return. Sometimes, karma is on your side.

Double dip your points

If you’re online shopping and not using a shopping portal, you’re leaving money on the table.

Shopping portals let you earn bonus cash back or points in addition to the credit card points you earn from your issuer.

It’s a simple no-brainer, and I’ve found that Rakuten has among the best rates and coverage at most major retailers.

If you don’t have a Rakuten account yet, sign up with my referral link, and you’ll get $50 after a qualifying purchase.

Plus, Rakuten cash back can now be awarded as Bilt points, which is one of the best point currencies out there.

Link: Create a Rakuten account and receive a whopping $50 bonus

Save big by nesting your trips

Everyone wants a travel deal, especially in business class.

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But did you know that one of the best ways to get cheaper international flights is by nesting your trips and starting your flight outside of the U.S.?

Say you’re flying from New York to Paris.

Instead of booking a round-trip from New York, book the outbound as a one-way using cash or points.

Then, for the return flight, book a round-trip starting in Paris.

Select the return date from New York to Paris for a day far in the future (perhaps at the start of your next trip to Europe).

You’d be amazed by how much you can save by starting your journey outside of the U.S. I’ve saved over $10,000 alone using nested trips over the past two years — yes, I track these types of things.

3 travel products I never leave home without

I’m a creature of habit and always have my travel backpack packed and ready to go. Three staples that are always in my backpack and should be in yours include AirTags, an international travel adapter and AirPods.

AirTags have saved me countless times when I’m worried about where my bag is located.

I have one in every single suitcase, backpack, and keychain I own.

A four-pack is currently going for $64.98 on Amazon — they make perfect stocking stuffers, and they’re also good to just have around the house.

You never know when you might need another one.

Even if you exclusively travel domestically, you still need to pack an international travel adapter. Here’s why.

When your plug keeps falling out of a loose airplane outlet, all you need to do is whip out your international adapter, use the European pins, and your charger will fit like a glove.

I’ve been loving the Anker Nano travel adapter ($19.99 on Amazon), and I think you will too.

Finally, noise-canceling headphones.

Everyone has a favorite pair, and while mine are AirPods Pro 3, the bigger issue is often connecting them to seatback entertainment.

That’s where AirFly comes in — it’s the dongle to connect your wireless headphones to the seat-back screen.

If you don’t have one yet, it’s time to add one to your travel backpack. You can choose from AirFly Pro 2 (for $59.99 on Amazon) or the cheaper AirFly SE ($34.97 on Amazon).

The first thing you need to do in a hotel room

The first thing you need to do when you get into a hotel room isn’t tell your wife to stay in the hallway while you film a room tour and post it on Instagram (guilty as charged).

Instead, it’s go into the bathroom, turn on the shower, and make sure the water gets hot.

There’s nothing worse than needing to switch rooms at 6 a.m. because of a broken shower.

Trust me. I’ve been there, and it sucks.

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