When we’re planning a trip, we usually get so excited that we forget about the little things that can make all the difference. With the peak holiday season approaching, it’s the perfect time to recap on the most useful tricks that you can easily apply wherever you go. Even if you booked a 5-star hotel, there are ways to make your stay even more fabulous.

We at Bright Side did thorough research and compiled a list of 11 super-useful hacks to help make your worry-free and all the more enjoyable.

1. Always check the bathroom.

Instead of wasting your precious time cleaning your shoes before packing up your stuff, grab some extra shower caps. This is especially useful if you’re out of large enough plastic bags. The elastic band on shower caps makes them perfect for wrapping up dirty shoes, so you don’t transfer dirt onto the clothes in your suitcase.

3. Roll your clothes instead of folding it.

There are various ways to pack clothes in a suitcase to optimize the space, and many people swear by the rolling method. Also called ’’ranger rolling’’, this packing technique basically involves folding your clothes and then tightly rolling them up. This method is great for pants, casual dresses, T-shirts, pajamas, and swimsuits. On the other hand, rolling may not work so well with bulky clothes, like sweaters because they can take up more space when rolled.

4. Use hot water from a kettle to clean items before use.

If you end up in a hotel room that’s lacking in many entertainment options, you can use this low-tech volume-boosting trick. When maximizing the volume on your phone is just not enough and when you don’t have any kind of speaker on hand, just put your phone in a dry, empty mug or a cup, like in the above picture, and enjoy the music.

11. Put your suitcase in a bathtub first.

© Myra Thompson / Shutterstock.com, © Depositphotos.com

Instead of opening your suitcase right away when you arrive at a hotel, put your luggage in the bathroom or in the bathtub first. In the meantime, you can go check around your room if there are any bugs and insects. Therefore, the bugs won’t approach your luggage, because the bathroom is the safest place to hide away from those pesky creatures.

Which of these tricks are you planning to try out on your next trip?