The Full-Time Traveler shares her “genius” tricks for saving money while flying abroad — including using a pillowcase as an extra bag and washing your clothes before you fly home
- Australian mom Evie Farrell travels full-time for the blog @mumpacktravel
- She shared her epic tips for saving money and time while in transit
- She often packs a carry-on suitcase just to jet off to smaller destinations
- And she uses her pillowcase to bring extra clothes when she needs more space
An Australian mom and full-time world traveler with a fanbase of 130,000 has shared her foolproof tricks for visiting a foreign country — and getting there with all your bags in tow.
Evie Farrell has traveled to seven different countries since the start of the new year, some with her young daughter and others alone, and blogs about her trip on her page mumpacktravel.
While post-Covid travel is certainly more of a headache than it was before the global pandemic, Ms Farrell has found numerous ways to travel luxuriously and more cheaply using only carry-on luggage, using “the pillow hack” and the “Sleeping in Airports” app.
When it comes to navigating your arrivals and departures at the airport, the jet set mom often opts to purchase lounge tickets, which typically cost around $50 for four hours, to enjoy the perks of a shower, enjoy warm food, drinks and WiFi.
Evie Farrell has traveled to seven different countries since the start of the new year, some with her baby daughter, some alone, and blogs about her trip on her page mumpacktravel
If her trip isn’t too long, Ms. Farrell opts for carry-on only so she doesn’t have to worry about losing her bags between airports and it ensures she actually carries everything in her bag.
To keep things neat and tidy, she swears by packing cubes for swimsuits, lingerie and bras so they don’t end up in her bag all over the place.
For those struggling to fit everything they own into a tiny carry-on, Ms Farrell has shared her all-important “pillow hack.”
To keep things neat and tidy, she swears by packing cubes for swimsuits, lingerie and bras so they don’t end up in her bag all over the place
“This is a cheap tip my daughter and I tried last month when we flew to Vietnam with only hand luggage. Every airline allows passengers to take a pillow with them, and instead of an actual pillow in the case, you can pack the pillowcase with clothes,” she told Mamamia.
“You’ll need two pillowcases – pack your clothes in the first, then pull the other over so the opening of the first faces the closed end of the second.”
When she leaves the country she is traveling through, particularly if it is Asia, Ms. Farrell chooses to wash and dry her dirty clothes there rather than having to do it as soon as she lands.
HOW TO FILL YOUR NECK PILLOW WITH ADDITIONAL CLOTHING:
North London’s Chelsea Dickenson, who runs Cheapholidayexpert.com, took to TikTok to share her favorite travel tip.
In the clip, Chelsea, 32, removed the foam from her neck pillow and stuffed it with numerous items of clothing.
She captioned the video, which racked up over 1.4 million views: “If this works, it’ll be a GAMECHANGER! #travelhack #budgettravel #cheaptravel’
Chelsea said her hack was “lower risk” than the one she’s seen on TikTok, where users stuff clothes into a large pillowcase.
North London-based Chelsea Dickenson, who runs Cheapholidayexpert.com, revealed a useful hack for taking more clothes on a flight without checking a bag in a viral TikTok video
She said: “So I have a lower risk option for you to try and it includes this. Yes, the other day I noticed it had a zipper so I opened it up, there’s the memory foam – goodbye sunshine!
“And instead, here are my pants, which probably aren’t supposed to be flaunted, soz.
“There’s some tights I put on, also my hat, space for leggings and my t-shirt, so much space to be honest.
“Look how full it is, I’ve tightened it, we’re good to go.”
She said the idea came to her when she “noticed it had a zipper,” so she unzipped it and packed it full of clothes
In the clip, Chelsea, 32, removed the foam from her neck pillow and stuffed it with numerous items of clothing
She captioned the video, which racked up over 1.4 million views: “If this works, it’ll be a GAMECHANGER! #travelhack #budgettravel #cheaptravel’
From inside the airport, the travel expert said, “I’ll start boarding right away, let’s see if that works.”
In a follow-up video, she revealed that her hack actually worked.
Her final tip is to check the Sleeping in Airports website to see which airports have the best ratings, nearby hotels or, if you get stuck, the best places to take a nap before your next flight
So she is prepared for the next trip, should it happen one after the other again.
“You can have your entire travel wardrobe washed, dried and folded in laundries very cheaply throughout Asia and in many countries around the world. I have everything washed the day before I leave, put it in my packing cubes and then put it back in my closet when I get home,” she said.
Her final tip is to check the Sleeping in Airports website to see which airports have the best ratings, nearby hotels or, if you get stuck, the best places to take a nap before your next flight.
Ms Farrell said she often slept in airports between flights before Covid, with Starbucks being her favorite spot, although it’s usually easier to curl up in a lounge now.