7 Holiday Travel Hacks Everyone Should Know

By which we mean an incognito browser. See, many airline and travel websites use cookies to track how many times you’ve visited and then alter their prices accordingly (meaning, they jack ’em up). To make sure you’re getting the best deal, use Google Chrome Incognito. In the top right corner of your browser window, click on the drop-down menu and select “New Incognito Window.” A new window will open automatically and you’ll be safe to book your tickets with no preconceived pricing.

Sure, every airline lets you pick your seat upon checkout. But SeatGuru takes it a step further. Before you book, type in your airline and flight number and see the layout of the exact plane you’ll be flying on. Here, you can scope out your ideal seating situation based on legroom, under-seat storage and how close you are to the lavatory. You can also find out if the plane has Wi-Fi and what kind of food will be served. (Breakfast scones? Score!)

If you haven’t done so already, sign up for TSA PreCheck ($85 for five years), which will expedite you through security in more than 150 U.S. airports. Want the same speedy access to Wi-Fi? A Boingo subscription (from $5 a month) keeps you online at more than 30 domestic airports (and more than 1 million hot spots around the globe). Tip: American Express Platinum cardholders are eligible for free accounts.

Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean you have to use the teeny, tiny bar of hotel soap (the quickest route to dryness, as far as we’re concerned). Instead, take Clinique’s new Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush with you wherever you’re headed. Th​e detachable head makes it easy to stash in your cosmetics bag, and you can even pick up a set of travel-sized products to go along with it. Look how put-together you are.

Did you know the TSA has the authority to open gift-wrapped packages, even ones in your checked luggage (eye roll)? In other words, do not travel with wrapped presents. Instead, either ship your gifts to your destination or pack them up unwrapped and prettify upon arrival.

It’s inevitable: Everyone in the whole darn airport will be looking for charging stations. Fortunately, those big TVs that are at just about every gate have USB ports on the back. All you have to do is sneakily plug your phone into one (assuming it’s not too high on the wall).

The screaming baby in row 6? You’re gonna need a drink. The $14 glass of wine? What are you, a millionaire? Enter Carry-On Cocktail Kit. Available in either Moscow Mule or Old Fashioned, this adorable little kit comes with a mini bottle of booze, the perfect mix-ins (think cane sugar, bitters, ginger syrup) and a little spoon or muddler. Best of all, it’s TSA-approved.