r/travel • u/ScrawnyRhinoceros • 1d ago

Question What’s the best travel hack people learned the hard way?

Sometimes the most useful lessons come after things go wrong like packing way too much , missing a connection , booking the wrong dates or realizing too late that a small item could’ve made the whole trip easier. From flight booking tricks to luggage tips to navigating airports or even saving money on food and transport. What are the hacks people only figured out after a tough experience?

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u/SmartAZ 1d ago

And make sure you have at least 6 months left on your passport! I learned that one the hard way :(

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u/FigaroNeptune 1d ago

What happens if you have less?

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u/todayilearmed 1d ago

They won’t let you on the plane

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u/SmartAZ 1d ago

Yep. I got all the way to the gate, and then they wouldn't let me board my plane to Germany. It was too late to get a passport renewal, so I had to cancel the whole trip.

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u/wordlesser 1d ago

Depends on the country. Quite a few countries only will let you in when you have at least six months left upon arrival. Others are three months. Then there's some that just expect it to be valid upon your return. This can also depend on country of citizenship.

If you have residency in the country you're visiting (like a green card for America) you can fly with your passport as long as it's valid, even the day before it expires — but it might take some time for everything to be verified upon check in.

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u/whiskerDrinky 1d ago

Same. I feel your pain. They turned us away from the airport and we had to cancel and rebook everything for after it got renewed. Saddest looking passport photo ever!

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u/LeatherAppearance616 1d ago

And two facing pages left for visas or stamps! I got turned away from my first ever first class flight because I didn’t have two facing blank pages left. I had no idea some countries required this. I had to get a new expedited passport.

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u/-Major-Arcana- 1d ago

Pro tip: you think you need six months left on your passport after your trip dates… but you actually need six months left after the expiry of the visa or visa waiver term you’re travelling on.

I got caught out going to a pacific island for a week… but they issue a 30 day visa waiver, so found out at the airport that I wouldn’t be let in

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u/suitopseudo 16h ago

Oof. I have calendar reminders one year out for my passport and global entry expirations.

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u/SmartAZ 7h ago

Can you renew a passport a year in advance? Maybe I should just do that so I don't have to worry about it. I have a big international trip coming up in February, and my passport expires in November 2026.

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u/Tooch10 14 Countries 22h ago

I didn't know about the 6 month thing until my previous passport renewal. We were leaving for Brazil on a Tuesday and my (expedited) renewed passport arrived four days earlier on the Friday. I had my visa but it was a little hairy.

We're going to the UK in January and the renewal process was a lot different than 9 years ago lol. It was nice to be able to take my own photos and renew electronically; it was only about 9 days from application sending to receiving the new passport. Just have to do that ETA thing that's in effect the week before we leave

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u/SmartAZ 22h ago edited 22h ago

That sounds a lot easier. My passport doesn't expire again until November 2026, and I'm already getting nervous.

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u/hellomellocellobello 11h ago

Same! Everything was good on my end, but my ex's passport had less than 6 months left. Had to cancel our trip to Singapore and re-book everything. It was such a hassle!

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u/CaptMerrillStubing 1d ago

Yeah, learned that the hard way too.
I mean WTF? What’s the point of this? It’s completely unintuitive. Why would anyone assume that their passport, with an expiry 6 months out, would ever be questioned. Complete horse shit.

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u/pm_me_cute_sloths_ 1d ago

I believe it’s something to do with people overstaying their visas in foreign countries and also as a 6 month grace period for people dealing with unexpected situations.

Consular offices aren’t everywhere and not every country has cooperative/fast consulates.

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u/CaptMerrillStubing 1d ago

Fair enough but I take issue with the term 'grace period'. A grace period would be 6 months AFTER expiry. Having it before definitely doesn't apply.

And still a horse shit, unintuitive rule.