These Are the 5 Most Popular Travel Hacks on TikTok Right Now

We can’t recommend all of these hacks ourselves, but this is what the kids are doing these days.

Kryssia Campos/Shutterstock
Kryssia Campos/Shutterstock
Editor’s Note: We know COVID-19 is continuing to impact your travel plans. Should you travel now, be sure to familiarize yourself with the CDC’s latest guidance on domestic and international travel as well as local requirements, protocols, and restrictions for both your destination upon your arrival and your home city upon your return. Be safe out there.

Traveling feels like it is getting more complicated with every passing day thanks to delays, cancelations, extra fees, and endless rules.

On TikTok, the world of hacks, tips, and tricks isn't limited to using the Dyson Airwrap and making yummy lunches. Users on the platform are also sharing their tricks to traveling cheaper.

The topic has gained even more popularity in 2022, according to Next Vacay. Data the travel company compiled shows that search around travel hacks has increased as much as 350% in the last year. The most popular travel hack, from lawyer Erica Kullberg, has received over 40 million views. In it she details how to get money when airlines bump you off a flight, though her page is filled with tips and tricks.

The rest of the most-viewed travel hacks aren't quite as legally sound (and not recommended by an actual lawyer), but they do show the level of ingenuity of travelers trying to save a buck. Before we get into the list below, we should note that these hacks are not guaranteed to work on every airline, at every airport, or in every country, if at all.

The "Airline Bump Compensation" Hack

As we already noted, lawyer Erica Kullberg's advice is top tier. This hack, on how to make sure you are compensated if you are bumped from an overbooked flight, can even help you turn a profit should you ever find yourself in this sort of unlucky situation.

The "Pillow" Hack

According to TikToker Anya Lakovliev, "pillows fly for free," so she suggests filling a pillowcase with the clothes you can't fit into your suitcase. In a successful scenario, you'd have a soft pillow to rest your head on and a suitcase all within your carry-on weight limit.

According to the TSA, you can take pillows through security—when they're filled with their usual filling, that is. Filled with jeans and shirts? Proceed with caution. With 24.8 million views, however, you might see more pillows than usual on your next flight.

The "Netflix and Chill" Hack

Even a short flight can feel long when you don't have anything to watch. And these days, a lot of carriers don't offer in-flight entertainment or charge extra for headphones. To save some money and beat the boredom, TikToker Shoshoni Van de Venn (@shoshoni_vdv_) shows viewers how to make their very own phone holder with only a piece of paper. This one is useful, cheap, and not likely to get you in trouble with a flight attendant or security guard. Just make sure you have your episodes downloaded before taking off.

The "Neck Pillow" Hack

In the same spirit as the "pillow" hack, TikToker Kristen Ashley Black (@kristenashleyblack) teaches viewers how to make a neck pillow out of a sweater and a few extra articles of clothing. Again, try this at your own risk.

The "'Sneaky' String Bag" Hack

As evidenced by this list, people need more luggage space. This hack by TikTok creator @miniadvantures seems like the least likely to work and the least comfortable, but either way, it involves using a string backpack hidden under your clothes to pack extra stuff on the sly. Once the bag is on, it will add additional, unnatural roundness to the front of your body, so it seems unlikely that neither the TSA nor a flight attendant will notice. Logistical barriers aside, this hack has been viewed over 6.8 million times.

 

It is not too surprising that there's a whole field of content dedicated to cheaper traveling.

"As the first digitally native generation, Gen-Zers are travel-savvy and heavily involved in planning their vacations abroad, so it only makes sense that they are turning to TikTok for hacks to save money or make their experience more enjoyable," Naveen Dittakavi, founder and CEO of Next Vacay, said in a statement. "The 350% increase in searches for 'air travel hacks' shows that this trend is here to stay."

Before you start doing crafts with your sweater or stuffing a pillowcase with your extra shirts, check out the flight deals on Thrillist first. You might find a deal so good you'll be able to afford a checked bag!


 

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Opheli Garcia Lawler is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.