If you're heading away on your holidays or you travel a lot for work, there are plenty of travel hacks that can make your life better.

Dave Hax is a man known for his lifehacks that can, at least in some small way, change your life. In this video, he turns his attention to a couple of simple travel hacks that will improve your trip, from how to pack your bag properly to an ingenious way to prop up your phone for long journeys so you can watch videos on it.

However, those aren't the only hacks that you need to know, as a recent piece in Business Insider also outlined some of the best tips that you'll need for your next trip abroad. While the full list has 29 and is well worth a read, we've picked a few of the ones that will come in most handy over the summer months. 

Getting a Y, B or H ticket

If you can manage to get one of these classes of tickets, it means that you still pay for the full fare, but if there are spots open for an upgrade, then you can roll in and enjoy the first class treatment. You'll need to check with your airline on how to get these, however, while a good travel agent should be able to sort you out.

Clear your cookies

A flight can be a big investment and something that you consider a lot before buying. If you keep going back and forth or refreshing the page, this can sometimes make the system think there is increased demand and start bumping up the price, so clear your cookies to work from a clean slate. 

Try to get on a Boeing 767

If you can find out what type of plane you're getting and a Boeing 767 is on offer, try for that, as they have fewer middle seats. Sorted.

Download the airline's app

You get features on the app like mobile boarding passes, which save you reaching around in your bag for bits of paper that you definitely lost, but some apps will also offer you real-time info on your flight's boarding time, the gate and other useful info. that will save you running around the place trying to find a screen with all the info. 

Go to the lounge

If you've got a spare €20, hitting up the executive lounge while you await your flight is a better way to spend your time than sitting on the uncomfortable plastic chairs they provide around the gates. You can book a ticket ahead of time online, arrive on the day and pay, or sign up to an annual program that will cover you for access to over 700 lounges around the world if you travel frequently. The staff inside those hallowed grounds will also call you sir without adding "you're making a scene".

Minimise jet lag

It's a tough thing to do, but there are a few steps that you can take to minimise the impact of jet lag on your life. If you can start adjusting your schedule a couple of days ahead of time by going to bed later/earlier and getting up later/earlier, you won't be hit so badly, while drinking plenty of water and cutting down on booze and caffeine will help too. 

Your credit card

While the banks here are not all that good on this front yet as they are in the United States, you should still ask and check if there are any bonuses on your credit card like extra frequent flier miles or rewards for using it abroad, while some will even get you access to the executive lounges. Similarly, there are other reward-based programs from companies such as AXA that will offer you discounts on cruises and hotels, so it's worth checking if you're signed up for that too. 

Via Business Insider