I’d like to think I’m pretty clued up when it comes to travelling, but since starting in this job, I’ve realised there was a long list of tips and tricks that I’d missed out on. I’m now convinced that packing cubes are worth the investment, and I recently learnt that waiting until the last minute to check your bag could save you time at the baggage carousel on the other side. 

With a holiday planned for the end of the month, I thought it the perfect time to check in with a travel expert to see if there was anything else I might be missing, and I was surprised by one trick she recommended that I’d never thought of before. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, a travel expert at Jetpac, Pearlyn Yeo, shared a simple trick that can make travelling faster and prevent you from getting stuck while on your travels. 

While the days of printing off your boarding pass are long gone (at least for many of us), that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a safe place to keep all of your important documents organised. 

Many of us likely keep a digital copy of our boarding passes, but Pearlyn also advised taking a photo of other important travel documents and backing these up on your chosen cloud storage so they’re easy to access and in one place.

The cloud is simply a remote server that can be accessed through any device using the correct login information, and there are plenty of different ones to choose from, including Google or Apple’s iCloud. 

I’m often guilty of simply taking a screenshot of my boarding pass or an important booking and then scrolling through my camera roll in a panic when I can’t find it, wasting time in the security line. However, keeping it saved in my cloud means I can rest assured it’s all in one place. 

It’s not just to help keep documents organised, and Pearlyn explained that saving pictures of your boarding pass or hotel booking means if your phone goes missing, or the battery dies mid-journey, you can still access your travel documents from another device. 

Pearlyn said: “Travel stress comes from the unexpected. But a few smart digital habits – plus the right tools – can help you stay calm, connected, and confident, wherever your first flight takes you.”

There have been plenty of times when I’ve cut it close when arriving in a new country, having spent the entire plane journey watching a TV show and hoping my last 10% of phone battery will be enough to get me to my accommodation. 

Knowing I have a copy of my booking saved to my Google Drive or iCloud means I can always log in from another device and find where I need to go. 

For extra security, Pearlyn also recommended emailing documents to yourself, which is something I’ve done plenty of times.

“It might feel old-school, but sending yourself a quick email with your flight details, insurance, and emergency contacts creates another access point, even if apps fail or connections drop,” she said. 

If you want to be even more prepared, you can also write down a handful of key phrases and save these to your cloud in case your translation apps don’t work, especially if you’re offline. 

“Write them down or save them on your phone so you’re not stuck if you don’t have a signal,” said Pearlyn. “It should help you to feel more confident exploring new areas and avoid any awkward situations without having to rely on translation apps.”