A flight attendant has baffled the internet after sharing her best travelling secrets – including using shower caps for shoes and a hanger for your curtains.
Esther Sturrus dreamed of being a flight attendant from a very young age. In a quest to follow her dream, she began attending a three-year aviation course when she was 16, before going on to work for TUI in 2019 and moving to KLM in 2020.
Now, with her expertise and knowledge, she reveals the golden tips and tricks to keep in mind when travelling.
In a clip uploaded on TikTok, which has racked up more than one million views and more than 52,000 likes, she shared insight into the top 10 things to remember while abroad.
Leave a shoe in the safe
Many hotels, hostels and holiday rentals come with a safe, which allows travellers to secure any expensive or important items that they’d like to keep locked away.
“My biggest tip is to leave your shoe in the safe,” Esther, aged 22, from Rotterdam, Netherlands, told NeedToKnow.co.uk “This way you will never forget anything from your safe. You will notice when you want to leave that you are missing a shoe, it’s also quite a funny one!”
Soak a small towel when you arrive at your hotel
Aeroplanes are renowned for their dry air, as they circulate the outside air in order to keep the indoor air fresh and healthy to breathe.
But, unfortunately, this constant onslaught of fresh outdoor air keeps humidity levels way down, which means that you dehydrate faster than normal.
To help combat dry air while travelling, Esther said all you need is a small towel.
“Being on planes means you always suffer from the dry air. And it is not nice if you also have dry air in your hotel room. So another big tip of mine is, when you arrive at your accommodation, soak a small towel and place it in front of the heater,” she said, adding: “That water evaporates and in a small hotel room that can bring just a little relief.”
Create space by rolling clothes
When it comes to packing, most travellers will try to fit as much as they can in bags and suitcases. This method allows you to fit much more.
“It always seems like there’s never enough room in your luggage when packing for a great journey,” Esther said. “However, one of the top travel hacks for packing is to roll your clothes instead of folding them.”
Search for cheaper airline flights with private browsing
Oftentimes, travel sites and airlines will record your browsing history by installing cookies on your browser.
“These companies know how often you visit their site and will typically raise the price because of your frequent visits,” Esther explained. “Therefore, by using private browsing, nothing can be tracked or traced.”
Email a scan of your passport to yourself
According to Esther, this is one of her most important travel tips, as it can be extremely handy.
The 22-year-old said: “Having proof of who you are is vital when travelling international flights. This is especially true if you are a victim of burglary or loss.”
Use a hanger for your curtains
If you’re struggling to get a good night sleep in your hotel room due to gaps in the curtains, Esther said a hanger can be a useful hack.
“Are your curtains not closing properly? Use a clothes hanger! You clip this on the curtain so that no more light comes in between,” she explained.
Charge electronic devices through a TV
“One of the most innovative travel hacks is to charge your electronic devices through a TV,” said Esther. “This is extremely helpful if you forgot or lost your wall plug for your charger.”
Use a shower cap for your shoes
When you’re packing for a trip, or packing to leave, shower caps can be useful, as they can keep your shoes from touching the rest of your items. “This way your clothes won’t get dirty when you put your shoes in the suitcase,” she said.
Don’t put your toothbrush on the sink
“I never find sinks themselves that fresh so I turn a paper cup upside down and stab my toothbrush into it,” the 22 year old said, adding that this way she doesn’t have to place her toothbrush on a sink that may not be clean.
Use your hairdryer to clear a steamy bathroom
The 22-year-old said: “The best place to use it is in the bathroom! If your mirror is steamed up after showering, put a hair dryer on it, or hair-dry near it, and it goes straight away!”
In the clip, she could be seen demonstrating how to close your curtains with a hanger, before moving on to show you can charge your phone by plugging it into a television.
Esther then demonstrated putting one of her heels into a safe, showing that this way, you won’t forget it as it’s in a pair.
In addition to keeping your shoes away from your clothes, Esther showed a shower cap wrapped around her remote, to stop it from spreading germs.
Esther also revealed that any card can be used for electricity in a hotel room, placing one of her own cards in her room key slot.
She captioned the video: “Hotel hacks from a flight attendant.”
Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many left in awe of the travelling tricks.
One person said: “What… you can put ANY card in for lights???” while another wrote: “Wow! These are really cool ideas…. Thanks for sharing!”
Someone else wrote: “Heel shoe hack great idea.”
“One of the most useful videos here,” added another user.
