Enough Already: Stop Calling Everything a 'Travel Hack'

The coconut airport security “hack”

 

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A post shared by Paul Saladino, MD (@paulsaladinomd)

Since you can’t carry water through TSA, one man has a genius suggestion: just carry an entire bag full of coconuts onto your plane. Eye roll.

This is one of the worst hacks I’ve ever seen that clearly was posted just to get people to talk about how stupid it is, not to be actually helpful. In this video, a man suggests that instead of carrying an empty water bottle to fill up once you get through security, you literally just toss a few heavy, bulky, and fiber-covered coconuts in your carry-on bag.

Never mind the inconvenience of somehow cutting into a hard-as-rocks coconut mid-flight, or the inconvenience of carrying the extra weight in your bag. Not only is this not a hack — drinking out of a coconut isn’t “hacking” it — but it’s also way, way, way less convenient than just carrying an empty water bottle. This is truly one of the stupidest videos I’ve ever seen on Instagram.

The points “hack”

I won’t call the publication out, but I was recently reading an A-list publication and clicked on an article called “How to hack free upgrades using airline points.”

Reader, I regret to inform you that the “hack” didn’t exist. All 1,200 words or more of the article were devoted to how you should join an airline loyalty program to eventually earn enough points and status to get upgraded. Why is this not a travel hack, you ask? Because that is literally exactly what airline loyalty programs are for. Using points for upgrades isn’t “hacking” travel any more than paying for Prime is “hacking” Amazon.

Packing cube “hacks”

Photo: stockfour/Shutterstock

You want to know what a packing cube hack would be? Me too. Because all I know to use packing cubes for is to compress your clothing to make it take up less space in a suitcase. That’s exactly what packing cubes are made for, which means it’s not a hack — but that doesn’t seem to matter to any number of luggage websites or Youtube videos that seem to think using packing cubes is the ultimate travel hack.

I love packing cubes and use them all the time. But they’re not a hack. They’re just a good idea.

Why it matters

Photo: New Africa/Shutterstock

Why does this matter, you ask? Aside from the dumbing down of the internet, getting thousands of people to waste time making and watching videos and blog posts on useless tips that waste everyone’s time, it’s stressful. Suggesting that people should be hacking travel, or hacking productivity, or cooking, or anything else that takes time, just implies that people are “doing it wrong” if they’re not maximizing every opportunity.

It creates a fake promise that if you just watch this video, or just buy this product, or just work a little harder, you’ll be better and happier. It’s the same with every other industry that promises shortcuts or other unrealistic results. They make people feel bad and send the message that you’re not doing it — whatever it is — as well as other people. American culture doesn’t need even more pressure to maximize every second of every day.

Sure, promising hacks to make travel better isn’t as bad as promising health or financial hacks that crush viewers’ self-esteem or risk their financial futures. But it’s along the same lines.

Of course, real travel hacks are out there, and Matador has covered more than a few. (We’re also guilty of being generous with what we call “hacks,” admittedly).

Hangers are key to a popular hack for sleeping better in hotels. Photo: sixninepixels/Shutterstock

This travel hack is one of my favorites for watching videos on a plane when you don’t want to strain your neck by staring down at your phone. Better still, it’s an actual hack, since it’s using an airline sick bag for a very, very different purpose. So too is this post a great travel hack, since pillows aren’t designed to help carry extra clothing. There’s also this thread, advising to use hotel hangers to cinch your curtains and keep the sun from blasting you in the face in hotel rooms.

It’s fine to use the word hack if it’s really a hack. I encourage it, actually. But if people can’t use it correctly, and are just going to start calling anything related to travel a “hack,” then we should stop using it entirely and just call everything a travel tip — or, in the case of the coconut video, just a ridiculous idea. I know I’m guilty of overusing it, especially since putting the word “hack” in a headline is a guaranteed way to get clicks. But I’ve seen the error of my ways, and from this point on, I’m going to be much more judicious with what I refer to as a travel hack. And I’m going to encourage all my fellow writers to do the same.

If you want useful travel hacks that don’t waste your time, consider signing up for Matador’s newsletter; every Wednesday is packed with travel tips. We’ll include any real trending travel hacks, so you don’t have to waste time scrolling on Instagram, plus travel tips for everything from booking cheap flights to finding free tours in nearly every city you visit.