What Are Your Best Travel Tips???
 

I would like to know what your best travel tips are - help all of us out and give some imaginative insight! These are probably things some of us would never think of...

Read and learn as much from www.fodors.com/forums as you can!<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Hi<BR>I have brought up today some previous listings of travel hints, useful websites, etc. Just scroll down on the left until you find them, there are 4 or 5 listings brought up this morning.<BR>Or you can find them yourself, plus others, by doing a search here on<BR>&lt;travel tips&gt;<BR><BR>To continue Rex's theme, I'll add<BR>Don't forget to explore all the other areas on this Fodor's website.<BR>There are general tips, electricity explanations, traveling into town from airports, hotel and restaurant reviews, what to pack, etc.<BR>

Go with the knowledge that you are in a foriegn country with foriegn ways and revel in it rather than fight it. Sample all that that country you're visiting has to offer. Allow yourself one trip to McDonald's if you're feeling terribly homesick or confused, they never change.

Don't stress, especially about packing. If you're going to Europe, remember that you aren't visiting third world countries and anything you forget you can purchase there. Grocery stores are wonderful fun to wander around in!<BR><BR>And, again on packing, plastic baggies--everyone says it and it can't be stressed enough--one for socks, one for undies, one for cosmetics, etc. Put the items in, push out the air, toss in the suitcase. When you arrive--toss the bags into the drawers. Makes packing and unpacking SO easy!<BR><BR>

Pack as lightly as possible! Every trip I take fewer clothes and miscellaneous items, and every trip I find things I could have managed without. For my recent 2 week trip to Italy, we took 2 small carry aboard size bags, plus a small daypack.I made a list to pack by, and left it at home in case of airline loss. As soon as I unpacked, I marked certain things off the list, and will save it for next year's trip. Hmmm? Spain or Turkey? I guess I'll just have to keep on reading here at Fodor's.

A few random thoughts...<BR><BR>Pack exactly what you think you need, then go back and remove 1 pair of pants and add two pair of underwear.<BR><BR>Do your homework...research, research, research!<BR><BR>Leave your schedule flexible...the best adventures are the unexpected ones.<BR><BR>Know at least how to say hello, goodbye, please, thank you, excuse me, and bath room in the local language.<BR><BR>If you loose something important, like your passport, go back to the first place you looked. It was there all along.<BR><BR>You will NOT wake up refreshed and ready to go when you land, no matter what you do. But it will be worse if you drink yourself to sleep.<BR><BR>Smile. Relax. Be yourself, but be polite. Remember...you're not a tourist. You're a traveler.

Avoid buying tours and train tickets in advance, you will most probably find better choices at cheaper prices and you won't be stuck with this prepaids. During multiple trips to Europe I have discover that there is always space available in all trains to travel anywhere, anytime, with multiple choices, express, local, first, coach, reserve seats, daytime or nightime, sleeping wagons, one way, two way, a one day, two days or a week pass, and at regular, senior or sudent prices. <BR><BR>About tours, is better to determine which one to take, once you arrive at your destiny. In many ocations you may have found that you have prepaid for the most expensive and the worse tour. <BR><BR>Worse yet, in my experince, I have found out that, you cant visit most principal tourist sites by yourself, at your own pace and best yet, at a cheaper cost. Good Luck! <BR>

Don't compare. Enjoy the differences. The toilets WILL be different, the electricity WILL be different, the food WILL be different. The culture will also be different. In restaurants especially, the waiting staff is not relying on tips to get through their shift, so they don't have to fake being nice to you and saying "Have a good day!" They don't have to jump when you get worried because you've been sitting there for 5 minutes. Relax! Don't take that as being rude to you. They treat their own countrymen the same way.<BR><BR>Don't assume. You're the foreigner, not them. Don't assume they speak English; be polite and learn enough of the language to be able to ask if the person speaks English. It is rude to just start speaking in English expecting that the person knows the language. Be humble. And don't be afraid to laugh at your mistakes.

My first trip to Europe since college is coming up, thanks for all the tips, good advice that made me feel less nervous and more excited :-)

Pack a wardrobe of one color scheme that you can mix and match and dress up or down with accessories which don't take up alot of room...comfortable walking shoes...walk everywhere if you are able to do so and you will discover so many interesting places in the city you are visiting.

Leave your heavy stuff at home - your worries, your preconceived notions, your prejudices, your pessimism.<BR><BR>Take only your light stuff - your sense of humor, your sense of wonder, your joy of discovery, your willingness to try what you've never done before.<BR><BR>A heavy heart will weigh you down ten times more than the biggest suitcase you could pack.

Don't make plans for every single day. Leave a day or two open to take advantage of opportunities that didn't present themselves until you got there. Leave a day open for napping and lazing about if that's what you feel like - it might prevent you from getting sick while on your trip.

Travel during the "shoulder season" (May, September, October). When you get to a town, go to the tourist office and they will give you maps, ideas of what to do (if there's any events going on), direct you to places you want to visit, and book a room for you that meets your price/location requirements. This way, if you get to a town and immediately have a bad feeling about it, you don't have to stay. It can be pretty exciting - and easy - to "wing it". I usually only book the first night's hotel in advance when traveling in Europe.

Elvira, that was lovely. And don't forget to bring flexibility; the ability to roll with the punches will help you keep that positive outlook.

Don't get upset if everything doesn't go exactly as planned. Laugh a lot and adjust to it! If you get lost, it is part of the fun, make it an adventure. Do some research so you have an idea of what you really want to see or do in the time you have. Make sure you have some relaxing time so you are not exhausted when you get home. As someone else advised above, don't leave home without the plastic bags!

I pack clothing I am tired of wearing, and then throw it away to make room for what I have acquired on the trip. I'm not talking about old, torn pieces, but items which still look presentable which I would have replaced soon (white turtlenecks, black shirt); you know, the basics with maybe a slightly frayed collar. This means: No laundry; more room in the suitcase!<BR><BR>Also, wander around (make sure the neighborhood is ok first). We have come upon wonderful sights this way!

Hmmm...I was going to say don't forget your earplugs, but then I read Elvira's post and realized that earplugs are unimportant if you leave/take the qualities she recommends in her post. Well put, Elvira.

MR GO. - thanks for the info, I loved what you said about being a traveler not a tourist! I think that is true for most people on this board.<BR>

One way I have found that had alleviated MUCH stress for me - go out an fearlessly explore a city and don't pay any attention to where you are going until you get there. <BR><BR>If you find yourself hopelessly lost just remember you can grab a taxi and he'll take you wherever you want to go. When I was in Rome last summer I did this, and it made things so enjoyable and much more relaxing.(though I would end up taking cabs not because I was lost, but because I had ventured miles and miles and was too exhausted to traipse all the way back to the hotel...)<BR><BR>In short, don't be preoccupied with getting yourself lost because you will always find away out of it and it might end up being a story to tell!

Dear Travelingal,<BR><BR>Here's my list;<BR><BR>1. Pack your suitcase, Take 1/2 of the stuff out, put it in another suitcase; now you have two suitcases that are only half full to use!<BR>2. Take only footprints and leave only photographs.<BR>3. In Europe, some people speak three or four languages, so no matter what country you're visiting, learn Esperanto: It'll confuse the hell out of absolutely everyone.<BR>4. If you've never been to where you're going before, then close your eyes and picture--in your mind--exactly as you hope everything will be, right down to the most minute detail. Done? Now you're ready to visit the country of your dreams!<BR>5. When you're in a foreign country, you're surrounded by foreign people AND foreign objects. Remember what your mother taught you about foreign objects: don't get them in your eyes!<BR><BR>Hope this helps,<BR><BR>PAL

Zip lock bags.....take all sizes...they are great for soooo many things.<BR><BR>:)

Take a roll of bubble wrap and tape. Also those zip lock baggies are a lifesaver!

write down the name, address of your hotel (or get a business card or brochure) so you can use it if necessary to get directions or a taxi ride back to the hotel. This is especially important in countries with different writing systems (like Greece)

Always pack Imodium.

Take Ambien (a sleeping pill)for long transatlantic flights. You will wake up refreshed and won't have to suffer through a long flight.

ttt

DON'T PACK MORE THAN YOU ARE REALLY GOING TO USE!!!<BR><BR>It took me three trips before I got this one through my own thick skull...

Just got back a few weeks ago from our latest trip. We were driving part of the time, so I printed out directions between the different towns and cities we planned to visit or contemplated visiting (we were in Italy). It was a lifesaver! Even though I had a couple of decent maps, the route numbers listed on the driving directions were so much more reliable.<BR><BR>Baggies, all sizes, ditto.<BR><BR>Meds. All kinds. Band-aids, antibiotic ointment, antihistamines, ibuprofen, etc. My son woke up with a nasty rash the second morning there, all over his body. I had the anitihistamine to give him (it was an allergic reaction), but had left the cortisone cream on the counter at home, failing to make it to the med bag. It was very interesting to go to a farmacia and try to buy it!

There's no place like home.

WRITE A JOURNAL! You'll never remember everything you think you will. It's fun to read years later and it will bring back lots of great memories. I also make a list of things I miss about home so I appreciate them more when I get back.

The first thing I do, which may seem obvious, is make a list of everything I want to take - not necessarily individual clothes. Then cross off as I pack. That way I don't forget the really important stuff, i.e, passport, tickets, money, umbrella, etc. Also, color-coordinating clothes - you don't need so much stuff. And baggies are great for undies.

Prepare as if you were leaving the day before your actual scheduled departure. I think we're finally going to manage this this year, and the reduction in last-minute stress is marvellous.

Keep a generic list of items needed to be adjusted as needed for specific trip, for example, Immodiom, plastic bags, toothbrush, camera battery, travel alarm.

Comfortable shoes. Reservations at one amazing restaurant to be sure you'll have a great meal (at least once!). Learn how to say please and thank you in the local language. Hotel reservations or at least a list of hotels you would like to stay at (learned this one the hard way Easter week "winging it" in Rome - NOT!!) Most of all, bring someone you love with you if possible...someone that later you can say to "hey remember that sunset...funny waiter...really great ice cream that we had?"

www.twenj.net<BR>

Came across our little travel journal the other day for our very first trip to Europe 25 years ago. It was just a small 3 x 5" spiral notebook but it was crammed with memories. So many of the little details that I had forgotten. It was like being there all over again!

Please, suzanne, may I ask, what is "shoulder season"? I've seen it a couple of times lately on this forum, but I've never heard of it before. Thanks.

ttt

"Shoulder season" is just that time between high season and low season. Usually it's the very beginning and end of low season, when prices can be a little higher than during low season itself. This can be a good time to travel -- you get good weather, though not the best, and save on $$.