What's Your Best Travel Tip ???
 

Mine is always travel with a good book and comfy shoes !!<BR>Lets hears yours that will surely be better than my lousy ones :))

Don't forget your tickets.

Earplugs.

Smile alot and do not forget it is their country.

Bring cold medicine!!!

Always make use of a clean bathroom when available, whether needed or not! Will usually save you time and piece of mind in the long run.

If you ask a question in their language, they will answer in their language.

Susan, something else we agree on (besides Volterra)! The way I say it is "Never pass up a chance to pee."<BR><BR>But my travel tip would be to email all your hotel info, itinerary, important contact info, etc. to your travel email account. If you lose your stuff, you can still access the info from any internet cafe.

1. Pack light and take lots of money. 2. Learn to say "please", "thank you", "excuse me", "can you help me", "where can I find", "where's the restroom", "do you speak English" and maybe "I need a drink" in the language of the countries you are visiting. The worst that can happen is that they will answer you and you won't understand what they said. Probably, your attempt will signal that you are not fluent and they will respond in English if they can. <BR>3. Take a little time -- even if it's on the plane on the way over -- to learn something about the customs of the countries you are visiting . . . type of government, names of political leaders, geography . . . <BR>4. Regardless of the crummy exchange rate here in the US, get $50-100 worth of the currency before you arrive. Most places, of course, this isn't necessary because more and more often European airport bank exchage rates are reasonable. But it may come in handy.<BR>5. Get and use a sholster, or whatever it's called -- a money belt of sorts. US tourists usually stick out in a crowd and are targets for pickpockets. Carry your passport in there too.<BR>6. MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN that I get a good exchange rate when I use my credit card. So I use my credit card for almost everything.<BR>7. Pack all of the socks you think you need and then pack some more.<BR>

<BR>Don't throw rocks at someone with a machine gun.

Never, ever forget your umbrella or dental floss.

spend some time in a major metro area before you depart, so you'll know how to behave.

Marilyn, what a great tip!<BR>even better than multiple hard copies taken with you.<BR><BR>mine,are<BR>be flexible, have a plan B<BR>remember that almost everything takes longer than you think it will<BR>never save the most important sight/site for the last day<BR>confirm, confirm, reconfirm<BR><BR>bring: comfortable shoes (yes, james!), two pairs if possible and wear them at home a few times first<BR>an umbrella in any season<BR>extra socks<BR>more film than you think you need<BR>more credit line than you think you need<BR>a notebook and pen<BR>tissues, bandaids, and handwipes, carried daily<BR>an extra foldable totebag to bring home breakable treasures<BR>a corkscrew (in checked luggage)<BR>pre-printed or pre-written labels with everyone's addresses if you're going to send postcards<BR>If your hotel provides a hairdryer, don't bother bringing one<BR><BR>don't pack more than you can carry up two flights of stairs or for 5 blocks<BR><BR>change the batteries in everything before you go<BR><BR>bring enough local currency to get you through at least one day<BR><BR><BR><BR>

I agree 10000000000% with Bob The Navigator:<BR><BR>"Message: Smile alot and do not forget it is their country."<BR><BR>There is sooooooooooooooo much to learn. I remember a singer/song writer named Paul Williams. He was a little short guy with kind of long blond hair and glasses. He had Emmy's and and Academy Award (with Steinsand....Paul needed pills and a Psych to get through that!)<BR><BR>Anyway, he had an album that I will never forget. On the Liner Notes, he had written......"Some people listen...some wait to talk. This album is for those who listen".<BR><BR>I will never forget that. <BR><BR>Dick

Didn't he also star in the movie Phantom of the Opera!? Great flick!

Uma: Maybe in some countries they will answer you in their language, but I can tell you from experience, not in Italy. We studied Italian in Florence and were speaking Italian to the store owners, etc. 9 times out of 10 they answered us in English.

Smile alot and do not forget it is their country.

I like and have used some of the tips. I'd like to add-check the weather where you are going. Pack a pen and paper. Print out schedules, such as train schedules so you can point to the one you want. Bring a plastic bottle of water and keep it filled. Wear heavy socks and take off your shoes on the plane. Try to sleep on the way over. Maintain a good packing list. Run out your itinerary and put in the pockets of your luggage and carry on; be sure to include your name and address so if you have to check anything and it gets lost it may find its way back. M.

Get rid of your itinerary.

Use zip lock bags when you pack:)<BR><BR>Smile and at least try to say please and thank you in their language. Even if you mangle it the way I do, they appreciate the effort. Or get a good laugh.<BR>Try to eat the food.(as in stay away from McD's etc) You will always be surprised, usually pleasantly.<BR>Let the hotel reserve for restaurants, save yourself the angst.<BR>Leave time for just doing nothing.<BR>Stop now and then and just absorb your surroundings.<BR>Enjoy.

If traveling too some countries try checking out rates for apartments some offer 1 week deals for the cost of 1 night in a reguler hotel.. some luxury apartment have kitchens and swimming pools.. <BR><BR>

Go with the flow and try to keep a positive attitude -- don't let the "bumps in the road" (or even the potholes) ruin your trip.<BR>Take good walking shoes and change them midway through the day.<BR>Don't rush -- slow down and meander, people-watch, enjoy the moment. Don't plan every minute of every day.<BR>Don't take something that you can't replace if lost or stolen.<BR>Be kind to your travel companion and yourself -- backrubs at the end of a long day of sightseeing, bubble baths, champagne back in your room, little indulgences.<BR>Keep a journal detailing the sights you see, your impressions, fabulous meals, etc.<BR>

A tip I can never remember to do. And it will take a critical mass of people trying it, to make it work.<BR><BR>from http://www.travel-board.com/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=316<BR>< BR>I never think about this until it's too late - - after passing through passport control, and twiddling my thumbs at the airport gate.<BR><BR>But why don't we get rid of our last few euros right at the airport by standing near the gate of arriving passengers? Why use the bank as a middle man? Departing passengers should simply stand outside the arriving passengers area with euros in an out stretched hand - - and then exchange with arriving passengers one for one for US dollars.<BR><BR>We never think to do this when we are departing.<BR><BR>Anyone ever tried such a thing?<BR><BR>I'd be interested to hear about any such experiences - - and especially if you try it as a result of my posting the suggestion here.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Research! Read anything you can get your hands on about your destination. It is so much more rewarding to see all those beautiful sights when you know some of the history behind them.<BR>Learn to use the public transportation as soon as you get there. It is cheaper, more convenient and a lot of the time more fun than taking a taxi.<BR>Take as little as possible. You will never see these people again so who cares if you wear the same outfit two days in a row? I take a backpack full of pre-ziplocked underwear, socks, basic hygiene items, and a sweater or jacket. <BR>You will feel more freedom knowing that you can just pick up and go with what you have on your back and a small duffel bag.

The more you try to see the less you end up seeing.

<BR><BR>Buy food and wine in markets and have picnics.

I can add: leave at home anything you can't afford to lose: like expensive jewelery (or the husband :)<BR><BR>Do your homework: the more time you spend searching the internet and reading books the more time you'll save on vacation.

contraceptives

Print out train, bus, ferry, schedules from Internet before you leave, saves alot of time and you can point at times, etc., when buying tickets. A little spiral memo pad and pen. Used mine every day. A holder for your plane tickets and passport would have been nice. And most important, a journal.

1. valium for the plane ride<BR>2. pack light<BR>3. when things go wrong, stop and have a glass (or 3) of wine in a sidewalk cafe

Talk to anybody and everybody, who is not a tourist, that you possibly can. You gain a completly different view point that you may have never had before. Just my personal experience.

"When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable."<BR>~ Clifton Fadiman

<BR><BR>I think it was St. Paul, who did his share of traveling, who had this advice:...."Listen much, speak little, and don't get angry".

Keep a journal - I just re-read ours from our honeymoon to Italy and it brought back so many great memories and things I had already forgotten. I also kept a food diary.

Keep a copy of your passport and your credit card numbers and phone numbers for cancelling them in emergency all in a place separate from the originals.

All good advice here, as well as other threads you might want to do a search on if you're planning an upcoming trip. We used alot of the advice available here for our recent trip to Germany, Italy and France - back now 2 weeks. Very glad we discovered this site well before our trip. One item I'm particularly glad we took was to get a digital camera with necessary accessories. It was so much easier and flexible then trying to keep up with rolls of films or wondering if your shots will turn out good or not. If interested, do a search on digital cameras here and you'll get all the particulars you'll need to get in step with this technology. We did, and are glad for it.

Not only a journal on your trip but we always write in the back of each trip thigns to remember to bring or elave home for the next trip. i.e. more film, binoculars, duct tape,less clothes .....We read the last page of each journal so we make sure we have all the things we should bring and leave those things at home that were not necessary. Shar

Bring a washcloth or shower puff! <BR><BR>Great idea off this board for me was to label film as it is used (bring labels and mark Day 1 or #1). Also suggest the journal include notes on photos taken which are easily forgotten.<BR><BR>Copies of passports, itinerary and emergency numbers in a separate location.<BR><BR>Bring instant coffee if you need an extra jolt in the morning. Coffee, breakfast charges can be expensive at the hotels. It's more fun to get a pastry later at a local bistro.<BR><BR>Along with corkscrew, pack a knife for cutting cheese/bread on your picnic.<BR><BR>Plan, plan, plan - the more preparations the better you will enjoy the trip.<BR><BR>Research this board - lots of great ideas and help here. Thanks everyone.

In (humorous) disagreement with the post above... DO NOT plan plan plan.<BR><BR>Get your basics down (plane, hotel reservations) and let the rest just "happen" to you. Get up each morning and do what you feel like doing.<BR><BR>Also don't over schedule tours, or over book the number of places you visit. I like 3 cities, 3 weeks best, personally.

I took a very small spiral bound notebook and wrote down info on every photo I took. That was invaluable once I got home and got the photos labeled...already I'd forgotten the exact names of half the places I'd photographed. Today those well-labeled photos are a priceless memory!