Your Best Travel Tips
 

Hi All,

We're working on a story about travel tips and we want to hear from you. Tell us your best tips and tricks and they may be included in our story!

International travel...never travel without baggies, Cipro and rain gear. Always pack light and carry on.
Stay longer in one location, rent apartments.

When you are in a new city, carry the business card of your hotel and taxi fare in local currency with you, so you can get back "home" if you are lost or tired.

I always bring an 18" cardboard tube with me to bring home paintings and prints from our travels. It hardly takes any room in the suitcase and it keeps the prints wrinkle free until you return home.

Take in the lush, volcanically active landscape of Bali while whitewater rafting on the Ayung and Unda rivers. Or get the heart pumping off-shore with an ocean-rafting sightseeing and snorkeling tour in boats that reach 44 miles per hour. Surfers hit the island's western side for big-time swells.

1. Be flexible.

2. Gestures work. Starvation is rare.

3. Take half as much stuff and twice as much money.

4. Call your bank and credit card companies before you leave and tell them you'll be traveling.

learn a couple of words/phrases in whatever the local language is of the place you're visiting. this little bit of effort goes a LONG way with locals.

If you're looking for a place to eat and don't already have a place in mind, go to a store or business that has no vested interest in sending you tot he corner tourist trap where they get a commission for sending you and ask someone working there to recommend a place. I've found real gems that I otherwise may not have discovered on my own.

Emily_D, post this in the Lounge if you want 100's of answers. Hardly anyone reads this branch.

that's my best tip -lol! :-)

My advice is to stay alert to your surroundings at all times.

Don't overplan a vacation. Leave enough time to sip a latte on a sidewalk cafe, sit in a piazza to people watch, or watch a sunrise or sunset.

For international flights, always take a few working ink pens.....I'm always amazed at the number of people who either forget or have no clue they'll have to fill out customs and immigrations forms.

Don't complain because things aren't exactly like they are at home~experiencing different things are the reason to travel!

* When you begin planning for an international trip, check your passport to make sure it is current.

* Also check the passport requirements of the country you are planning to visit. For eg. some countries require that the passport must have at least 6 months before its expiration date.

* If you need to get visa for a country, make sure you have a totally empty page in your passport and that page says "Visa" on the top.
Just a blank page in the passport or the last page in the passport that does not say "Visa" will not be accepted by many embassies to give you a visa.

* Keep your passport very safely during your travels. A lost passport creates many headaches and can be easily avoided by being alert and planning on ways to keep it safe.

* Good idea to carry a couple of extra passport size photographs and a copy of your passport's front pages with all the information in case of any emergency.

* Pack clothes that layer well.
* Make sure your footwear is broken in before your trip.
* Bring extra camera batteries and charge them every night
* Bring extra memory cards for your camera
* I always bring an extension cord. Often plugins in hotel rooms are not in convenient locations for plugging in my electronics whether that be phone, battery charger, hair dryer etc.
* Pack a small flashlight (there's some powerful LED ones the size of a chap stick tube that are great). I've used mine numerous times including my last trip when someone dropped their hearing aid on the plane.
* Email yourself all the emergency phone and account numbers you may need including bank, credit card, passport office etc.
* If you have a smartphone, create documents with all your reservation confirmation numbers, hotel addresses, flight info etc. and store them on your phone so you can access them without a data connection.

When you're in another country, make it a point to get lost! Just make note of the train station that you need to return to, pack some bottled water, and take a train to a random nearby city to explore!

As a solo female traveler I found it ideal not to carry a purse of any sort...everything was tucked into my bra. I bought a phone upon my arrival in Germany - carrying a laptop and/or tablet all proved to be pointless. I could post real time pictures on facebook from my phone and that let friends and family know that I was doing okay :)

<i>As a solo female traveler I found it ideal not to carry a purse of any sort.</i>

But how do you carry your water?

We pack small souvenirs from our home state of Texas when we travel to Europe. Ball point pens with "Texas" engraved on them were a big hit with tour bus drivers, guides, and others we encountered on our recent river cruise and tour.

When asking directions anywhere in South America, never ask any man between the ages of 15 and 70. If they don't know the place, they will just make something up to avoid losing face. Being a man myself, I am also incapable of listening to directions for more than two seconds, so my wife always takes the details!
After many months travelling around the continent it seems the only way to get accurate directions is to ask a child or an old person!

Before travelling to a strange country do check on what vaccinations may be required/advisable in plenty of time before departure. Check with a doctor or specialist travel clinic rather than a travel forum where the advice given, no matter how well meaning, is not from medical professionals and will rarely be accurate.

Thank you for all the great tips!

@Suze - I will definitely do that, thanks!

<<ideal not to carry a purse of any sort...everything was tucked into my bra.>>

Wow! Really????? Isn't that kinda uncomfortable?

It's perfectly ok to go out without a plan.

<<<As a solo female traveler I found it ideal not to carry a purse of any sort...everything was tucked into my bra. >>>

I would think that would be extremely uncomfortable, seems a little gross (sorry but I don't want to take a sweaty credit card/cash from someone) and seems like a good way to get into trouble in some areas. Reaching into your bra to pay a monk for entrance into a monastery just seems... awkward?


Now, I have seen sports bras that have a hidden pocket in the side for a credit card or similar. That might be a good place for a backup card I guess.

Some good travel tips include:
1) Check all the good places of the country or area you are going to visit.
2) If you are going to stay in a hotel, try to have pre-time booking
3) Manage all things with in your budget.
4) Try to take only necessary things, avoid extra luggage.

Don't make the same mistake you did the last time!

1. download an offline GPS map like CityMaps2Go on your smartphone.
2. resist the urge to squeeze in extra countries/cities
3. do a little research before going and learn some basic phrases

Don't overplan your journey, once you find a stunning view on the half way, jump out of the station and spend some time there. I had such great experience when I was travelling in Australia and Switzerland.

I always have 2 ATM cards - never needed the second one but.... just ask your bank

The Capital One card does not charge a % when making purchases internationally- get one

Try to pack everything in your overhead piece only do not check a bag..saves time and sometimes, aggravation ( I did 3 weeks in Africa in an overhead piece...if I can do that anything is do-able! take advantage of laundry service )

safe travels

I will recommend that must take Medical box with you and keep some extra money.

Will any tips you use by attributed to the member that posted them?

Don't worry about blending in - worry more about sticking out, if you know what I mean by that. You're more than likely going to be identifiable as a tourist, and that's okay, because you are. If you're lost, walk around like you know exactly where you're going and how you're getting there. You'll draw less attention to yourself. Be on the defense and not on the offense. You're not meant to behave like a local, just a savvy traveler (even if you're terrified, which happened to me in Barbados - where it was BLATANTLY evident I was probably a tourist).

You don't have to be first off the plane to beat the crowds to the Immigration lines. You just have to be quick. :) Carryon only really helps if you can do it. And no, you won't stink and you won't look awful. I am the world's pickiest clothes horse and I went to the UK for ten days with one bag. Yes, I'm proud of that! :)

If you're going for an extended period, call your health insurance company and find out what you're covered for, if anything. Buy supplemental travel insurance and don't feel silly for doing it. I shocked myself with 220 volts of electricity in Lugano, Switzerland when I was 16 and bought myself a night on a telemetry ward (heart monitors). This has turned out to be one of my favorite travel memories - they sent a young student nurse to my room because she spoke English, and the little old lady who was in the room with me ordered my breakfast the next day and fussed over me like a granddaughter, even though I spoke no Italian and she spoke no English! Fortunately I was a military dependent and the bill was covered. Since then, I've never left the country (or the state, for that matter - it can vary by state as well) without coverage.

I'll second the hotel business card/address. I lived in Saudi Arabia for three years. I'd only been there a few weeks before I struck out on my own with a taxi driver. When I was picked up from the market, I realized I didn't know how to get home - and it took two, almost three hours to make a twenty minute trip. This was before cell phones. After that, my husband (who'd been scared to death) had our compound address written on a laminated card in Arabic as a just-in-case measure, and I learned how to navigate when I'm not the driver. It is a very different skill set!!

@sparkchaser - yes! Tips will absolutely be attributed to the members that posted them and those members will receive a Fodor's Guidebook of their choice as well as our fun "Go Away with Fodor's" buttons.

If you are traveling abroad do some research on local customs. Some things we do in the US may be considered offensive in the country you are visiting.
Also learn to say "please" and "thank you" in the local language. It is very much appreciated by the people there.
I always take an extension cord for electronics since hotel rooms don't always have enough or strategically placed outlets.

Moisture wicking socks are a godsend!

For the last couple of trips we have printed up all our travel documents and we carry them in a A4 clear plastic button-down envelope (Marbig Doculope). We keep it tucked in an outside pocket of our cabin luggage. We stuff our passports in there during the immigration and security procedure and can always see where they are, likewise with boarding passes. Just a glance at the folder gives us our boarding information and we don't have to keep getting documents out. Later during the trip the top document can be our itinerary, which I create from a Microsoft Office template, or whichever document is relevant for that part of the trip (printed-up train tickets, rental car information). It stops the pile of documents from getting dog-eared or lost, and is very efficient. Of course it's always a good idea to have backups in case the folder gets lost...

Lavandula

I've learned to research how to ask "Where is the bathroom?" in the language of whatever country I'm planning to visit, though "Toilet?" works in many places. I've posted lots of tips on <www.Bucketlisting101.com>, my travel blog.

Learn basic language eticates before visiting any city i.e hi,hello,bye or else carry translation book with you while traveling

There are many tips which which we need to keep in mind like:

a. Bring a travel first aid kit
b. Pack a reusable travel bottle
c. Bags with wheels are amazing
d. Don't forger your camera charger
e. Don't pack clothes that requires ironing
f. Never pack something that you haven't worn before.
g. Never carry your wallet in your back pocket
h. Make photocopies of your passport
i. Wear sunscreen
j. Never bring more than two bags with you

"Never carry your wallet in your back pocket"

Your front pocket isn't that much safer. The proper advise is to wear a money belt and only carry one day's money in your wallet.

Wondering how you can possibly manage with just a 22 inch roller and no checked bag? Here's how I do it... I use those compression/vacuum bags. But get the right ones... not the ones you attach to a vacuum cleaner (you won't have one handy at your hotel!) nor a regular ziploc bag. The real one you get from a travel store and they have a valve to release the air when you compress the bag.

The first time I used them I put trousers in one, shirts in another and underwear and socks in a third. Mistake. That meant every time I needed a change of clothes I had to open all 3. I now pack complete outfits including underwear and socks in each bag. Once you have one packed, zip it shut. Good bags have double zips and a little tool to lock them shut. You then roll the bag... the air starts to bulge and just when you are certain it will blow up in your face the valve releases and the air whooshes out.

Take a couple of spare bags to compress your worn clothing as well.

These things work well for me and I wouldn't travel without them. If only I could get my wife to use them and give up her 26 inch checked bag. How I hate killing time by the baggage carousel waiting for it to appear!

Bring small neon hi-lighter-- mark your hotel's location on each city throw-away map you get; route to restaurant you're trying to find; mark your train timetable; hi-light your priorities in museum visitor guides, etc., etc. So much easier than a pen/pencil. Yes, your smartphone GPS does this, but lots of people do not have them.