Travel Tips Road Warriors Recommend
Ever dream of going places? Travel to far shores? Or are your fears of the strange and unfamiliar make you hug the shores of your familiar 9-9 existence?
There are now so many places to visit as easier access and technologies have moved them closer. Information abound even about places we have not heard of in history classes. CNN and BBC are everyday competing to rum them through our senses.
Now, the problem is not just fear of the unfamiliar but the too much information that make us fear. The "what ifs" of fear utterly defeat the "what could bes" of dreams. For those who still dream of the cedars of Lebanon, the silk of China, and the maharajahs of India, this lens will offer you tips coming out of your yin yang. But hey, don't just disregard them.
Good trip preparation and planning cannot just be taken for granted. Get those stickies ready and post them on your fridge. Your trip success begins there.
1. Travel Luggage and Packing Tips
It isn't how much but how little and how light
The self-destroying suitcase! The handle-less handbag!! The splintered hardshell! The 20-Kilo-when-empty mega-case! The one-trip-wonder! Haven't you had one of these? Funny to frustrating. And today, you undoubtedly have bags that don't make sense anymore in the new travel environment.
The concept of luggage has evolved. Quantity is still an issue...but today it isn't "How Much"....but "How Little". This really affects your choice of luggage. The search for that magic bag starts with looking for the lightest you can get at the perfect size to give you enough carrying space without taking you beyond the airline weight limits. Of course, weight is not the only concern when you choose your luggage. You probably have seen your luggage cracked or its zippers burst or probably gone with all your things placed inside the airline plastic bag.
Know that the soft-sided ones are the most expandable. The hard-sided cases protect fragile items that you might carry with you. However, hard-siders are sometimes heavy and can be cracked and shattered when handled in airports as most likely they will not be handled with care.
Nylon (1,000 denier cordura or the ballistic one used to cover bullet-proof vests are the most tear resistant) and polyester are the best materials as they are much lighter and can be treated to make them stain-resistant. Go for brightly colored luggage as it is easier to pick out as it circles around the carousel. Forget leather...the baggage guys won't be impressed!
2. Get travel insurance
Why have travel insurance?
You hope nothing will happen in your trip
You hope nothing will happen, but and if the husband and kids are with you, too, you are really tempting fate. At its most basic, it provides you with professional advice in case of illness abroad, covers all your expenses or reimburses you for part of them, anyway.
However, lots of travel insurance today covers more than that. It depends on what you buy. Some have a trip insurance provision as well.....lost or delayed luggage, delays and disruptions of your schedule, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation, unauthorized use of your credit cards, financial collapse of travel agencies, and even cover your pets.
3. Make sure your international travel documents are current
And your passport has enough pages
Make sure your passport has more than 6 months validity from your planned date of return just in case you are delayed or rerouted. Get the necessary visas for your destination as well as other places of transit. Carry extra passport photos just in case you need to get visas for other places on the way or your passport needs to be replaced.
Moreover, get copies of all your important documents (passport, visas, credit cards, bank cards, travellers cheques, travel insurance, contracts, travel itinerary, hotels, medication prescription) and have a set with you in a bag separate from your originals and another set with someone at home. I know, I know. too much hassle but just do it. You will be relieved when you lose one of those.
Check border crossing. It is easy to get lost in some of the border cities of Europe and the road you are on is the road towards the border and you have missed all the exits. You'll panic if you don't have your passports with you. When you are traveling, always carry your passport with you all the time. Do not leave it in your hotel room.
If you're married, bring your marriage certificate. Sometimes, hotels in some conservative countries will not give you one room if you can't show proof that you're married.
Don't forget to check travel implications if you happen to have dual citizenship and are regarded as a citizen of the country you are visiting.
Know the entry requirements of your destination
Have the necessary requirements for international travel
Passport Holder Travel On Bag
Really handy for your important travel documents
Make sure you can easily access your documents at the same time have them in a safe and secure place. Anytime, security check asks for it, you can access it easily.
4. Register with your embassy in your travel destination
You can now do this online
It is now easy to register your travel with your embassy. This way, they will keep you updated and will have you on the list when something happens in your country of destination and you may need evacuations which, of course, we hope will not be necessary in your trip.
Don't forget to check your embassy's latest advisory on your destination.
5. Check International Travel Health Requirements
Check with professionals or your embassy's advisories
In some countries, specific requirements around health may be be necessary or some medications may be considered illegal so it is important to check these with professionals or with your travel insurer or your embassy.
6. Respect the laws and life of the local people
Just passing through for a quick peek?
Most of us scoot through temples, galleries, museums, heritage places, markets, churches, basilicas, architectural grandeurs of the past just for a quick peek. We often forget that for people this is where they live, worship, do their business and make a living. They make way for us because we bring the much needed dollars and the euros. Maybe, we need to think out loud: If this is your own home, how would you like your guests to behave? You hope that your guests will leave your home clean and only take good memories with them. Not bring your treasures home. Or abuse your kids.
But, maybe, sometimes, we just pause and ponder. Get to see how they live. It would even be better if we leave the place much better than when we arrived. Do some volunteer work. Support the local economy. Encourage people in whatever they do. Go green starting in your hotels and shopping. Bring a cloth bag all the time. When there is a problem, deal with it. Even at home, problems come. Offer solutions, not criticisms. Remember, it ain't all pretty. And even at home, sometimes, we can't deal with all the problems either.
7. As you travel more, get out of the tourist traps
Go to the local market, parks and talk to people
The local markets in many countries are always full of people doing all kinds of business transactions. It is crowded, smelly and noisy. But it is fun. It is the best place to people watch. It will give you lots of local color and more insights into the local culture. Next time you visit a place, try to get out of the usual tourist traps and just go to the local market.
Go sit in the park and talk to people: the vendors, the local people who sit out there because it is so hot in their homes or there is not much space to be on your own, or the kids playing around. Talk to them and know them better. There will be surprises...that they know not about Disney World...that they haven't heard of Florida and Mexico. But beyond this, just sharing understanding, life. Isn't this more satisfying?
8. Tips in choosing your hotel
Make your hotel stay a pleasant experience
Check the stars! Most of us look at the stars when we want to book a hotel to get some sense of what might happen. And now some of the top-enders have gone to diamonds to rate their properties in an escalation of exaggeration that is almost heroic. Don't bother about those 5 stars or diamonds..or half moons that many should use. What about the no stars boutique hotel that is a one of a kind? Blinded by choice?
First, ask your family or friends' recommendation. Surely, they will be honest to you. They will also know some of your likes and dislikes so can recommend better choices.
Check out reviews. I read through many reviews before I make my decision.
Check out the price range you are comfortable with. Maybe there are top rated hotels you might want to be in but these may make you empty the bank account. No. Enjoy yourself. This is your holiday.
If you are going for business, it is another story. make sure you book one close to where most of yur meetings are. Better, choose one where you can walk to your meetings. With unpredictable traffic, this is key.
If your stay is longer, book a hotel for a few days and give yourself options to try out other hotels. It is fun. With travel now limiting your luggage, you will not be hauling suitcases anyway.
Be clear about charges. If you have kids with you, find out what the hotel's policies are. You might have to stay in different rooms. Some hotels offer to provide extra beds for free. Others, for a price so check this out. Other hotels offer free breakfast with your room, others don't. Make sure other alternatives are there for internet connections if they are not free and for meals. Eating in hotels not only leave you with bland palates but deprive you of the hustle of eating places outside. Unless, of course, the hotel has the big M. Check out taxes and other occupancy fees that might be charged to your room as well. Keep the surprises to a minimum.
9. When you travel, think about that Carbon Footprint
Green your International Travel
No lectures required about carbon emissions, aircraft or the environment. Let's get right to how you can be a little more comfortable with your carbon footprint:
Trains instead of planes. You will see a lot more of the countryside. In Europe, North America, some of Africa and some of Asia, you can book sleepers and travel overnight. You can save hefty hotel bills if you schedule your trip right. And here is the kicker....you usually end up much closer to downtown...often next to a subway...so you really reduce overall travel time if you plan carefully.
Planes, at the speed they are traveling, add tons of carbon emissions. But for long distance travel, there is no choice. So, buy carbon offsets. Some airlines offer these and even calculate the percentage allotted to you as a passenger in a particular flight. Carbon offsets are usually simply donations to support eco-friendly programs.
Planes burn more fuel in take off and landing. The fewer connections you take, the lower your carbon footprint will be. Of course, many times, airlines love bringing you to hubs and many of the direct flights are more expensive. Sometimes, we just have to swallow the price for something we value more.
On shorter routes, check to see if there are turbo prop aircraft (with propellers) working for the airline. You might see the word "Dash" in front of their numbers. These use much less fuel and the airline industry seems to be rediscovering them. They are nearly as fast (on short routes), quiet and sometimes go into downtown airports and save even more time.
Go to your gate on time. It is not uncommon for airlines before take off to be calling for one or two passengers who have checked in but have not yet shown up at the plane's entrance. Maybe, that bargain is just too good to miss. Know, though, that the less time the plane spends idling on the ground, the less carbon dioxide emissions they put out.
10. Tips on Travel Jet Lag
How to Minimize its Impact
Jet lag can whack you out for days if your travel makes you cross time zones. Some trips may be longer but as long as you don't cross times zones, you will feel better after a good night sleep. Despite people's claims, you can't escape the impact of a long trip. You can minimize it and prepare yourself not to stress over it.
Fight jet lag while you're still in the air. Drink lots of water, do some light exercises especially rotating your toes and walking in the aisle whenever you can. Add to this a constant supply of moisturizer for your skin and more likely you will feel less tired and stressed after your long flight.
Go easy with yourself. Do not do a million things upon arrival like attend a cousin's wedding, drive your mother to a ten-hour destination and visit your uncle who lives hundred of miles from the airport. Instead, take a walk to get a few basic groceries, check out a park close to the hotel, go to a spa and have a great moisturizing massage or just hang out with your favorite person. Unwinding is a do it yourself ritual one must learn and if you don't have one, this is the time to learn. Find some sunshine so your body can start adjusting its circadian rhythm. A breath of fresh air is probably what you need. The walk distracts you from dwelling on your tiredness and stretches your legs allowing better circulation in your system.
Give your body time to deal with jet lag. Some people take a long time to recover from flights because of the disruption of your sleep-wake cycle. It can take a day or a week. Not to worry. The body will get back to its cycle.
11. Know about your destination
Read before you go
One good practice before you go is read about your destination. Maybe some of us want to be surprised but let's face. You will not be happy if you don't find any transport in the airport or you miss out things because you just have not checked it out.
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