#1 travel tip

[invisible999]

On FT a question of 'what is your #1 travel tip' ended up to be multi-page thread. You are welcome to add your own tips to the below, if you have one in addition:

Before you go:
1. Pack light. You don't need half the things you take with you and it's easier to maneuver around large crowds with a smaller bag. When packing, don't sweat the small stuff...
2. Make a plan but be adaptable, don't plan in too much detail. Many aspects of travel are beyond your control.
3. You don't want to get to a destination only to find an attraction is open M-F or that a ferry/train only runs on certain days.
4. Don't go for the cheapest rental car price
5. Make sure your electronic devices are fully charged
6. Don't check a bag unless you must. Pack multi-functional clothes
7. Enroll in trusted traveler programs, like NEXUS, Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or CLEAR. The first time you skip massive security or immigration lines make the effort and cost worth it
8. Check in and print BPs at home/hotel, well before arriving at the airport.
9. Don't wait for someone to travel with - just go and explore the world!
10. Fix up your own mini-medical kit
11. Travel when young. It will not last.
12. Give yourself enough time when you leave for the airport. If you don't, nothing else matters.
13. Bring entertainment for yourself and your kids
14. Subscribe to email newsletters for airlines to get last minute deals
15. If you are travelling with a friend or partner and are taking 2 suitcases put half of your things in each suitcase.
16. Get a credit with no foreign transaction fees
17. If you're the last traveler on earth without a smartphone- get one. And be setup to use it worldwide.
18. Download offline maps of the destination on your smartphone
19. Take photos of your passport, credit cards and luggage and store it on your phone

At the airport/on road
1. Try not to check a bag, and get an airline credit card so you're basically guaranteed to board in the first or second groups, so that you don't have to check your carry-on bag when overhead space runs out!
2. Sleeping tablets for long haul and jet lag
3. In general, it's worth paying extra for the nonstop.
4. Use airline lounges when possible and always have a pen on you.
5. Wear loose fitting clothing
6. Drink lots of water
7. Use earplugs
8. 1A is not always the best seat.
9. Carry an empty water bottle with you through security
10. Unless required otherwise, adapt yourself to the local timezone as soon as possible

At the destination:
1. Travel with an open mind. Take what's good from any society and reject the bad. Try and get to know the people without pre-judging. If on assignment don't try to make your new place a clone of your home country by only listening to home media, finding restaurants serving home style meals and meeting friends from your home country only.
2. Patience
3. Go ahead and eat the street food. It's often the most awesome food you'll eat on a trip.
4. Don't stress as not everything/activity will go as planned. Truly appreciate/take in where you are and why you wanted to travel there.
5. When in Rome, do as the Roman's do
6. Stash an ID, a spare credit card, and some cash in your travel bag, away from your wallet/purse. Then, if you lose you wallet/purse on travel you have the means to return home.
7. Double check before crossing the road in other country
8. Don't trust a hotel wake up call system.
9. If spending twenty bucks is going to make something about your trip more convenient, just spend the twenty bucks.
10. Always remember you're a guest in someone else's home. Act like a guest.
11. If in doubt, ask. Better to look a little foolish than to offend
12. Always carry enough cash to get back to your hotel or the airport.
13. Always carry something from the hotel, keycard or business card, to show a taxi driver to help get back.
14. If you're traveling for leisure, it's okay to visit the same place twice - stay in a different hotel and you'll gain a new perspective on the city
15. Virtually any problem can be solved with a Visa credit card and a passport/ID
16. For international travel, if destination is in a populated area and there is cell phone reception, get a local SIM card with enough data

 

[evilerniex]

nice tips. thanks for sharing

here are some of mine:
- travel insurance
always get travel insurance. missed connections, luggage lost etc are a lot more common than u think. and u will never know when u will be unlucky enuf to be pickpocketed or fall sick during a trip

- planning itinerary
dun plan for too many things and places to go in a day. leave time for exploring the place, wandering around and getting lost. these are part of the fun of travelling, and u might discover interesting places that are off the tourist radar. if u afraid that u will end up with too much free time, u can always have a list of main places to go, and a sub list of optional places

- handphones and tablets
ditch the handphones and tablets! the best way to enjoy a trip is avoid the distraction from ur devices. u can always check ur emails and reply ur whatsapp at the end of the day when u are back in the hotel room. enjoy the scenery on train rides... ur k-drama and tsum tsum game can wait.
use ur mobile device only when necessary, such as for navigating to ur hotel

- valuables
dun leave valuables in the hotel room, not even in the room safe boxes. hotel staff have the masterkey to ur room safe, so it is not as safe as u think.
dun put ur passport together with ur stash of cash. there may be situation where u need to show ur passport, such as when u check in ur hotel, or during random checks by police. u dun want to expose ur cash in such situations coz u dunno who else is watching u

 

[invisible999]

ditch the handphones and tablets!

I have to strongly disagree on that. Moreover, my #1 move as soon as I get out at arrivals is to get local SIM card with Internet.

Having phone, maps and Internet is not for email checking but rather than been aware where the hell you are and how to get in/out from there. Can you assure that every taxi driver will know the route to the place you rent in Bali/Hoi Ann? How about taking you the longest route to generate extra cash?

Seriously, it might be a matter of life and death if you got lost in some unfamiliar secondary street/road. I am not even talking about cases of emergency when you need to call police/hospital.

Always carry a phone with maps and internet connection with you regardless where are you going.

 

[evilerniex]

I have to strongly disagree on that. Moreover, my #1 move as soon as I get out at arrivals is to get local SIM card with Internet.

Having phone, maps and Internet is not for email checking but rather than been aware where the hell you are and how to get in/out from there. Can you assure that every taxi driver will know the route to the place you rent in Bali/Hoi Ann? How about taking you the longest route to generate extra cash?

Seriously, it might be a matter of life and death if you got lost in some unfamiliar secondary street/road. I am not even talking about cases of emergency when you need to call police/hospital.

Always carry a phone with maps and internet connection with you regardless where are you going.

like i said, use it only when necessary such as for navigation. i am not suggesting to leave ur mobile device at home. bring it with u, but keep it away in ur bag when not in use.

and i agree with u, some places/countries are not safe for wondering around. so u will want to head directly to ur destination. but once u reach ur destination, put away the phone and enjoy the sights.

nowadays most of us are glued to our phones, even when overseas. i have travelled with frens who play with their phones the moment they get on trains or buses, and who reply to work messages and emails throughout the trip, or continue to check and update their facebook.

 

[cloudnim]

How about learning some phases/numbers in the language you going to. Print a paper out for easy reference.

Bring ziplock bag to squeeze your stuff
Bring some plastic bags for trash. Sometimes i will bring my personal fork and spoon, dislike disposable ones.
Mindful of the hand body signs of the country like the peace sign.
Bring a physical calcuator for shopping and bargaining


Sent from cloud using GAGT

 

[Hamton]

How about learning some phases/numbers in the language you going to. Print a paper out for easy reference.

Bring ziplock bag to squeeze your stuff
Bring some plastic bags for trash. Sometimes i will bring my personal fork and spoon, dislike disposable ones.
Mindful of the hand body signs of the country like the peace sign.
Bring a physical calcuator for shopping and bargaining


Sent from cloud using GAGT

May I know if fork and spoon can bring as hand carry?

 

[butterbarter]

Metallic forks may not be allowed, depending on the airport.

Either use plastic/lexan utensils, or use disposable chopsticks in place of a fork. Disposable chopsticks are actually quite durable, will last several trips and weigh next to nothing.

May I know if fork and spoon can bring as hand carry?

 

[butterbarter]

My top tips would be:

1. Pack light, using only 1 bag. You should be able to handcarry your luggage.
2. Use a money belt.
3. Be polite, and smile. I've seen rude and inconsiderate tourists and I feel embarrassed for them, and feel bad for the host citizens that have to put up with their crap.
4. Buy travel insurance
5. Your phone is your life line, your guide, your navigator. Use it to make your trip better, but don't FB, instagram or tweet on it until you are back in your room and about to retire for the day.

 

[bin8lee]

mark~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[dede1217]

book when there is promo ...

 

[dilphinus]

Always carry a phone with maps and internet connection with you regardless where are you going.

what happened to the good old school maps?

Oh, there are offline maps too.

 

[ah_leetw]

Learn the basic phase like hello and thank you.

 

[dilphinus]

Seriously, it might be a matter of life and death if you got lost in some unfamiliar secondary street/road. I am not even talking about cases of emergency when you need to call police/hospital.

Always carry a phone with maps and internet connection with you regardless where are you going.

I got into an accident in the mountains in Taiwan. No signal. Tell me what's the use of a phone with a sim card? Can't even call or SMS or whatsapp or fb. Had to wait for the next vehicle that came along half an hour later.

 

[beanstalk6]

I'm old school. I bring maps and guidebooks. Usually I don't buy and use the local SIM card.

 

[butterbarter]

If you are lost, you can use offline maps (download them for free before your trip) and the GPS to navigate around even without an internet connection.

Emergencies like what you encountered occur rarely. Having a phone+SIM is no help to make calls, but it is also no harm. However, you can still use the phone's GPS to find your location and navigate to the nearest town or major road if needed.

Having a phone with internet connection does come in very handy the the remaining 90+% of the time when you do have 3G signal.

I got into an accident in the mountains in Taiwan. No signal. Tell me what's the use of a phone with a sim card? Can't even call or SMS or whatsapp or fb. Had to wait for the next vehicle that came along half an hour later.

 

[dilphinus]

Emergencies like what you encountered occur rarely. Having a phone+SIM is no help to make calls, but it is also no harm. However, you can still use the phone's GPS to find your location and navigate to the nearest town or major road if needed.

I know where I was and where's the nearest town, etc. Who really roam around not knowing where he/she is? Even so, he/she would have a plan or at least know how to get back to the point of origin. Point is, is a phone with data connection that necessary? Majority of experienced travellers do their planning. Even if one do need help or lose his/her way, can always open his/her golden mouth to ask. I ever went on a train for five days and not having a map when I arrived. Exit the wrong exit from the metro and lost my way. Don't speak the local language and yet I managed to find my way by asking passerbys. I was also stuck in an ulu part of Jeju, with no sim card and I misread the bus timing. The bus comes only twice a day or so. I had to hitchhike to the nearest bus-stop which was 45mins away. Then, I was actually heading to the airport to catch a flight.

Getting out of one's comfort zone, asking the right questions, are some of the beneficial experience that can be applied to other aspects of one's life.

 

[butterbarter]

Phone with SIM card is of course not necessary, but it is handy, just like many things in modern life, eg air-conditioning, motorcycle rides, comfy seats, etc.

Not everyone plans ahead so thoroughly. People like me roam frequently without knowing where they might end up. That's part of the fun of roaming - free to explore and yet can find your way back once you've had enough. I esp love to wander around at random when I have some extra time.

You may plan, but plans don't always work out. If you had a phone (and a powerbank), you can easily find your way to places you didn't even thought of when you started your day, and can yet find your way back.

Even if you think you know the way, you may actually not, since you are a stranger in a strange land. You can ask strangers, unless you are in a lonely place with the sun setting and no strangers to ask (yes, it has happened to me in Laos). Besides, having a phone does not stop you from asking strangers for directions if you like to do that. You just have an extra option.

If you don't need the phone for emergencies, there are still many reasons to have a phone with a SIM card. Checking upcoming weather conditions and latest recommendations is already worth the price of the SIM card.

Anyway, everyone has their own styles of travel. I'm just saying that having a SIM card ain't too bad a deal.

I know where I was and where's the nearest town, etc. Who really roam around not knowing where he/she is? Even so, he/she would have a plan or at least know how to get back to the point of origin. Point is, is a phone with data connection that necessary? Majority of experienced travellers do their planning. Even if one do need help or lose his/her way, can always open his/her golden mouth to ask. I ever went on a train for five days and not having a map when I arrived. Exit the wrong exit from the metro and lost my way. Don't speak the local language and yet I managed to find my way by asking passerbys. I was also stuck in an ulu part of Jeju, with no sim card and I misread the bus timing. The bus comes only twice a day or so. I had to hitchhike to the nearest bus-stop which was 45mins away. Then, I was actually heading to the airport to catch a flight.

Getting out of one's comfort zone, asking the right questions, are some of the beneficial experience that can be applied to other aspects of one's life.

 

[Din0saurus]

I'm a huge believer of smart phones for the offline features, with downloadable maps being the most obvious one. The other thing I do is to save everything of importance in a photo album. A map with points of interest marked out because I'm not going to visit every single one and it's much faster than looking it up in the index of a guidebook, flipping to the map page and matching the corresponding number to a legend. There's easily 30 places of interest in maps like these (sights, food and accoms) when I'm only interested in 5. ID photos. Screenshots of email confirmations for flight and hotel bookings. An itinerary with directions (I.e take train at xx and alight at yy (45min)). Etc.

I'm guessing that SIM cards are pretty useful for city traveling but the one time I bought one, I regretted it. I'm probably one of the most spontaneous off the beaten track backpackers around and there are many places I would have avoided if I had researched beforehand either because they were too inaccessible or sounded boring. Also, if you're reading about a place online, chances are it's not too far off the beaten track... Weather forecasts are pretty useless because it is not an exact science. What I usually use is climate data so that I don't waste my time going somewhere during the rainy season and pack adequately for the expected temperature range.

 

[dilphinus]

I always do my research before I travel, and also talk to the locals, the staff at the hostel/hotel/guest house, etc. There is wifi at the accommodation. Any research can be done while back at the accommodation at night or in the morning. Else, these days there's always free wifi at cafes and restaurants.

 

[butterbarter]

I always do my research before I travel, and also talk to the locals, the staff at the hostel/hotel/guest house, etc. There is wifi at the accommodation. Any research can be done while back at the accommodation at night or in the morning. Else, these days there's always free wifi at cafes and restaurants.

I used to do the same. Did most of my research before heading out, and I still do, but I'm not forced to stay in the hotel for an extra 30 mins in the morning just because I needed to look something up and I don't know where the next wifi hotspot is.

Let's just say that being able to look up information without having to look for a cafe and usually forced to buy something just to use their wifi is extremely convenient. I used to do that, until I realized that a $10-15 SIM card removes all these inconveniences.

I also ride motorcycles/scooters, and having Google maps navigation is very useful. Offline navigation works too, but not as good as Google nav.

At the end of the day, it's up to readers to sift through the pros and cons and decide what works for them.