Travel Tips – 20 quick trip tips you might not have thought of

The section of my book entitled “Preparing for Paris” gives you a LOT of suggestions (flip to page 69 if you have it on your shelf). However, in the 11 years since I wrote that book (and 8 since the Companion Playbook!), I have come up with a few more suggestions to help with everything from preparing to go to being safe on a trip.

I won’t repeat the suggestions found in my book here. They include being sure your passport runs at least six months “past” your return date (required by some countries), to having a “mail stop” form filled out and on your refrigerator in case you decide to up and go on a whim, to already having plants and lights on timers, to putting together a “go bag” of toiletries (with a list of your meds/anything you need to add before you run out the door). I also detail how to set up your closet so that you can pack quickly and efficiently.

As a sidebar – I’d like to mention some shoes that I used on a recent trip. They are by Mime et Moi, and they are not inexpensive. (I was lucky enough to get two pair, with 4 interchangeable heels a piece, on Kickstarter). However, they’re genius – one “shoe” base to which you can add different heels. If you pack black-based clothing for your trip, here are all the shoes you may need, from knocking around town to going to the Opera.

So, how about those tips? Well, here we go! In no particular order . . .

1. Use www.checkmytrip.com as a travel resource.
If you’re travelling on miles with a companion who is not, use your miles for your companion’s ticket. That way you will still accrue miles on that trip.
Take a photo of all your documents, driver’s license, credit cards, itinerary, boarding pass, etc. and email it to yourself, trusted neighbors, and the like. (We use a specific Gmail address for this purpose, and this purpose only – it also contains a document with our passwords, just in case.) If anything gets stolen, you can pull it up at an “Internet cafe.” Put a copy of your itinerary at the top of your suitcase as well, in case your luggage is lost. I recently ordered a little “luggage tag” that you can insert your itinerary into, so it’s on the outside of the bag. My dad, a veteran traveler, uses this and I think it’s genius. (Typing up this post just reminded me to get one!)
Make a list of everything in your luggage. If you check your bag and (horrors!) it doesn’t show up, you can quickly and efficiently list things out for your insurance company. It’s not a bad idea to actually take a photo of everything laid out on your bed before you pack – this and the list can also be sent to yourself in your email. Do keep a “hard copy” list in your carry-on, though, in case you need to make an immediate claim at the airport. Also, of course, be sure to have a list of all your medications. Snapshots of the fronts of bottles, also saved to your email, are quick and easy. It probably goes without saying that if you’re going to be gone for a while, get a checkup and go to the dentist before you go – better to find out here, than there! And while you’re at the dentist, stock up on an extra toothbrush (if you drop yours abroad, you’ll be glad to have an extra!), dental floss (see below), etc. Be sure to throw away your toothbrush at the end of the trip!
Tell your bank, phone, and credit card companies that you’ll be away. Check their procedures. While American Express never seems to have this issue, I have had trouble using my credit card outside my local area (especially in Vegas). Since you really want to slim your wallet down to the bare essentials while traveling, it shouldn’t be a problem to alert the one or two companies whose “plastic” you’re carrying. (NOTE: My husband and I have found a couple of times that one or the other of our ATM “networks” won’t work in a given area. As such, be sure if you are bringing a Visa/ATM or Mastercard/ATM combo card, that you bring at least 2 different “networks.” But leave any extraneous cards at home! If you belong to clubs that you might visit along the way – Elks, reciprocal yacht clubs, golf clubs, or the like – then have your club write a note of introduction for you before you go, then just bring a copy of your card.)
Pack multi-use/useful items. Wrap Duct tape around a pencil (then you have both in a pinch). Always have toilet paper (take the cardboard roll out, squash it down). Ziplocs are useful – as are “throw away” plastic bags (e.g., the kind you might use for vegetables at the grocery) in case your shoes get muddy. Thick socks can be slippers. An ace bandage can be used for many things, as can dental floss (you can even hang laundry from it in a pinch!) If you use a non-toxic deodorant (for example, think a Crystal), you can rub it on your face/forehead/upper lip in a hot climate. Dryer sheets can be used to fend off mosquitoes and bedbugs (though if you’re really worried, bring a silk sleep-bag). The lowly bandana can be used as a headband, a belt, a napkin, a seat cover, a gift ( :-) ), a cold compress, a tourniquet, or a pillow cover. A string grocery bag (they stretch to amazing sizes!) is never a bad idea, and having a pretty, thin sarong can do duty as a hair and arm cover in a mosque/church, a beach cover up, a tote, a picnic blanket, etc. Since you want to pack as little as possible, that same sarong can jazz up an outfit. Though it seems crazy – always bring a swimsuit. The one time you forget will be the time there are hot springs to visit! (You’ll have your sarong to dry off!)
Iron your paper money. This is going to sound CRAZY, but a number of countries won’t accept “battered” money. In fact, when we were in Peru, we wound up purchasing a beautiful work of art from natives on a tiny island in Lake Titicaca . . . for $35 instead of $50 – because we had a pristine $20, $10 and $5, but couldn’t “make up” a perfect $50. Really! We even tried to “make him” take the extra $15 and he wouldn’t. If you are going to bring cash, make sure it has no “nicks,” and then iron it (it also takes less room in your wallet that way). Always be sure to have small bills and coins in your pockets while travelling, too – you are likely to need them in restrooms, many of which have either attendants to tip, or coin-locked doors.
If you’re going on a tour-guided trip (or cruise), set up the tips that you will need in advance, put them in separate envelopes, and forget about them. You don’t want to get caught short at the end.
If the water isn’t safe to drink, beware! Remember things like showering with your back to the shower (so you don’t aspirate the water – suck on a candy to help you remember!), use bottled water on your toothbrush, and remember that glasses are often just “wiped out” – not sterilized. In many countries it’s required as a point of hospitality to drink a glass of mint tea – if you bring a short straw, you at least aren’t putting your lips to the glass.
Eat at the bar. If you’re traveling alone, eat at the bar. You can read a book there if you want, but you can also chat with the bartender. You’re less of a “mark” if you’re eating at the bar and look like you might just be “waiting for your husband” than if you’re sitting at a table with only one setting. It’s never a bad idea to tip the bartender beforehand to take care of you. And – obviously – don’t drink too much, and be sure to watch your drink like a hawk. You just never know who might have something “special” to slip into it for you. While out, try to keep your purse either in your lap, or behind your back in a chair. Never sling it over the chair or put it underneath.
Speaking of tips – if you are staying at a hotel for a few days, be sure to leave a couple dollars for the housekeeping staff every day on your bed. The staff rotates – leaving a bunch at the end of your stay will only go to that day’s staff. Moreover, the staff tends to take better care of you if you tip while you’re still there – we have had extra “amenities” show up after doing this for a couple of days (e.g., “high roller” toiletry kits when in Vegas, etc.)
Use pantiliners, if you’re a woman. They’re small, and especially on a hot or long travel day, you can just swap them out without fuss.
Shampoo is nearly always available, but I always bring conditioner. Not all conditioner will “tame my locks.” That said, you can concentrate shampoo or conditioner by pouring it on a throw-away pie plate and putting it into a low temperature oven for a few hours. The water will evaporate, leaving a thick liquid you can pour into travel-sized bottles. (Use a funnel – otherwise it’s a mess ;-) ) This way just a few drops will “blossom into” a full handful of shampoo/conditioner and less “volume” will last weeks longer.
Pick up the concierge’s business card – or even a matchbook – from your hotel. That way if you get lost, you can hand it to a taxi driver and get back! In Venice, almost all stores have cards that show “how to get there” from a tourist area (e.g., “start at the cathedral, then . . . “). If you are even considering returning to purchase an item, be sure to get a card. If they are shipping an item for you, be sure to make a big deal out of taking a photo of what you are purchasing, the people selling it to you, etc. Then get their email and make a point of emailing the photo to them immediately. This acts as insurance against the box arriving with something completely different in it! A final note about Venice – as long as you don’t cross a bridge, if you get lost, just keep wandering. You haven’t left the island . . . you’re bound to find your way back ;-) And trust me – you’ll get lost ;-)
Protecting yourself might seem fairly obvious. Don’t wear flashy jewelry (even costume!) – but do wear a wedding ring to fend off the sharks. Leave your “real band” at home though – you’d be heartbroken if it was stolen. Keep money on different parts of your body, so you don’t pull it all out at once. Don’t let a receptionist at a hotel “announce” your room number. Ask for a room by the elevator – sounds dumb, but the more traffic, the less likely you are to get ambushed. Buy a small rubber “triangle” (often used to hold doors open in offices) to ensure your door cannot be opened from outside. Approach your door with your key in hand ready to go, then when you first walk in, block the door open with your suitcase, and look through the closet, shower, etc. – to be sure you’re alone in there – and then ensure that every single door and window actually locks. If you are given an “electronic” key, always obtain two. If one doesn’t work, you don’t have to go all the way back down to retrieve another. And – as I mentioned in my book – it’s actually often well worth the small tip to have a bellboy take your luggage up with you. You don’t need to wrestle your bags, he knows the way, and if the key doesn’t work, he is the one that needs to get another. He can also fill your ice, answer any questions, and stand bemused as you check out the shower for bad guys.
Set up an Instagram account if you don’t have one already, and save your snapped photos there. My husband has chided me about this for years – he’s a “real camera” kind of guy. Until he managed to lose it on our last trip . . . without the SIM card having been backed up. Though my photos aren’t as beautiful as his, they were (ahem) all backed up into my Instagram account. How I do it is I actually just take the photo in the Instagram app. On the posting page, for the first photo at a given site, I type in the hashtags I want to use and then “select” them all and copy. I push to “post” each photo to Insta – even if I don’t have an internet connection, they will all stay “queued up” until I do. With each subsequent photo or video at the same site, I just “paste” the hashtags on from the first photo. And as for that lost camera and SIM card – my husband now does what I have asked him to do for years – the first photo on each SIM card is a photo of a $100 bill with a note containing our name and my office address, stating that they can keep the camera, but if they return the SIM card to the address, we will Paypal them a reward. Doesn’t mean we will actually send them $100, but what are they going to do with our photos otherwise? It kills me that a SIM card with nearly a year’s worth of photos (yes, a year . . . ) was probably pitched into a dumpster after my hubby left the camera on a gondola.
Be sure you have Polarized sunglasses. You can also use them as a “polarizing filter” on your camera (even your phone camera) by holding them up to the lens. If you take a second to do it right, it works like a charm. Especially good if you’re taking photos on or near reflective water.
There are, of course, a zillion things you can do with your phone – from using it as a flashlight, to an alarm clock, to a camera, to a portable entertainment center (be sure to download – wifi might be broken!), VOIP for calls home without incurring charges (be sure to check!), currency converter, TripAdvisor for restaurants/hotels/etc. nearby, etc. One of the best things I ever did was to download an “ambient noise” app – “pink noise” blocks snoring quite well. You might consider some industrial-strength earplugs as well. One of the most important things to do with your phone is to put it down. Be sure to “live in the present moment” during your trip. A few shots here and there are great (especially 10 years later, when they can bring you right back to that moment), but we see folks taking selfie after selfie – at museums, etc. – without even “seeing” where they are. Taking shot after shot of your face with 1/2 of the Mona Lisa blurred in the background means that you’re taking those shots to “show you’re there” – which means you’re not really “there-there” as it were. Try taking a “whole day” without a selfie. Take shots of beautiful things so you can remember them when you’re a grandma – but without you in the shot. Is that hard for you? Hm.
Things that just “live” in my suitcase to be “prepared” to travel: A cord and charger for my phone, a swimsuit, a sarong, cleansing wipes, corkscrew, Swiss Army knife, hand sanitizer, sunscreen/insect repellent (2 oz.), nail clippers, mini-medical kit (Imodium, Neosporin, etc.), mending kit/safety pins (a small one from a hotel), personal lubricant (which can be used to lubricate anything), toilet paper, small umbrella, quick dry washcloth, rolled up water bottle, ziplocs, Duct tape on a pencil, and a flexible power strip. The power strip allows you to plug that in and “share” an outlet if you’re ever stranded trying to charge your phone in an airport crowded with other travelers doing the same thing – take it from one who knows! My ‘go bag’ has 2 oz. or less sizes of everything else – face/eye cream, hair brush, disposable razor, toothbrush/paste, dental floss, deodorant, eye drops, etc. (all as detailed in my book).
Finally, I would strongly suggest getting TSA-PRE. Being able to use the “TSA-PRE” Security line is a huge boon. You don’t have to take off your shoes/belt/jacket/etc., the lines are always shorter, and hey – you look like a Bond Girl as you scoot on through without disrobing. If you happen to have an American Express card, they will reimburse you for the cost – check with them for details.