Travel Tips

15 golden rules to live by while traveling

fruit stall in Bangkok

Yes travel tips usually do suck but amongst these 15 are a couple I religiously follow whenever I find myself in a new or familiar place.

11. Do what you want to do. Don't let someone else -- or a guide book -- decide. If you don't want to see the Louvre then don't see it. Do Paris or London or Rome the way you want to do it. I went through Cairo and didn't see the pyramids. And while this isn't a great example, seeing as I've regretted that egg-headed decision every day since it occurred -- I can live with it. It makes it my trip and my memories and my damn stupid decision.

Those snake farms in Bangkok are boring as hell. I head to the local art galleries, followed by a meal an out-of-the-guide-book restaurant, and after a long walk through the alleys and side streets have a massage at reputable place that caters to the locals. This pattern is repeated in many places I visited. I almost blew a trip to Paris by trying visit every single art gallery the guide books suggested -- drove my wife crazy. The most fun we had was a simple evening walk enroute to a wonderful restaurant.

13. Buy your own fruit. It sounds simple. It is simple. Just do it. You'll love it. And I don't mean, if there happens to be a fruit stand outside your hotel door you should buy some, because you need to have 9 servings a day. What I mean is, find fruit and buy it. Make it a daily task that you're going to track down a fruit stand, a farmers' market (they're not just in San Francisco) and get some good fresh fruit. The entire process will expose you to elements of daily life you would have otherwise ignored. Trust me: You'll have memories from your trips to buy fresh fruit.

For fun, dietary and budget reasons I always head to the nearest grocery store or equivalent. As all grocery stores have more or less become homogenized, local markets are your best bet if you are looking for not just fresh food but a unique insight into the culture you are visiting.

More: Thrilling and Amazing Travel Tips! Via kottke.

The beauty of small

Less can come in many forms. You can have fewer things, you can do fewer things, you can use fewer things, you can focus on fewer things. But less isn't just fewer: it can also be smaller. Small is often downplayed in this world of "bigger means better". But small is beautiful, and often better.

Smaller suitcases (such as a small backpack) are easier to carry around, fit easier in overhead compartments, don't require you to check luggage and worry about luggage not getting to the right destination, are easier to pack and unpack.

From: mnmlist: the beauty of small. Via Pack light. Go fast.

Things I wish I'd known before I started traveling

Taxi porter in China
Photo by Thomas Tribe

Chris Guillebeau writes for AC360 his short list of tips that he wished he knew before he started his routine of extensive routine of overseas travel. His is an interesting perspective. I listed my favourites with comments below.

7. Hire a taxi outside the airport, not from the guys who approach you inside as you're walking out.
Even better, walk further outside the airport to where the taxis pull in, and you'll get a better deal because the driver won't have to pay the entrance fee.
Never accept a ride from a tout inside the airport. I have and though it worked out ok, it could have gone badly.

8. Never assume that your taxi driver knows where your destination is. Double-check and get him to ask someone before you go if there's any doubt.
The Hong Kong Airport tourism desk provides a great service in writing down your destination address for the taxi driver and adding waypoints on the map for you. But not every taxi driver reads so it's best to show the taxi porter and have her/him tell the taxi driver if possible.

18. The concept of personal space means very different things in different countries. You kind of have to get used to that.
I can accept it but I don't think there will ever be a time when I am comfortable with the lack of personal space. In Taiwan that means not so much the fact that people are always around you, which they are, but that little imaginary protective bubble that people might observe in Canada doesn't exist here or isn't observed. That's one explanation I use in trying to understand why people here always put my safety at risk when they drive.

24. Never make promises you don't intend to keep. Don't tell vendors you'll buy from them tomorrow, don't offer to help anyone visit your country, don't say you'll write to someone later if you won't really do it, and so on.
I made this mistake and ended up having a vendor waiting outside my hotel the following morning when I said, 'maybe tomorrow'.

25. Most important: don't be a colonialist. Be careful about calling people "locals." Don't assume that your culture is superior. People are not stupid just because they don't speak English or think like you do.

28 things I wish I'd known before I started traveling

Traveling with children

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I am traveling again today, this time with the kids in tow. Yay! I love traveling with my kids. It's a short 4 day trip but we have others planned for both July and August. As fun as it is, traveling with my kids is much more work - here are some ideas I found that make it less so.

Tips for Traveling with Preschoolers

The first preparation is packing, and you’ll find that the "wants" and "needs" lists for little kids may actually be only one list. The trick is to consider what’s needed for keeping little ones content and you’ll soon realize that a lot of “wants” like toys and treats, really are “needs” for a long trip. Get lightweight nylon drawstring bags to hold fun stuff for each kid, then pack them in your carry-on luggage. Or, if your kids are four or five, they can have their own small backpacks full of toys, books, etc. or rollerbags they can happily wheel around the airport.

Safety Issues – Cities in Foreign Countries
In Asia, violent crime is much less of a problem than in American cities. In Delhi, you can wander around the city day or night without constant fear of muggings. You might have to lock up your luggage so that things aren't taken from your hotel room, but you don't need to worry about someone threatening you with a knife to take your wallet. A big city in Europe is similar to a big American city, keep a sharp eye out and hold onto your valuables.

Ten Tips for Keeping a Toddler Busy on a Plane
This time of year, every parent gets anxious about their travel plans and keeping their young kids occupied on long plane flights. Besides packing a few great travel toys you'll want to have some airplane activities that won't break or get lost. Here are our top ten airplane activities for toddlers and preschoolers that won't increase the size of your luggage!

Its the little things

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Despite my flight to Hong Kong later today being just a 'throw some t-shirts in a bag' kind of trip, I've just spent 40 minutes scrambling around the house looking for that last little item. 'Losing' things drives me nuts which put the kibosh on my plans for a relaxing pre-takeoff morning. They need to design thumb-drives with GPS locators.

It's alway these little innocuous items that always disappear and cause huge delays so to serve as a tip, find those little gadgets the night before even if your trip is an easy one like mine.

Resources and tips for short trips

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I'm heading out tomorrow early evening for a day trip to Hong Kong. After leaving my job at the lab, something I haven't mentioned to anyone other than my wife, I no longer have a work visa for Taiwan so I, like many others before me, am off on a visa run. If all goes well I'll return with a visa entitling me to an extendable 60 day visa.

My usual method of travel is to simply grab a bag, throw some clothes inside, ensure my id/money is all set and run out the door. For a trip like this I become a planning fanatic –– I have lists all over my desk. My Travel todo and packing list is a good help.

Here are some resources I have compiled for a short trip such as this:
A couple last minute tips for travel
36 Hours in Hong Kong
7 Reasons To Travel With One Bag
Lack of Sleep and Creativity
Avoiding a stomach virus while traveling
Losing your luggage
How to Pack Really Really Light
We Carry Too Much With Us

Some stories related to travelling to Hong Kong:
Buying Bags in Hong Kong
Milan Station Hong Kong
Hong Kong - World's Best Airport

WiFi Protection for the Frequent Flyer

Some good advice from the Wired Wiki.

Nowadays when we’re on the road, you have very little to worry about when it comes to getting the information you need, corresponding with e-mail or instant messaging or writing up those important spreadsheets. As a nice bonus, if you’re just bored and need to entertain yourself on a ten hour flight somehow, you can just sit back and watch some YouTube videos, since a lot of airlines are now providing cheap in-flight wireless internet. But here’s the thing; wherever you have a new way of transferring information, snoops also have a new way of stealing information and sending bad information. So it stands to reason that this new trend of providing free wireless internet in airports and in flight is also suffering a bit of turbulence in the form of malicious hackers.

Wired: Secure Your Wi-Fi While Traveling

Charging your laptop at the airport

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Here's an excellent tip from magazine Girlawhirl, which suggests when traveling on the road to bring an adapter that can turn one outlet into four. It's a common problem to see people huddled around the scant few outlets available but if you come prepared and ask politely, problem solved. I have a couple small two prong adaptors in my office which I take with me for this very purpose.

Link

What Foods Can You Carry On The Plane?

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I now make it a point to not eat at all. Certainly whatever is on offer at the terminal is unhealthy at best - I can live the rest of my life without yet another fast food burger. On board the aircraft I now request fruit, which though seldom plentiful, keeps me satiated until I reach my destination. For long trips I bring nuts and cheese with requests for some noodles if necessary.

The TSA website states that you can carry on:

What Foods Can You Carry On The Plane?

A couple last minute tips for travel

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I'm on my way out the door in a few hours for a brief trip to Hong Kong and I thought I might share a couple things I have encountered as I prepare.

1st tip: Don't assume that that packing cube you have had tucked away in the closet for the past 6 months is going to smell fresh and clean. I have 5 packing cubes and all of them smell like vomit. That's a smell that I don't want on my clothes so I am doing some last minute cleaning and freshening of all my bags.

2nd tip: Thoroughly check all those hidden pockets in your luggage of choice. This can be fun if you find money or some memorabelia from your last trip. Not so fun is not checking and having a pocket knife, pills, or some unknown liquid be found by security. Clear out the pockets and remove another reason for security to make your life unpleasant. In checking this morning I found old receipts, melted candy, and a toy truck.

If you are traveling - have a fun and safe trip!

Photo via mayhem.

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