It doesn’t matter where you are going, traveling probably causes you some stress. This advice can give you some insight that can help you get more out of your next trip.
If you travel to a foreign city, keep a lookout for people pretending to be police or law enforcement. Show officials your passport, but do not give it to them. If they want you to come with them to a police station, make sure that you walk there. Perhaps the most important thing is to never allow yourself to enter a strange person’s vehicle.
Pack lightly and take only what you need, when traveling. The more you pack, the more you may have to carry, pay excessive luggage fees for and then keep up with. Limit the amount of shoes you pack, because they are usually the heaviest and largest items on your trip.
It is always tempting to bring unnecessary things from home when traveling. Rather than overpacking, it is important that you only bring along the essentials. List all the toiletries use typically use every day and you really need. Just pack the essentials.
Always be kind, and tip your bell waiter and housekeeper daily. This will make your stay much more pleasant. People generally recommend a buck per bag for the bellhop and $2-5 per day for the maid. Tipping will show your appreciation for their work, and will help you maintain a good relationship with hotel staff.
Keep everything organized. Don’t waste time searching all over your house for your travel pillow, plug adapters, and travel toiletries. Buy a cheap plastic storage bin, and keep all your stuff in there. Under-the-bed containers help keep your things hidden, but prepared when you need to keep going on your adventure.
Information Inside
Be sure to put identification information inside your luggage in addition to the normal luggage tag. It is not unusual for exterior luggage tags to become detached from the bag along the way. If your luggage gets lost and lacks any tags, try putting some identifying information inside it so that it may be found and given back to you quickly.
When making coffee in a hotel room, you should use melted hotel ice. Instead of tap water, put ice in your bucket the night before so it has time to melt. In the morning, you can brew your coffee with filtered water that tastes fresher.
When going on a road trip, try to avoid rush hour. If you are unable to plan a trip that avoids rush hour, use this time to take a break. Use this time to get a snack or allow the children to get some exercise.
Sometimes, the best way to deal with a red-eye flight is to have a sleeping pill to take once you are settled on the plane. Many people find it difficult to sleep on an airplane, between the unfamiliar surroundings, uncomfortable seats, and passenger and aircraft noise. A sleeping pill may be just what you need to go to sleep quickly and make it through your flight without any problems. Nonetheless, don’t take pills before takeoff. This could be bad for you in case the plane needs to return to the airport due to a problem.
Sometimes you wind up in a less than nice hotel. If you have no choice but to stay in a less than desirable area, bring a rubber doorstop with you. Use it and the lock on your door. It is relatively easy for an intruder to compromise a chain or lock, but it will be almost impossible to get into a room that is secured with a doorstop.
Always prepare for an emergency when going to a foreign country. This includes coming up with a plan for losing your passport. You can get steps on contacting the embassy in the country in which you are traveling by visiting usembassy.state.gov. You can find this at the United States Department of State which has useful information in case you need to know what to do for a lost passport or some other emergency. Know about these helpful resources ahead of time. You shouldn’t have any trouble that way.
Planning your trip well makes your travel smoother, whether you’re headed across the Atlantic or just down the interstate. The tricks that you have learned will put you in the best position for traveling.
