Travel tips can be useful wherever you decide to go. Look no further for the best and brightest advice on everything from packing your bags to booking your hotel room.
To receive the best service when traveling, tip generously at the beginning of the trip. If the bellboy or steward knows that you tip well, they will be more likely to tend to your needs. Especially on cruises, you’ll receive more personal attention and better service from the staff if you’re seen as generous.
Before traveling to an area that is completely unfamiliar one should do some research to know what to expect. This research can be as simple as where to get good food, to as in depth as where to go for entertainment and pre-purchasing of tickets. Research of any kind can surely improve the quality of travel and the overall trip.
Before leaving on an overseas vacation, ensure that there are at least six months from your planned date of travel and when your passport expires. Many airlines will refuse to allow you to board unless you meet this minimum requirement. In other cases, you will not be able to enter your destination country. In any case, it is easier to ‘be safe than sorry.’
Know the rules for your airline’s baggage check policy. Some airlines will make you go and claim your baggage and recheck it for connecting flights. Be aware of this so you can schedule flights accordingly. You do not want to get caught running across an airport to catch a flight because of baggage!
Learn to take it easy. You do not have to follow a strict schedule when you are traveling. If you feel like you must schedule out your vacation, at least pen in a little “nothing” time, where you are free to follow up on anything that has interested you, or just lay by the pool with a drink.
Bring a gift for the flight attendants to gain special treatment. Flight attendants are generally treated very poorly, and if you bring them a treat, like a store-bought pie or something similar, they will recognize your generosity and treat you accordingly. Remember to thank them for doing their jobs. They are working for your safety, not as your maid.
To save money on your vacation, choose a hotel that offers rooms with an en-suite kitchen or kitchenette. Even a simple refrigerator can save you big bucks if, instead of paying for the pricy hotel breakfast buffet, you pick up some cereal, milk, and yogurt to eat in your room.
If you plan to stay more than one night in a hotel room, bring a cheap over-the-door organizer for shoes or jewelry. Instead of filling it with shoes, you can use the pockets to store your toiletries, room key, camera, phone and any other objects which might easily get lost in the fray. The clear pockets make it easy to find things, in seconds.
Always look up recent reviews to the travel destinations and hotels that you plan on visiting. The more reviews a place has, the more reliable it is and the easier you can figure out if the place is one you want to stay at. If the review has photos, even better. Pictures tell more than words can, most times.
Many families choose their vacation destination in order to visit a specific amusement park, and, while an exciting time is expected for all, there are ways to ensure that these expectations are met. If one of your children is hesitant to get on a ride, don’t try to talk him or her into it by saying that the ride isn’t scary. Chances are, if it looks scary to your child, it will be. Prevent early burnout by taking a mid-afternoon break at a nearby restaurant for a sit-down lunch or by relaxing at the poolside of your hotel for an hour. Give each child a waist bag packed with snacks to avoid an argument at every concession stand you pass. Now, strap yourself in, and enjoy the ride!
Joining a hotel’s loyalty program can provide you with many different traveling perks. Members of these programs often get special bonuses that are not available to the general population. Some hotels offer free internet access or a free drink every morning for breakfast. Others will iron a few items of your clothing for no charge. Loyalty programs are a way to make your hotel stay a little more pleasant.
Give a copy of your trip itinerary to a friend or family member. In case of an accident or another situation, this can help your friends and family track down your whereabouts. Make sure you also keep in contact with this individual as you transition from one leg of your trip to the next.
Keep these tips in mind as you pack and plan. The tips in this piece can make every part of your adventure much smoother.
