Share hacks that changed the way you vacation.
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If you go on vacation by plane with a partner: Each of you gather all the stuff you need. Then pack your suitcases with half of your stuff and half of the stuff of your Partner who is doing the same with his / her suitcase. If one of your suitcases get lost when you arrive at the destination, both of you have some clothes and important Things.
Go where the locals like to be, not where all the tourists gather. It's much less crowded there
1. Don't unpack your suitcase. Leave it on the bench / couch / sofa, open, with the stuff packed as it was. 2. Keep two spare plastic shopping bags: one for dirty shoes and one for dirty laundry to keep it separated from the clean laundry. 3. Travel light. Overpack on socks and underwear and underpack on shoes. Choose a set of shoes to match your destination. Generally, sneakers (converse style) are best for me. They can be dressed up or down, and used to run or walk in the wilds just as well as in a museum.
Good points. The only thing I do differently is that I bring a cotton shopping bag for my dirty laundry. Somehow I worry that a plastic bag wouldn't let my dirty clothes breathe and cause smells or worse.
Learn the map of the city/region well in advance. You won't get lost or fooled as easily because you look like you know where you're going. Otherwise, you have more time to enjoy the atmosphere when you don't have to stare at the map application.
Pack a few bandaids, needle and thread, safety pin, dental floss, eye drops, eyeglasses cloth and nail file. It's the stuff you never think of until you need it.
It's the stuff you leave in your bag and then forget you can't take some of it through security, as well! ;-)
At the very least, learn how to ask if someone speaks your language in English. Other common phrases are good to know as well, but that's the best one. Also, don't go to France without preparing for the French. They're mean as hell if you don't try to blend in (in my experience).
If you’re going to a country with a different wall socket for electricity, BRING AN EXTENSION CORD. I can’t stress this enough, adaptors are expensive, and it’s worth buying one and then using an extension cord to get 5+ spots to charge things.
4. Find out what apps they use in the country and preinstall them. For example, in South Africa, you need Waze (navigation), AirBNB (it doesn't suck here), Zomato (restaurants), Admyt (to get into malls without ticketing), Eskom se Push (to know when the electricity is going to fail), Google Translate (for local languages), Uber (works fine here, quite affordable), Zapper and Snapscan (to pay digitally). Apple Pay/Wallet also works here.
Don't do tourist stuff every day. If you have enough time, just hang out. In a new place, I alternate tourist days with hanging out days. If I have even more time, I hang out even more. This is the best way to get to know a city.
If you are driving, always pee when you get gas - or recharge.
Make sandwiches and snacks so you don't have to stop at a restaurant.
If the weather is hot, don't bring or buy any chocolate snacks - unless you have a cool place to keep them, or will eat them immediately.
If you've booked and paid for a flight (may also work for buses, trains, cruises, hotels, etc. but I've only tried with a flight) and have to cancel/change plans last minute but can't get a refund because it's within 48 hours of departure (or whatever the cutoff is), try changing reservations to a future date instead of cancelling (it may be free or there may be a small fee). And then cancel it the next day now that you're well within the notice/refund period.
If I need/want to visit a major city (like Paris or London), I like to book a four-day coach holiday (where the excursions are not included). They tend to be really quite affordable, and your trip and accommodation are taken care of. The cost of your holiday can rise significantly when you book excursions with them, but you are in no way obligated to do so. The tour guides don't like you skipping all the excursions as they can make good money off those, but feel free to cheerfully say no to every single one.
Have a small bag ready with all the stuff you need on vacation. Then leave it alone. This can include razors, lots of other personal hyenine items, (wait looking through my bag). Snack bars (side compartment), pen, paper, playing cards, mini cribbage board. If you need something small on a vacation but don't have it, get it when you come home and throw it in the bag. Also put emergency supplies in your car if you are driving.
Get yourself some shorts/pants that close at the top with a drawstring. Get loafers or other slip on shoes. As you make your way through the security line, begin putting EVERYTHING you carry in your pockets in your bag pockets. Breeze through the scanners/metal detectors, enjoy your trip!
If you stay at a hotel, always lock the door and put something to block it (a chair or the suitcase) - so if anyone tries to open it, you'd be woken up by the noise.
It may seem paranoic, but hotel keys or cards have a limited number of combinations and mistakes can happen anytime. A colleague of mine got a hotel room, opened the door and, as she wanted to lay in bed, she literally freaked out to find a man sleeping there already. They had given her a room that was already occupied.
If you enjoy camping, You can make your own super effective fire starters by stuffing dryer lint in the cup of a cardboard egg carton and drizzling melted wax over the top. If you need a bear can, you'll lose the key. Every one does. Wear a washer around your neck. Switch from your hiking boots into camp sandals as soon as possible, especially if you have a multi day hike. Let those dogs air out.
If you need a bear can, you'll lose the key. Every one does. Wear a washer around your neck -- Can someone explain those sentences please?
Learn basic words in the language if you're going abroad like help, do you know how to get to....?, where's the hospital, etc. Also learn emergency numbers just in case and depending on the place you are sometimes it's best to not show you're a tourist. Like obviously you might stand out but don't like wearing a bunch of gold cuz ur gonna get ransacked and worse...trust me plz.
first words to learn in every language are: please, thank you, excuse me, hello/how do you do - with those, everybody will try to help you, you show decency
Ask the cab driver if they can give you a rough estimate of how much it will cost to get to where you're going, before you get in. You'll avoid being taken for a ride and overpaying. That scam is common in some places.
Don't get on the plane right away. Some people rush to get on the plane the moment their section is called. Stay at the gate as long as possible (especially if you're not worried about where your carry-on is stowed), you can stretch out your legs in a more comfortable seat for a little longer.
This one is tough to get right.
When you are out walking around and being a tourist, pay attention when you stop to look at something and try not to stand in other peoples way, in the bike lane, don't ever stop at the bottom or top of an escalator.
You will want to look around, that is perfectly fine. Just please try to pay a little attention to where you stop so you are not in everyone else's way while looking around (or the French people will mad at you, somewhat justifiably I say).
This is so irritating. You don't stop in the middle of traffic flow. It doesn't matter if it's car traffic, biking traffic or walking traffic. Move your self absorbed a*s over & out of the way. Be self aware & aware of your surroundings at all times. Or you're setting yourself up, looking like a fool, asking to be bumped into & pickpocketed
Always get travel insurance. Always.
If you travel a lot and are prone to forgetting things, have a separate kit of toiletries and other essentials explicitly for traveling. For me, that means an extra wall charger and cable for my phone, a full set of travel-sized toiletries in a kit (to include things like a razor, q-tips, etc.), and an empty water bottle; I store them in my luggage and they never leave unless I'm traveling.
I keep certain necessities in my suitcase at all times. That way, I don't have to worry about them when packing for a trip.
Not a hack but an useful advice.
-Don't spend all your time in your all-inclusive hotel. Try to go out and explore
- also try not to drink too much because, you went on a holliday to rest and high alcohol consumption will make you feel more tired than you ever felt.
Don't go all inclusive. If you want to just lie about and enjoy everything you get at home. Just stay home and save the money. Dumbasses
Three points of advice:
1. Keep passport, money and medication in a hip pack/bum pack. (Cotopaxi is my favorite brand.) You may think “she’s crazy!” but let me explain. Put passport and money in one compartment (better if it’s waterproof) and put other small, necessary items in the main pouch. Change what’s in it depending on where you go. Beach? Sunscreen. Long car ride? Dramamine. Always have enough money, sunglasses and lip balm in it.
2. Always keep anti-nausea/carsickness/dizziness medication in your pouch. Always have anti-diarrhea medications as well. You should have one that fights the bacteria and one that just ~stops the flow~ if you know what I mean. The second is only for emergency flights, bus rides, meetings, etc.
3. Know the area. Know about which languages are spoken where. Know what percentage of people speak your language and how well. Try to know at least a few words in the spoken language(s). Thank you, excuse me, sorry and “I don’t speak X” go a long way.
Beyond that, just use common sense!
One addition: The hip pack is primarily for anti-theft purposes.
1. We tend to use backpacks for suitcases as it helps distribute the weight of everything more comfortably and has multiple pockets to separate clothes from medical from others things. (A spare plastic bag is packed for dirty laundry.)
2. Instead of stopping at rest areas, we stop at grocery stores. They have bathrooms, affordable snacks and (at least the ones we frequent) a place to refill the gas tank.
If staying at a hotel or other place that has business cards, grab a few and keep one with you at all times. If they don't have cards, ask a staff member to write down the hotel address and phone number in the local language (even if that language is your own). Go out and explore!! Have fun!! When you are ready to go back but have no idea how to get there, hail a cab and show them the address/business card, or ask locals and show them the card. Works perfectly.
Seek the advice of a travel professional. Travel advisors aren't necessarily more expensive, we know we compete against the internet. It does not behoove us to try to fleece you. Whether it's an all-inclusive vacation somewhere warm... what do you get when you search for properties? Hundreds of results. We can narrow it down easily. Family friendly or adults only? More active and lively or chill or romantic? Are you a beach or pool person? If you are planning a European adventure... do you know how to travel from one place to the next? Hotels in city center or near things (not always the same!)? What currency? Don't get me started on all the components it takes to cruise.
Plus we have sources that can bundle and package things. We'll make sure you have a ride from the airport and have trip insurance. We won't always give you the cheapest option, often because the cheapest option sucks. We want to give you the best value, which means your time. 3 layovers, each one 7 hours? No. A flight that gets you to get destination at 10 pm? Nah. Hotels that are super inconvenient so you have to pay through the nose for transportation? I don't think so!
if you have to do a long road trip (400+ km), do a 10 km joggging just before. it'll vivify you. and you'll reach the destination without feeling tired
If you go to a country with another language, first words to learn in every language are: please, thank you, excuse me, hello/how do you do - with those, everybody will try to help you as you show decency and the will to be more than a bloody tourist
mine is kind of simple. i take two suitcases and i nest them inside each other. i then use the smaller one to pack my things. this not only helps me not over pack but, since i usually shop for things during trips i know i will have space to pack them up. the other thing i started doing after i had been stranded at airports was to make sure my carry on has a cup, tea, and a few snacks. got stuck at the denver airport due to blizzard and could not believe that an airport of that size literally locks up every stop around 9 pm and then it's just you and the maintenance people and whatever poor souls who were stranded as well.
Make yourself a little money conversion list so you can get a rough idea how much something is in your own currency without too much maths. When I went to Mexico I had one with English pounds, US Dollars and Mexican peso and just kept it in my purse.
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If you are on a road trip in a mountainous area, take a couple of lightweight jackets or sweaters in case of wet or cold weather. If you don't need to wear them they can be used to shade your cooler. It can snow any time of year in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. Never underestimate how cold the desert can get.
Make a list of what you need to bring, then after you come back add what you didn't write down first time but needed. Then keep the list for the following years
My mum tried this, but she always lost the list!
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Make copies of your credit cards, passport, government I.D. Keep it in your hotel safe (if available).
Make a list of what you need to bring, then after you come back add what you didn't write down first time but needed. Then keep the list for the following years
My mum tried this, but she always lost the list!
Load More Replies... Make copies of your credit cards, passport, government I.D. Keep it in your hotel safe (if available).
