Offer Your Best Travel Tips in the Comments by 10am Eastern Saturday morning to Win.
Some of y’all will remember that I hosted an online forum about technology and travel that was sponsored by National Car Rental coinciding with the launch of their new mobile app.
I rent regularly from National and had been looking forward to the introduction of a mobile app (finally!) and the folks participating in the chat were friends and travel heroes.
I like the products I like, I share the reasons why here, and I don’t want there to be confusion over my motives — if I benefit personally from a referral link I always say so in the post, I frequently try to arrange to give any miles I may earn from referrals back to you in the form of bigger bonuses (some companies are receptive to this, others are not) and I prefer to do giveaways rather than take freebies myself.
There was modest compensation for participating in the National forum, and I already gave away half the amount here on the blog. I split it up into more than one giveaway largely because I didn’t want to have to do tax reporting!
I want your best travel tips in the comments.
- You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry should be a bona fide travel tip. I will compile the best tips in a subsequent post.
- I will select two winners, largely at random but to be eligible to win the entry must be (in my sole judgment) a genuine tip.
- Two prizes of (2) $100 Visa Gift cards each will be awarded.
You have a great chance of winning because internet traffic drops like a rock on Friday evenings, second slowest only behind Saturday evenings.
So.. what are your best travel tips? They can be anything from ways to improve the odds of getting an airline upgrade, a hotel suite upgrade, clearing airport security quickly, the best place to eat at a given airport, anything at all.
I love to learn from this community of readers, and love to be able to share your knowledge back with everyone else. I look forward to reading your submissions, and of course to selecting two winners!
- You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. Don’t miss out!
Subscribe to the Best Rate Guarantee blog and spend a little time checking out rates if they post a deal in the city you’re traveling to. You can often get a matching rate plus $50 off on your next Expedia booking, but sometimes you can even get a free night (IHG guarantee). Best Western’s best rate guarantee matches a lower rate and gives you a $100 gift cert towards your next stay. This takes time, but it can add up to some serious savings.
Ensure you have a fee transaction fee-free and “chipped” cards at your disposal, otherwise you face 3%+ fees assuming you’re able to even use a card!
Probably has been said before, but check hotel prices every day after you book. Direct hotel sites change their prices frequently (especially discounted rate) and they will most likely adjust it when you call!
Always double check your reservations a few days before your scheduled travel to make sure everything is fine. It will prevent you last minute headaches and even being stranded without an airline or hotel reservation!
Scan a copy of your passport, credit cards, drivers license, etc. Basically anything you are traveling with that if you lost you would need to replace/report. Keep that separate if you can while traveling from those items. During the day carry the scanned copy of your passport with you and keep actual passport in the hotel safe (or vice versa if you need it during the day). Alternatively, if you have an expired passport carry that during the day and keep the actual one in the safe. Basically, like a boy scout prepare in advance for having to deal with a lost passport, credit card, etc.
Travel with multiple credit cards. Keep at least one in the hotel safe along with some back up cash. Then you have a fall back option in case you are robbed.
If you are traveling with another person (ie spouse) make sure you are not carrying the same credit cards. Otherwise, if one loses it you both are out of luck when you go to cancel the card.
Prioritize the best cards for your daily use (ie no foreign transaction fee’s for intl travel, points based, miles based, etc.).
I always write out on a small card in the native language of the country I’m visiting,”Do you have WiFi?” and “What is the password?”.
For your drivers license, take the most ridiculous picture the DMV staff will allow (note: they don’t allow wigs, but may allow fake facial hair). Everyone looks at your drivers license
It has gotten me hotel suite upgrades (front desk staff laughed when I checked in), free drink vouchers (check in for a flight at a staffed kiosk, ask for something when they laugh), tips from TSA on which security line is the shortest (TSA agents really appreciate a chuckle after scanning thousands of drivers licenses a day), and a few free appetizers a the hotel bar (bartenders check IDs too!).
Keep your toiletry liquids in a sturdy, clear plastic bag in a very easy-to-grab location in your bag. This will speed you through airport security.
Just like you buy your airline tickets ahead of time you can do the same with Train tickets, metro passes, Museum passes, tours, etc. If you plan your trip well in advance you can then make sure you have everything already taken care of and also have the option on spacing the payment out on these items as you can buy them over time. It also saves you time at your destination because you are not waiting in lines to buy these items.
Don’t lock your suitcases when you check them. TSA will cut the locks off.
It is worth it to have a certified copy of your passport.
Make sure your credit card can be used in the country you are traveling to.
Bring enough currency.
Don’t fill up your suitcase since you will be bringing souvenirs home
Learn how to say “Hello”, “Please “and “Thank You” in whatever the language is of the place you are visiting, should it be different to your native language. Manners matter.
When traveling internationally, check to see if there is any app available with GPS available that does not require purchasing the country’s SIM card. And before heading out on the trip, select a few places you want to go, and use that app to help you get there – either through walking or driving.
Charles Schwab debit card is also the best – no foreign transaction fee, and reimbursement for all ATM fees.
Check out the average temperature, rainfall, etc. when planning your trip. Make sure those averages are something you and your travel party can live with. Nothing worse than arriving in the Monsoon season, hurricane season, etc. and not being able to enjoy the location.
You can buy most foreign currency from your local bank. It is usually helpful to buy at least some local currency this way so that you can be assured that you have some when you arrive. Then if you are not able to find a quick ATM or reasonable currency exchange when you arrive you can wait to find one later. Also, if you have planned well in advance, then you can buy currency when the Dollar is strong and get a better exchange rate.
If your hotel is charging an arm and a leg for water, just get free water at the gym.
When traveling abroad make sure to use ATM adjacent to a bank. Foreign cards are sometimes swallowed by ATMs. If this is a standalone ATM, good luck getting the card back
Read Gary’s blog, View from the Wing, among the other great blogs on http://www.boardingarea.com
If you look like you mean business, people are more likely to treat you like it. A suit jacket has gone quite a ways for me many a time in the world of upgrades and other preferential treatment.
If you plan on staying at a boutique hotel and see a cheaper rate on an OTA than their website, give a call to the Front Desk and see if they will match the rate. Most hotels will match the rate since they don’t have to pay the OTA anymore for the reservation.
I doubt many of us will do this at chain hotels due to the BRG opportunities.
Try to learn the common words in the foreign language of the country you are visiting. It is also good to understand some of the basic food names so that you can order off a menu. Many local libraries now have free online versions of foreign language training. At the very least learn Entry, Exit, Bathroom, Hello, Goodbye, Thank you, Help, and Do you speak English?
Upload copies of all of your itinerary, passport, and eyeglass/contact lens prescription to Dropbox or other cloud server…you’ll have it wherever there’s an internet connection.
When bringing US dollars abroad, make sure they they are crisp and don’t have pen marks on them – many currency exchanges will be picky about this.
I know this seems crazy for a blog that loves credit cards, but when traveling in South America (for example) sometimes you need cash and can’t rely or don’t want to rely on foreign ATMs. Getting a currency exchange teller to take crumpled greenbacks is nearly impossible. If you are going to carry cash, make sure it is newly issued!
If you’re traveling abroad, print out paper copies of your itinerary and hotel and flight confirmations. Border Patrol agents like to see paper and you can’t rely on your phone’s email if you lose it or battery dies.
If you are renting a car for your trip also plan on where you are parking for each part of your trip. Many times in cities there will not be parking lots, or street parking near the place you are wanting to go. Or you may be able to plan for cheaper parking. Google maps can help you search these places out.
Also, make sure you know where you are returning your rental car and how to reach that location. Some cities may have underground parking lots with entrances well away from where you exitied with the car. There may also be one way streets, etc. Research how to return your car so that you will not be stressed out when trying to return it on time.
Thirsty after a long day of travelling? Look up beermapping.com. The Beer Mapping Project uses Google Maps to help you find the best places to go for beer in your exotic destination. While especially helpful in the US and Europe (mmm Belguim), I try to pop into the local brewery everywhere I go.
If you are interested in going on a Disney cruise you can get 5% off gift cards to put towards the cruise if you have a red card either credit or debit at Target. If you have a pharmacy account at Target as well and have earned a coupon after filling 5 prescriptions you can get a coupon for an additional 5% off leading too ~9% in savings on the cruise. the gift cards can be used to purchase many other things at Disney as well.
Some border patrol entry agents need to see that you have a confirmed flight leaving the country. Be prepared to have that ready to show the agent. Make sure you also are ready to answer their questions promptly when they ask them. Make sure you fully and accurately complete your Entry/Exit cards. You do not want to be fined or worse from messing these up. Finally, be prepared to fill out these Entry/Exit cards on the plane by having your pen, passport, and boarding pass available.
Check United’s Lufthansa First availability every day if you are scoping a particular flight. I was randomly poking around one day (after not receiving an expert flyer alert) and booked a TATL in first more than 15 days out!
Always pack your swimsuit in a large ziploc bag. That way, if it’s not totally dry when you need to pack it back in your suitcase, you’ll have something waterproof to put it in.
Do not rely on one travel website to judge a hotel. Do not read to much into comments on those sites. Do look at the most recent reviews across multiple websites. Also look for Trip reports on Travel blogs and from friends and family.
If you are traveling out of the country, call your credit card company before you leave and put a travel alert on your card. In addition, write down their international customer service number.
It is not that expensive anymore: If it will improve your enjoyment of the trip you worked so hard to save for and plan, ship stuff (that your bought or overpacked) home during the course of a long multi-city trip.
Better safe than sorry: Do not pass up the opportunity to use a bathroom!
when travelling abroad on flights that connect outside of your home country, make sure you put your plug adapters in your carry on and not in checked luggage. And make sure to bring the appropriate one for the country in which you connect. That way if you get delayed at your connecting airport you will be able to recharge your electronics.
Good wool socks. Easy wash and dry, and never get a blister.
If you are booking a Tour well in advance of your trip using a website such as Viator. Look at the reviews from the time of year that you are planning to go on the tour. So for example, if you plan on an October tour of the Sydney Blue Mountains make sure you look at reviews from folks from the previous October. This will give you insights as to the popularity of the tour at this time of year, how people enjoyed the tour at that time of year, etc. The same tour can be much different depending on the time of year or even the time of day for those tours with multiple options.
Also, make sure you contribute your two cents after you take a tour. Your honest feedback will be helpful to future participants and hopefully the tour company.
If you’ll be traveling to Russia, learn the Cyrillic alphabet. It’s really not hard. In fact, there’s a great starter article on learning half the alphabet in 5 minutes: http://www.gadling.com/2009/03/30/gadling-teaches-you-to-read-the-cyrillic-alphabet-in-5-minutes/ Then if you spend 10 minutes a day for a week or so prior to your trip, you’ll have it down completely. (I used a free app called Russian Alphabet.) Comes in super handy for reading street signs and deciphering the names of businesses as you walk down the street. Plus, every Russian I met was super impressed that I could read Cyrillic (even though I didn’t know a word of Russian).
Watch out for Dynamic Crrecy Conversion. It may seem simpler to have your purchase charged in your home currency, but, rest assured, you’ll not like the conversion fees on the transaction being converted two (or more) times!
Pack some old or less favorite clothes past their prime. Wear them, and then leave them behind! In fact, depending where you are, they are a great extra tip. (I remember the pinkish (not my color) fleece sweater I wore in Nepal. I was happy to have it there and happy to leave it with the hotel room housekeeper (who was happy to have it).
Always, always, keep a copy of your passport on you when traveling abroad!
We have found that cruise prices can be really good on Costco Travel. In one case, the price there was better than we found on any of the last-minute sites, and the cruise line couldn’t match it, AND it came with a $200 Costco gift card.
Bring a large ziploc plastic bag or two as they always end up coming in handy for something.
Have a easy to get to list of addresses for those folks you would like to send a post card. This makes it easy and quick for those special post cards from land mark destinations or last minute cards out from your hotel as you check out.
Most hotels do carry post card stamps and will mail your cards for you from the hotel. This can save you time by not trying to find an open post office during your travels.
If you are going to a Bed and Breakfast, email ahead and let them know you would like X amount of stamps. They can then have those ready for you when you arrive.
Learn the magical wonders of melatonin.
Use Foursquare to check-in to places and write notes/tips when you’re traveling. It’s an easy way to keep a record of where you’ve been and what you liked, and you can refer to it when you next return.
Make sure to pad extra time for connections between domestic and International flights, no matter how short that domestic flight will be. This is especially true when there are a limited number of International flights to your destination. Any delay could make you lose more than a full day at your destination.
Use priceline for hotel bookings when possible. There are many forums available showing recent bids and prices that were accepted. The prices can be amazingly low.
If you (for whatever reason) have to check in your luggage, always, ALWAYS (worth repeating) have in your carry-on a change of clothes and all that you cannot do without (e.g., medicine, chargers)
If you can’t get TSA Pre Check, purchase a Clear membership. They’re increasing their number of airports.
Use your Chase Ink card to pay Netflix directly and you only earn 1 point per dollar, but use your Chase Ink to pay Netflix through Paypal and you will earn 5 points per dollar!