Unique Travel Tips From Travelers

Unique Travel Tips From Travelers.....

If you worry about airport security equipment damaging your camera films-wrap them in aluminum foil before putting them through the baggage x-ray machine.

We drink lots of water, and it is such a nuisance to cart bottled water with us, or to have to run and purchase bottled water during our trips. Instead, we carry a water purifier that attaches to any standard sink faucet. The purifier is no bigger than a small cosmetic bag, and fits neatly into a Ziploc bag. It comes readily assembled and with an adapter if the faucet isn't a standard type. When we begin our trip, we simply attach it to whatever faucet it convenient, and we have lots of fresh and pure water to drink with little hassle. At the end of the trip we detach the purifier, shake the water out, place it into the Ziploc with some absorbent paper towels, add another Ziploc for extra measure of protection, and stow it into our luggage. We wish we had thought of this sooner!

When on vacation, eat your large meal at lunch and a lighter meal in the evening. Not only will you feel better, but also you'll save a lot of money since some restaurants tend to "up" their prices in the evening for basically the same meal.

Be careful of what you wear when you go through the airport metal detectors. Don't wear big metal belt buckles, pagers, wear metal taps on your shoes or you can count on a 10 minute delay.
Save money on room service by asking the hotel's concierge for a list of the local restaurants that deliver. The food is usually much cheaper and better.

If you have overweight luggage or too many bags, check your luggage in at curbside. If you tip the porters well, they will let it slide. I have been doing this for years.

When traveling abroad, always carry about $20 in local currency as small bills. When you are getting in and out of taxis, it will save you a bundle of time, especially if the taxi driver doesn't have change.

When traveling long distance by train in Europe, travel at night. This accomplishes two things. 1.) You do not lose a day of sightseeing 2.) You sleep on the train and save the cost of a hotel for one night. Even if you have a rail pass you can book a sleeper for a nominal extra fee.

Never use hotels' in-room telephones to make local or international calls. It is really expensive therefore you should make you use a long distance card to make a call.

When you travel for business you can often use the executive lounge such as American Airlines Admiral Club for a one time use of $25.

Whenever you travel to a new country, make a brief table of the local currency amounts into your own currency. Say, what is 1 Albanian pebble in your currency? What are 5? What are 10? What are 25? etc. In this way you will not be lost for the first few hours/days as to charges, as you will have an instant guide to what everything cost.

Always pack a couple of bags of your favorite cookies or chips, and a bottle of soda, when going on a long-haul trip. You might arrive at your hotel after the restaurant closes and it'll save you having to pay for expensive room service or even more expensive mini-bars!

In crowded urban areas-use a neck pouch for placing money and other valuables. It is easy for you to get to and eliminates anyone from eyeing your wallet.

When traveling to a country where English is not the first language, type the name and address of your hotel on an index card. If your cab driver does not speak English, hand him the card and you will get to your hotel with no hassle.

When traveling to a foreign country, bring along a 3x5 card with the local currency's value of $1, $2, $5, $10, $50 and $100. This gives a quick reference to guess about what I am paying for something.
Bring along plastic baggies when traveling. They take little room to pack and can hold a map on a rainy day, small change, wet washcloths, etc.

Before you leave for your trip, use call forwarding to forward your fax number to one you can retrieve for free at http://www.efax.com--which will deliver your faxes into your email for viewing/printing/faxing elsewhere. It's a great service for business travelers!

Upon arriving at the airport look for the customer service desk near baggage claim. You can pick up free information on the city. You may be able to find discounts on activities and food and great tips on what to see and do.

If you use any travel guidebooks and I usually use several on every trip, make photo copies of the pages for the areas that you will actually be traveling to. Since the travel books are generally thick and heavy, this lightens the load and allows more room for souvenirs and comfort.

Before you leave the United States, make two 8.5x11 size photocopies of your US passport. Store one separately from your other travel documents and tickets, and place the other in the hotel safe of mail it to your home once you land in the foreign country. If your passport is lost or stolen, the photocopy will verify your citizenship status at any embassy or consulate, and may be the difference of getting back home or being a stranger in your own land!

When driving alone on a trip I always tie an extra car key through my shoelace so that I will never lock myself out of the car.

Use your ATM card in any country for a better currency rate than at banks at home, also carry less cash. Pay for purchases with a credit card for best rates.

Take a small 3x5 blank book or notebook along in your daily bag. You can record thoughts, wonderful finds, phone numbers, titles, and keep a journal in it. If needed, you can tear out pages. I used one for my first trip to London, took it along for the second and referred to the first trip for a restaurant address on the second trip.

Purchase a small coin purse with key ring and fill with band-aids, medicine, first aid cream, etc and attach to your camera strap or purse strap and you will have a handy first aid kit!

When packing your clothes, pack them "Pringles" style! Prop your rolling suitcase up against the bed or something so the handle is up where you would pull it. Then start stacking your clothes on top of each other like "Pringles" potato chips! This helps you in two ways-your clothes don't slide down and wrinkle when you pick up the suitcase to roll, and you can see everything you packed without having to dig for them.

Aromatherapy Lavender oil is one of the most valuable aids to travel I know. Use 4/5 drops in some unscented oil and you have a superb after bath oil which also has healing properties, so if you have too much sun, it's ideal.

If you plan to cruise to the Caribbean and plan to use traveler's checks remember to cash them aboard before you leave for the island. In some islands it is difficult to buy souvenirs and food with them.

When visiting a new place, grab a book of matches from the hotel where you will be staying. If you get lost and know little of the language, the book of matches would be a great way to show locals and have them direct you to the right direction.

I've prepared a listing on my home computer which includes all items that I ever take on trips. I have a "general" section, a "beach" section and a "ski" section. The items are listed in column #2 and when I'm ready to pack for a trip, I just fill-in the quantities in column #1. I no longer forget things like sunscreen, razors etc. even if I'm rushed to pack.

Put scented dryer sheets that you use when drying laundry between your clothes in your suitcase or garment bag. It will keep your clothes smelling fresh and clean while in transit.

DO YOU HAVE ANY TRAVEL TIPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?