What’s your non-obvious travel tip that makes every trip better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m always fascinated by the little habits experienced travelers develop, the things that never make it into travel articles but make a real difference.

For those of you who travel a lot, whether for work or serious vacations, what’s the one non-obvious thing you do that consistently makes your trips better, easier, or more enjoyable?

Not destination-specific, more like personal systems, habits, or small things you always do that most people wouldn’t think of. Examples of the kind of thing I mean: a packing trick, airport strategy, hotel habit, planning approach, or something you always bring that ends up being invaluable.

Curious what the seasoned travelers here swear by.

When going abroad and arriving in the morning, I always get a hotel room for the night before, so I can go right to the hotel and shower/change clothes before heading out. My goal is always to stay up until a reasonable bedtime locally (i.e. about 9 p.m.).

Excellent tip.

I’ve thought about doing this but don’t you need to check out of the hotel at 11AM or 12PM and only get room for a few hours (unless you are staying at this hotel the next night)? And do you let hotel know in advance that you won’t be there in the morning? Some hotels are weird about that.

I meant to write, do you let hotel know in advance that you won’t be there until morning.

I’m a new poster who also does this, and yes I let the hotel or air bnb host know that I will not arrive until the next morning. It’s never an issue with the air bnb, and with the hotel I usually need to do an online check in on the official check in day (I still give them a heads up and ask them to note it, who knows if they typically do).

[Anonymous]

I put different stickers on everyone’s passport so that we can recognize which one belongs to whom easily. Everyone has their passport number memorized to make filling out forms easier.

I have a couple of bins in my mudroom marked “travel” that contain a couple of multiport chargers with different cords, outlet adaptors, white noise machine, cell phone battery boosters, first aid kit, sewing kit, earplugs, travel sized toiletries, tissue packs and a cell phone holder for rental cars. Whoever is traveling grabs what they need and puts it back when they return.

I had a bunch of hacks when my kids were little, but I’ve forgotten most of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pack a few small plastic over the door hooks for towels, robes, etc. Hotel bathrooms often don't have enough places to hang things.

I also pack a long extension cord with multiple outlets.

OMG. Hooks. Of course. There are never enough hooks. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Having a pic of your passport on your phone is handy for filling out forns (or if it ever gets lost or stolen).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've read all 12 pages (so far) of this thread and this is one of the better, actually non-obvious tips.

OP's request - "fascinating" and "non-obvious" habits of experienced travelers - did not materialize.


This is a Decidedly Obvious Generic Tips thread. Which is of course fine.

Oh look everyone! A sophistimacated traveler is among us!!! Gaze up on her with awe!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've read all 12 pages (so far) of this thread and this is one of the better, actually non-obvious tips.

OP's request - "fascinating" and "non-obvious" habits of experienced travelers - did not materialize.


This is a Decidedly Obvious Generic Tips thread. Which is of course fine.

Oh look everyone! A sophistimacated traveler is among us!!! Gaze up on her with awe!!

LOL! How kind of her to drop in just to let us know how basic all these tips are! We don't expect her to drop any tips of her own; they'd probably be beyond our comprehension. We're still struggling with getting the tray table down. Tip: If you put the tray table down in the plane, it's a great place to put your beverage!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m always fascinated by the little habits experienced travelers develop, the things that never make it into travel articles but make a real difference.

For those of you who travel a lot, whether for work or serious vacations, what’s the one non-obvious thing you do that consistently makes your trips better, easier, or more enjoyable?

Not destination-specific, more like personal systems, habits, or small things you always do that most people wouldn’t think of. Examples of the kind of thing I mean: a packing trick, airport strategy, hotel habit, planning approach, or something you always bring that ends up being invaluable.

Curious what the seasoned travelers here swear by.

When going abroad and arriving in the morning, I always get a hotel room for the night before, so I can go right to the hotel and shower/change clothes before heading out. My goal is always to stay up until a reasonable bedtime locally (i.e. about 9 p.m.).

Excellent tip.

I’ve thought about doing this but don’t you need to check out of the hotel at 11AM or 12PM and only get room for a few hours (unless you are staying at this hotel the next night)? And do you let hotel know in advance that you won’t be there in the morning? Some hotels are weird about that.

I meant to write, do you let hotel know in advance that you won’t be there until morning.

Yes, I let the hotel know in advance. I email the hotel and try to get a response directly from them acknowledging our late arrival time rather than just indicating it in my reservation where I am always nervous it will get overlooked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've read all 12 pages (so far) of this thread and this is one of the better, actually non-obvious tips.

OP's request - "fascinating" and "non-obvious" habits of experienced travelers - did not materialize.


This is a Decidedly Obvious Generic Tips thread. Which is of course fine.

Oh look everyone! A sophistimacated traveler is among us!!! Gaze up on her with awe!!

NP. As someone who takes just a SC beach vacation every year (and trips to see family at holidays), I am amazed how far and often people here travel. This thread has been an eye opener to a world I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A game changer for me was downloading maps onto my phone before travel and relying on GPS, which doesn’t need cellular signal to work.
I rely on public tranportation and walk everywhere (if you call Uber to get from airport to hotel etc then don’t worry about this) so before I get on the plane, I enter my destination from the arrival airport and sort out how I am getting there.
Even if I can’t get a signal, having a map to tell me where I am is the most helpful thing. I used to carry a compass and try to navigate with a paper map, but Google Maps on a smartphone, working with GPS only is the bomb. You can map out how to get from A to B and even if your cell or wifi signal cuts out, the route will still show on the phone.

Another game changer is this refillable toothpaste tubes. I travel very light (right now I’m in Copenhagen for 1 week and brought only one personal sized bag and a cross body bag) and usually I’m running to the drug store to buy travel size toothpaste before a trip. Now I can just fill these.

The other perk is that these tubes don’t dispense a big glob of toothpaste, can control the amount that is squeezed out better.

https://www.matadorequipment.com/products/refillable-toothpaste-tubes

Please explain this Gps and downloadable maps to a non tech savvy person

Where and how do I do that?

First, save places you want to go (restaurants, attractions) and your lodging in Google maps.

Open up Google maps, click on the circle in the upper right corner for your profile, select off line maps. Click on create an off line map (or something like that).Select the area you want. Go for as big a chunk as you need, if it's too big, Google will tell you and you can break it into two separate maps. Then you can use Google maps as usual in an area without cell service, just doesn't have live traffic info.

To simplify further, enter the address of your lodging in Google Maps. Ask Google to give you directions from airport / transport center to your lodging by clicking Directions. Enter origin as airport/transport center.

Then click on upper right corner for your profile, select offline maps, click download map (just accept the default map).
Can check if it works by turning off your wifi and cell.
Before I get on the plane, I put the map so it’s available even if there is no wifi or cell service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've read all 12 pages (so far) of this thread and this is one of the better, actually non-obvious tips.

OP's request - "fascinating" and "non-obvious" habits of experienced travelers - did not materialize.


This is a Decidedly Obvious Generic Tips thread. Which is of course fine.

Oh look everyone! A sophistimacated traveler is among us!!! Gaze up on her with awe!!

That was not a criticism or judgement. No negativity intended. We use ziplock bags. We take out trash. Clean house. Dedicated toiletries. Lists. Just like the dozens of other people here responding which, by definition, makes these things obvious. Nothing wrong with things being obvious.

How kind of her to drop in just to let us know how basic all these tips are

Not at all.

I gathered the respondent I quoted was expecting something else. No negativity intended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this seems basic, but i have a 2nd set of toiletries for traveling, this way i never leave something at home accidentally, like tweezers, or a razor or face wash.

This. Helps me to pack and unpack quickly too.

Haven’t read through all so this may have been said but in addition to this I have an “electronics/cords/chargers” bag that we don’t otherwise use. Just grab and go when it’s time to travel. Have a separate bag for adapters when going overseas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've read all 12 pages (so far) of this thread and this is one of the better, actually non-obvious tips.

OP's request - "fascinating" and "non-obvious" habits of experienced travelers - did not materialize.


This is a Decidedly Obvious Generic Tips thread. Which is of course fine.

Oh look everyone! A sophistimacated traveler is among us!!! Gaze up on her with awe!!

NP. As someone who takes just a SC beach vacation every year (and trips to see family at holidays), I am amazed how far and often people here travel. This thread has been an eye opener to a world I don't know.

I'm a PP and a lot of my travel is for work - not sure all of this travel is personal!

[Anonymous]

Get a pair of travel slippers. Not walking around on the hotel floor or standing on the cold tile makes the whole night/morning routine more enjoyable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a pair of travel slippers. Not walking around on the hotel floor or standing on the cold tile makes the whole night/morning routine more enjoyable.

+1. Use it for every leisure trip. I have another set for work.

[Anonymous]

Don’t plan to do anything touristy on your first or last day. Sleep by the airport the night before you got home.(Return any rental car the night before ).

Expect something to go wrong at some point, just as something will go wrong when you are home for a few weeks. Expecting perfection, especially in a new setting, is inviting disappointment.