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

[Anonymous]

Defined roles for husband and wife. He gets breakfast, fills water bottles, retrieves or purchases anything I ask, makes sure we have gas, refills small toiletry bottles and gets cash sometime the week before, etc.

I make the packing list, pack the car, do all the last minute checking for IDs, tickets, etc.

At the hotel when we are packing, anything in the foyer can be taken to the car. Kids also have to stay in the foyer once their stuff is packed. That way I can check for lost items only once. The foyers often have tile vs. carpet, so it's easy for everyone to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Avoid any type of gimmicky activities that pose as educational experiences. I include in this category food tours, pasta making classes, any staged activities in which the locals fight each other (Mexican wresting, Thai boxing, Japanese sumo, Bolivian chola wrestling, etc), chopstick making classes, and so many more. What a waste.

What's wrong with food tours and pasta making classes?

Ima guess you're one of these people who sneer at "tourists" and call yourself a "traveler?"

No, just someone who has half a brain.

[Anonymous]

I love coming home to a clean house, so picking up and having the cleaning team come through during our time away is amazing. If I think of it, scheduling a basic food delivery for the day of return is also really nice.

[Anonymous]

Take a shower as soon as you get to the hotel, this one applies to almost all trips.

For more specific circumstances, the smartest hack I've stumbled on is if you have a late flight home from vacation, instead of trying to find a locker for luggage or kill the better part of a day at the airport, hire a guide for the last day. Get picked up in the morning *with all of your luggage* and do whatever you're doing that day (in Thailand we tacked on a day trip to Ayutthaya and a visit to an elephant sanctuary, and still made it back to the airport with time to check in, eat and shower in the lounge). Your luggage is secure, you get a full vacation day instead of just a travel day, and you get to hand the reins to someone else. And they'll never let you miss your flight because they get a tip!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid any type of gimmicky activities that pose as educational experiences. I include in this category food tours, pasta making classes, any staged activities in which the locals fight each other (Mexican wresting, Thai boxing, Japanese sumo, Bolivian chola wrestling, etc), chopstick making classes, and so many more. What a waste.

How is this a "non-obvious travel tip"? To me this is just a preference.

Also, it's not too uncommon for us befriend people who provide these experiences. We as friends - albeit shortterm for 1 or 3 months at a time - exchange learning experiences. I don't see much difference with people on a week vacation paying for what is essentially the same thing.

[Anonymous]

I bring flip flops for the shower.

We bring lots of $5s and $1s for tips.

Clean before we leave, take out trash, clean fridge. If I’m certain we’re going to get home on time, I’ll sometimes order grocery delivery an hour later.

I’ve made Google Maps before outlining dinners, events etc, but I find it pain to use and share, otherwise I’d do it more often.

I also list every flight, restaurant, stop, show on my Google Calendar, so I can easily search it if we go back or if our friends are looking for recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Lounge access before the flight makes the experience so much nicer. Also getting gold status through the rental car agency so you don't have to wait in line to pick up your car.

We just got global entry to speed things up even more. I never thought I needed it because our airports have never been difficult as far as lines, but with the way our government is messing around lately, I'm glad we have it now to avoid issues.

[Anonymous]

I always pack a nightlight for the hotel bathroom - I have terrible eyesight and it makes finding my way around a dark, unfamiliar room so much easier. I have one that lives in my suitcase so I don’t forget it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I drive to the airport I pay for close-in parking and park as close to the terminal as possible in a spot near the door where I will be exiting.

And I fly Delta and use the Delta sky club. Makes a huge difference.

Airport parking is expensive enough…especially if going away for a week or more, so I always park in economy. My tip, most people may do this, is to take a photo of parking lot shelter/pickup name and number. I didn’t do this once and it took me forever to find my car. I think I got on long term blue, when I should have been on long term green. It was a nightmare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always pack a nightlight for the hotel bathroom - I have terrible eyesight and it makes finding my way around a dark, unfamiliar room so much easier. I have one that lives in my suitcase so I don’t forget it.

We were in a hotel fire when I was a child. I always bring a headlamp so that if we had to find our way out in the dark we could. Never actually used it but it adds a lot of peace of mind.

[Anonymous]

I'm a carryon traveler.

Before longer trips, I often set aside the socks and underwear that are getting worn, toothbrush and mascara that need replacing, etc. Take them on the trip and just toss by the end.

[Anonymous]

I always, always, always travel with Imodium and Zofran. It's saved me so many times. Our close friend had a story of trying to evacuate a war zone (State Dept) and he couldn't because he couldn't leave the airport toilet. He had to stay an extra week because of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid any type of gimmicky activities that pose as educational experiences. I include in this category food tours, pasta making classes, any staged activities in which the locals fight each other (Mexican wresting, Thai boxing, Japanese sumo, Bolivian chola wrestling, etc), chopstick making classes, and so many more. What a waste.

I wildly disagree! Going to Lucha Libre in Mexico City (where nearly 100% of the crowd was Mexican) was one of the absolute highlights of our trip. And food tours to me are a great way to get more insight into local areas (highly recommend Culinary Backstreets).

[Anonymous]

Have a toiletry bag that’s always packed
Ziplock bag for chargers etc
One pair of sneakers that I can run in and walk around during the day.
Global entry
Bring ABX in case of food poisoning. Plus Benadryl, advil etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a carryon traveler.

Before longer trips, I often set aside the socks and underwear that are getting worn, toothbrush and mascara that need replacing, etc. Take them on the trip and just toss by the end.

Oh yes- I do this! After a long day of hiking, I love to just toss worn underwear and socks instead of putting them in my luggage. I mostly do this on hot weather trips, and I keep a pile at home for this purpose.