What’s your best travel/vacation tip?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could be literally anything, just the one bit of advice you give to others. It could be location-specific, relaxation-specific, transportation-specific, packing-specific, etc.

What’s that one tip or piece of advice you just have to share?

Stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never ever ever check a bag. It simplifies travel in SO many ways.

Yes and no. I like checking bags because it’s nice to walk around the airport unencumbered and to not have to worry about boarding early so you get overhead bin space.
But yeah, the baggage carousel scene is no fun. Neither is lost luggage.

I never check in luggage and have gone on 2-3 week vacations with a Briggs & Riley carry on. I do laundry perhaps twice during the trip. Well worth the hassles of avoiding checking in luggage and risking lost luggage or being that person whose luggage is the very last luggage to come out onto the baggage carousel 30 minutes after everyone else has already gathered theirs and rushed out of the airport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never ever ever check a bag. It simplifies travel in SO many ways.

Yes and no. I like checking bags because it’s nice to walk around the airport unencumbered and to not have to worry about boarding early so you get overhead bin space.
But yeah, the baggage carousel scene is no fun. Neither is lost luggage.

DP. The first time I ever flew on my own, my luggage was lost on the return and only was sent back to me a few days later (in the olden days when they would actually return your luggage to your home).

I do carry on only and if I need to be moving around a lot by foot eg Paris subway, on other public transport, can't check in for hours, I'll pack everything into one day pack (around 28 L) that could fit under the seat id needed and a small cross body handbag.

My tip if you're doing that is to bring another small bag to put items needed during the flight from the single backpack. An extra small bag is also handy if you're doing grocery shopping, or have a fragile souvenir to bring home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never ever ever check a bag. It simplifies travel in SO many ways.

Yes and no. I like checking bags because it’s nice to walk around the airport unencumbered and to not have to worry about boarding early so you get overhead bin space.
But yeah, the baggage carousel scene is no fun. Neither is lost luggage.

DP. The first time I ever flew on my own, my luggage was lost on the return and only was sent back to me a few days later (in the olden days when they would actually return your luggage to your home).

I do carry on only and if I need to be moving around a lot by foot eg Paris subway, on other public transport, can't check in for hours, I'll pack everything into one day pack (around 28 L) that could fit under the seat id needed and a small cross body handbag.

My tip if you're doing that is to bring another small bag to put items needed during the flight from the single backpack. An extra small bag is also handy if you're doing grocery shopping, or have a fragile souvenir to bring home.

A small bag that is compressible and fits into side pocket or lid of backpack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always pack a mini first aid kit when we go away now. Different size Bandaids, Advil, Zyrtec, Benadryl cream, neosporin, tweezers, nail clippers and nail scissors ( if not flying or we are checking a bag) and Dramamine.

+1 I also include single dose Miralax. It's small and goes in my backpack while we're out and about. I also second the Ziploc bags, which are good for motion sickness, packing, etc.

[Anonymous]

Merino wool and quick dry clothes.

[Anonymous]

If constipation is a normal issue, take prunes and eat one a day.

Take the trip. I am different than others, I believe in going into debt for travel but I pay it off before the next trip. You can pair down a trip, e.g. if the beach is too expensive, then maybe stay a shorter period or stay a mile away from the waterfront. Maybe stay in Norfolk or Hampton instead of Virginia Beach; go to Busch Gardens Tampa instead of Disney and base your Florida trip on that area instead; drive to Canada instead of flying to California.

Keep in mind when planning, the travel, vacation and needs of your traveling partners. Plan so everyone can enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes a vacation is simply a change of scenery and a pool.

[Anonymous]

If you have to make a connection through Heathrow you need at least two hours between flights, three to be safe. Better yet, avoid Heathrow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: Safety

Take a handful of baby diaper pins.

They are invaluable for pinning shut pockets, bag zippers, suitcase zippers, etc. to prevent petty theft. There is no way a pickpocket will get a wallet out of a front pocket that has been safety-pinned shut.

No, the pickpocket will just cut it open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re: Safety

Take a handful of baby diaper pins.

They are invaluable for pinning shut pockets, bag zippers, suitcase zippers, etc. to prevent petty theft. There is no way a pickpocket will get a wallet out of a front pocket that has been safety-pinned shut.

No, the pickpocket will just cut it open.

I've never seen anyone awake and alert have their front pocket sliced open without noticing. Not to mention most Euro pickpockets DO NOT use any kind of "weapon" since that's a different category of law-breaking than pickpocketing. They know they will wind up in serious trouble/not released from jail if they use a knife, box cutter or similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never ever ever check a bag. It simplifies travel in SO many ways.

I’m the opposite. Always check a bag. I hate lugging bags around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A tip I learned on this forum: When traveling to Europe, book your first hotel/apartment/whatever in the first city starting the night before you arrive, so you can check in immediately upon arrival (assuming you take a red eye to Europe). Having to putz around for hours while you’re exhausted, waiting until 3 or 4 pm to check in, sucks.
Make sure everyone in your party uses the bathroom before getting into the passport control line, and maybe grab a bottled water on the way if you can. Last March in Rome, we waited well over an hour in line. In Paris this past April, the wait was over two hours!

Maybe another tip is don’t go to insanely overtouristed cities on spring break if you don’t want to wait in line at the airport.

That doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with waiting in lines.

It absolutely has something to do with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A tip I learned on this forum: When traveling to Europe, book your first hotel/apartment/whatever in the first city starting the night before you arrive, so you can check in immediately upon arrival (assuming you take a red eye to Europe). Having to putz around for hours while you’re exhausted, waiting until 3 or 4 pm to check in, sucks.
Make sure everyone in your party uses the bathroom before getting into the passport control line, and maybe grab a bottled water on the way if you can. Last March in Rome, we waited well over an hour in line. In Paris this past April, the wait was over two hours!

You better let them know what you are doing, or there is a good chance you will arrive and your reservation was canceled and they gave your room away when you didn't show up. Even when you do let them know what you are doing, this can happen.

Yes of course you need to tell them you are arriving the next morning so they don’t think you are a no show. I do this all the time though for both work and fun travel and have never had them give the room away.

It is pretty common for them to end up giving the room away. This is a risky thing to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If constipation is a normal issue, take prunes and eat one a day.

Take the trip. I am different than others, I believe in going into debt for travel but I pay it off before the next trip. You can pair down a trip, e.g. if the beach is too expensive, then maybe stay a shorter period or stay a mile away from the waterfront. Maybe stay in Norfolk or Hampton instead of Virginia Beach; go to Busch Gardens Tampa instead of Disney and base your Florida trip on that area instead; drive to Canada instead of flying to California.

Keep in mind when planning, the travel, vacation and needs of your traveling partners. Plan so everyone can enjoy.

Do NOT go into debt for a trip to Virginia Beach or Busch Gardens Tampa, for heaven's sake.