Every travel blog that I ever read has a list of the best travel tips so of course, this will be no different. Ta-Dah!
I will however try giving you my top travel tips that I don’t commonly see, if at all.
Does that mean you can’t find them elsewhere? No, not at all. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere. But should some of these be new, or help you, then all the better.
My best travel tips that you (possibly) never heard!
Table of Contents
Travel Styles
Don’t let others tell you how to travel!
My number one.
Remember, this is your trip. Not Matt’s from XYZtravel.com or Karen’s from that “How to Travel” thread on Reddit. YOU are paying for this trip, not them.
If you only like visiting museums, then there is nothing stopping you from only seeing museums. Do you like going fast? Then go fast. Do you like going slow? Then go slow.
It should be up to you to decide if you want to see some, “can’t miss” sight. I know I’ve purposely missed plenty of “can’t miss” sights.
Why would I do that? Most often because I have zero interest in them. “Oh why on Earth would you skip that?!” Easy. I had no interest. It’s my trip. Not yours.
Don’t judge people for their style of travel.
I remember a thread on reddit.com/r/travel where the topic was “Pet Peeves.” Just about every other comment was judging people for how they travel in one way or another.
Everyone is different. Judging someone for the way they want travel is no different than judging them for types of clothes they want to wear.
If you’re going to say, “Ugh, it’s such a pet peeve of mine when someone says that they want to see off the beaten path Paris like the locals do,” on a base level, that’s not very different than judging someone for wanting to wear something that isn’t made by a flashy designer. Oh no… the sky is falling.
Amusingly, I responded on the thread that my pet peeve is when people get haughty about their travel experience or judge others for their style of travel. I got no responses or likes.
Go at your own speed.
Another favorite of mine is when people tell you to slow down. “Oh you can’t possibly see six countries in six weeks.” Congratulations, you’re in the .1% of the world’s population that can take 6 weeks in a row to travel. Now that you’ve rubbed it in, shut up.
Going to six countries in six weeks. That’s different than taking six separate week long trips…. how exactly? If I have six weeks of vacation spread over an entire year, do you think I should go back to the same place every time too? Go fly a kite.
Go at the pace you want. Not everyone is free to take multiple weeks off in row. If you can, more power to you. But in spite of that, you may or may not want to spend six weeks in the same place.
Is there some written rule that you have to see a country or even a city in its entirety before moving on? You only have one week of vacation? Sorry, you can’t possibly go somewhere new until you’ve spent at least four weeks in the last country you visited.
I like to always be seeing something new or doing something active while I’m on a trip.
I’m very high speed and that carries over into my travel style. If I’m just sitting around relaxing (lying on a beach is the exception but even this carries a sharp time limit with me…I’ll start getting bored after four hours) I feel like I’m wasting time. I’m not looking to swing in a hammock for five days people watching.
Only have three days to spend in a city or country before you have to move on? Not a problem! Know why? Because that country will still be there after you leave. You always have the option of returning at a later date.
Some people may call my rate of speed rushing. Well, I call their speed boring. But I’m not going to press my view on them because it’s their trip, not mine.
Open up, talk to the locals.
Probably one of the most common tips on my list, but say hello. You’re more than capable of meeting and befriending locals in anything you’re doing. Think you need to be a slow traveler to meet and interact with people? There’s no locals only bro code that says you can only meet them after spending a week sitting in cafes. You’re just as capable of meeting them while being active rather than sedentary!I’ve met tons of people while traveling and I’ve gotten some great insights into the local culture due to it!
Talk to the locals to learn where the best spots are.
Sure there are websites to tell you where to go and what to see, but what about that hidden waterfall? Or the best slice of pizza?
While I was in Turin I went through the list of pizzerias on two sites and checked out several with over four stars.
My favorite place? It wasn’t on either of those lists. I struck up a conversation with someone at the bus stop whom I eventually asked about their favorite place.
Let me tell you, it was some of the best pizza I’ve had in quite a while. And this is coming from a New Jersey native who currently lives in New York. We take our pizza seriously.
Talk to the locals to learn where the worst spots are.
Unless you’re being obnoxious, chances are that most locals will tell you what areas to avoid if you ask. They’ll probably even warn you when they see you heading toward the area.
While in Barcelona I had someone warn me about late night La Rambla. I already knew about it at this point (and didn’t find it threatening) but I appreciated the heads up!
Hydrate
While walking around all day you’re going to lose a lot of water. Especially if you’re drinking alcohol. It’s very easy to forget about drinking water and become extremely dehydrated. Not only is it unhealthy, but it can also be dangerous.
Once while camping on an island I saw a girl faint around ten times over the course of five minutes because she was severely dehydrated and getting blasted by the campfire smoke.
She would wake and go right back out. It was a tense couple of minutes.
After that, we realized that we still had the same amount of water that we had carried in. Everyone was walking around with a bottle of water from then on.
Eat
I don’t know how common this is but I know it applies to me. When I travel, unless I’m with a tour that’s on a strict schedule, I have a tendency to not eat nearly enough.
I lose a ton of weight on extended trips. No, that’s not a good thing…and it isn’t something I do consciously.
Prolonged activity pushes it from my mind and suppresses my appetite. As it happens it gets worse as the trip stretches on.
Now that I’m aware of it, I’ve largely been able to avoid this pitfall.
Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) / Backpacking Meals
If you’re going somewhere remote, these can be a life saver if calories are getting scarce.
When you climb Mount Kilimanjaro, meals are included but they’re small. For the average person who isn’t climbing a mountain, they would barely suffice. For someone who works out a lot, you could be in a pinch.
On a regular day I eat around 3100-3200 calories. This is probably double what they served us. Not very good for strenuous activity, is it?
I prefer the more commercial “backpacking meals” that you’d find in an REI as opposed to traditional MREs, but that’s purely based on taste and variety. MREs generally have more calories, but there are plenty of backpacking meal choices with over 1000 calories. The only pro to me for MREs is the Flameless Ration Heater. I couldn’t care less about a cracker and if I want candy, I’ll bring candy.
They are sort of a catch-22. On one hand they saved me from starving to death. On the other, their packaging is non-recyclable. If you do use them, make sure you pack out any of the bags.
The packaging actually says on it to “recycle” them by using the bags to store items you don’t want getting wet. Whoever came up with that, “solution” I’m currently giving you the stupidest look I can manage.
Go grocery shopping
Eating out two to three times per day gets expensive. Much like while at home, you can purchase and prepare your own meals for a fraction of the cost. I’m all about budget travel so this is a no brainer.
Most hostels or hotels will have some form of kitchen facility. Scout it out first so you can plan your purchases. You wouldn’t want to spend money on something that requires a stove top just to find that there’s only a microwave.
Cooking your own meals can also help you to avoid certain local cuisines. I’m not saying don’t try local foods, but some things like roasted guinea pigs on a stick, head and all (they look like mini aliens) come to mind and may be worth skipping for you.
Wound care
Don’t ignore cuts and scrapes.
An infection can derail your plans in the blink of an eye. I experienced this firsthand while in France. I had been scuba diving in Nice and somehow nicked my toe on my fins. It hurt, I ignored it, it got infected. My toe looked like a damn tomato and I was forced to see a doctor.
To think, all the nonsense I am forced to deal with at work and I get beat by an old school flipper.
Carabiners
In case you don’t know what a carabiner is, very basically, it’s the “clip” that rock climbers use to attach their rope to various things. (Don’t kill me for that definition, I was an avid, high-level rock climber for many years.)
You’ve probably seen them as key-chains though those aren’t meant to bear weight. Yes, you can still use them for traveling purposes but I’d recommend getting a few that are rated for climbing. You never know when you might need them or what for.
Now what to do with them. Clip them to your day-pack. They aren’t going to do you as much good if they’re tucked away inside your luggage.
I have a small one I clip to the webbing that crosses over the shoulder strap of whatever bag I’m wearing and another clipped to the top handle, or depending on the bag, to the PALS grid if it has one.
Most modern travel bags will have at least some form of attachment point for you to use.
You can then hang any number of things from them. You might need a free hand and not want to put down your coat or water bottle. Just clip it here. Need two of them to string up a hammock? There ya go.
They’re far more useful than you’d ever think and since they weigh next to nothing, you won’t even notice them. This goes double for the mini pair I currently use which you can find
Do some research and/or planning, but not too much.
Things generally work out because I’m quite good at this stuff, but keeping a highly fluid schedule has come back to bite me in the ass on more than one occasion.
Traveling run and gun, fast and loose isn’t for everyone. If you’re going that route, you need to be flexible as well as willing and prepared for the occasional X factor.
Don’t overthink this though. You don’t need to meticulously plan everything out to the letter on some ridiculous spreadsheet that details everything down to the minute. Just think ahead from time to time, especially if you’re in any sort of technical environment because that could be dangerous.
I good rule of thumb I follow is the shorter or more technical your trip is, the more planning you should do.
It’s easy to say only pick a starting point and go from there but a new city for only a few days? You’ll want to have a more defined path than backpacking around Europe for two months.
Get lost.
I know I just said do some research, but don’t get that crossed with getting lost. By research I mean have a general idea of the area, culture, and key things you’d like to do or see.
As for the getting from A to Z, well, sometimes the only way you’re going to discover all of those hidden numbers is by wandering blindly and getting lost.
Getting lost while winding through the streets and finding some new store or restaurant is different than not planning and getting stranded in the middle of nowhere because you didn’t check the train schedule. Oops.
Keep some hidden cash in your belongings.
I have seen this tip pretty much everywhere but here’s my personal experience with it because I know some of us have fallen into the, “that will never happen to me” mindset before. I know I did!
While in Peru, I had my debit card number stolen. I still didn’t own a credit card at this point…yes…I’m in my thirties and never had a credit card until just recently.
The thieves then went on to make $1,400 worth of purchases before I caught on.
I immediately called my bank. They hadn’t flagged any of those transactions and had no idea that my card was compromised even though I filed a travel plan and these transactions were happening in the US.
After I made them aware, they said to hang on one second, got back on the line and said, “Okay, the card has been closed.”
Great. Now what do I do for money? Don’t worry, the bank was going to expedite me a new card… to my home address… in New Jersey… gee thanks.
Anyway, since I was in a city, I was able to walk to a Western Union where someone wired me some money to supplement my stashed cash.
Had this happened the day before I could have been completely screwed if I didn’t have anything extra on me.
Where are you going to find a Western Union deep in the Andes Mountains? You aren’t, but my emergency fund would have easily covered any bus, train, hotel, or meal.
I try to keep around $250 hidden throughout my gear. It’s not a lot, but more than enough to get you out of a tight spot. I also wear an expensive watch that I can trade in a pinch.
Make them work for it.
Wherever you hide your cash, don’t keep it all in one place. If someone is looking for your money, make them work for it. If they do find fifty dollars, odds are they’ll grab it, smile, and take off without continuing to look for more.
Get a travel credit card.
I learned firsthand how important credit cards can be while traveling. They’re more secure than a debit card and also far easier to deal with when you’re hit with fraudulent purchases.
Make sure that your card is designed for travel as not all are. There’s no discernible difference while using it in your home country but if you’re from America and using a card in a foreign country, debit cards and credit cards will usually charge you extra for foreign transactions on top of a foreign currency adjustment fee.
It’s not a lot, but those $2-$4 transaction fees start to add up pretty quick. Why give that money away when you don’t have to?
The points!
Let’s not forget one of the biggest benefits of a travel credit card. Travel credit cards often give you your regular points but you can also get bonus points or value when you use them on travel related purchases such as flights or hotels.
You can then use those points to get gift cards or make purchases at select retailers. I personally use them to get flights for further travel.
What is the best travel credit card?
That’s a difficult call to make because while they’re all similar, they’re all also slightly different. I currently use the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It gives me double points on all travel related purchases and food with no overseas transaction fees.
Carry backups of everything.
Keep hard and digital copies.
Make a color photocopy of your passport and drivers license. While your passport should generally be on you at all times, in the horrible event that you ever lose it, you may need to prove who you are. Do you have your passport number memorized? I know I don’t.
I also keep a scanned copy on my phone. There are apps to help with this like Cam Scanner.
Another good thing to keep backed up is the name, address, and phone number of wherever you’re staying. I usually write it down on a small slip of paper and stick it in my wallet. On top of that, I’ll take a picture of the information or cross street to keep on my phone.
You may be mocking me for overkill right now but I’ve been lost with no idea of what the name of my hostel was. It was during a tour where the lodgings were prearranged by someone else and we were changing locations every two to three days. Is this a common occurrence? No. But it could happen.
Bring a pen.
Or a marker. Or a pencil. Just bring something that you can write with. You may never use it but have you ever needed to write something important down and not been able to find a pen? It’s a whole new level of maddening.
I was on a safari in Africa, trying to change my upcoming flights to Zanzibar and needed to write some information down. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a single writing implement in the entire lodge. I asked everyone I saw and was going nuts trying to take notes. I ended up using my knife to scratch some numbers down on a piece of paper.
Leave the towel.
Leave it at home. I know one of the most popular bloggers is going to tell you how important a towel is for you to pack. Not buyin’ it. Unless you’re camping or trekking and it’s a special travel towel like this one, leave it at home.
If you’re staying in a hotel they will have towels for you to use for free. Most hostels do as well. If not, they’ll let you rent one. *bonus tip* Hide it in your bag before the maids clean the room and take back all of the rented towels they see.
Don’t want to rent or it’s not big enough for the beach? Buy one. A beach towel takes up a lot of space. This is space better served by other items, especially if you’re trying to fly carry on only.
I bought a full size towel in Peru for about $1.50 That’s not exactly going to break the bank. Then, when you’re done with your trip, I recommend donating it to someone in need that you’ll undoubtedly see. Clean it first.
Yes, I have read, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
Pack a bathing suit.
One of the first rules of travel in my opinion because you never know when you might be going to a swim.
Ever been the only person without a bathing suit? I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count and I always find it amusing.
Electronics
Power up!
In this day and age, try to carry some form of charger at all times.
Situation dictates what type of charging implement, but while in cities, I try to have a wall charger on me at all times. A topped off portable power pack works as well. Ideally, carry both but at the very least, the wall charger.
One night I was walking through London and got turned around at 1:00 am while my phone was dead. It was a second hand phone that devoured the battery.
I couldn’t find a cab anywhere but I eventually managed to find a grocery store where I unplugged a game machine to use the outlet. Without that wall charger I would have been screwed.
Power packs can still be important because you never know when you might be in a place with no electricity at all. I’ve eaten at a restaurant that was just a tin roof and a tarp for the walls. No plugs in there! And don’t even get me started on how many commercial airplanes still lack USB ports.
Charge your equipment.
Piggybacking off my last tip… Where you are has a larger bearing on this, but charge your stuff. I don’t mean when you’re sleeping at night (do this too). I mean whenever you can.
Excessive? Maybe.
Disconnecting is always an option as well, but there are any number of reasons why you might need your phone.
Have you ever been stuck with a dead phone when you really needed it? You might need to call someone for assistance. Or maybe your phone is your camera. Have you ever missed the shot?
I’ve seen people on tours turning their phone off and on just to save the battery for taking pictures. Even I had to do it with my previously mentioned second hand phone back before I had a real camera.
Where to charge?
If you’re ever thirsty for power, a good place to look for an outlet is in fast food restaurants. Unfortunately, fast food is everywhere and in most countries.
I don’t particularly like eating it, but order a drink and they’re going to let you sit there until your battery is full.
Cant find an outlet?
Sometimes if you ask an employee they’ll plug in your phone behind the counter. This is particularly useful in bars. Just be polite and tip well.
Batteries
You brought how many batteries?
This tip depends on your intent but if you’re looking to take pictures or video, extra batteries are always a good idea. You don’t want to be the person with the dead camera while everyone else is snapping away.
I carry a total of 3 camera batteries, 3 GoPro batteries, 2 drone batteries, and a 10,000 amp power pack. I go through the GoPro and drone batteries like nothing. As for my camera, I’ve never made it past the second one since I don’t take much video, but you never know.
SD Cards
Just like with batteries, you don’t want to be out of memory space on your cards. Whatever you think is enough, bring a few more on top of that.
Also, don’t forget to clear any that may have been used before.
I ran into this problem on a safari when I popped in 2 “fresh” cards only to find that one was 2/3 full. Could have sworn I checked everything before leaving but unfortunately, I missed one and it threw things off.
I was taking far more pictures than normal and I started to get low on space. Luckily I didn’t reach the crunch point until my last day, but it was still frustrating.
Photography
Take a ton of pictures
I still suck as a photographer. I’m getting there, but my pictures are nowhere near the level I want them to be. So what to do about this? Take lots of photographs. I mean lots. You don’t get better without practice.
Are you in some nice old town and looking down a charming cobbled street? Don’t just take one or two pictures of it. Take dozens. And get them from different angles. Large SD cards are cheap now-a-days. Later, once you return home and you’re reviewing the pictures you took, you’ll thank yourself.
You may take 10 shots and think that’s enough. Two are blurry… you’re down to 8. Someone is blocking a key feature in 1… 7. People are doing something that distracts from the image or aren’t looking in the right direction in 4 others… down to 3.
See where I’m going with this? More is better because even with the picture previews, you won’t really know what you have until you see them full size on your computer.
Don’t delete anything.
Taking all of those extra pictures? Good. Now don’t delete them until you get home and see them on your computer.
The preview mode isn’t always going to do them justice. Then on top of that, if you’re shooting in RAW there’s a chance that you’ll be able to salvage what initially looks like a bad photograph.
Shoot in RAW.
You might shrug this off and opt for shooting your pictures in JPEG to save space on your SD card, but that could be a mistake. You might not even know what the heck I’m talking about as this applies to cameras and not phones. If that’s the case, check this.
Very basically, when you shoot in JPEG your image is compressed and information within the picture is lost. If you’re just taking your pictures straight from the camera and throwing them on Instagram you may not notice, but a RAW image will be higher quality and you’ll be able to use that additional information to better process and correct problems that you may see.
Wake up early.
In this age of tourism it can be hard to get a photograph of certain things due to the crowds. Well, if you wake up early enough you can often beat those crowds. And you also have the added benefit of catching the sunrise. Just don’t hit your snooze button 47 times like I do and you’ll be golden.
I hope you enjoyed my best travel tips!
So there you have it. These are my top travel tips that sort of fall outside of the box. Are they the best travel tips? Well, I’d like to think so and I hope you find them to be helpful! I’ll be sure to update this whenever I think of something that I feel worth sharing so don’t forget to check back in the future.
