50 best travel tips from 10 years of my traveling the world

I am one of those who travels 12 months a year, and almost once a week. I have been traveling around the world for the last decade and it’s been two years that the frequency has rapidly increased. Having been through 35+ international airports as well as national and international train and bus stations, wanted to share a few tips for smarter traveling from my perspective –

50 best travel tips and advice that comes from every month of travel

Read about the place and pre-plan

When traveling with family and children, always a good idea to read about the place, its weather, best time to go, best way to commute (taxi v/s Uber), attractions, and destination-specific dos and donts.  Get an excel sheet and do a high-level summary of each day – your sightseeing and major stops like lunch. Leave room for spontaneity of course but macro level planning is a must.

Travel tips when flying

• Book flights well in advance – not too close to the travel date, not as early as 5-6 months. Subscribe to sites like Skyscanner and Hooper (app) to get price alerts for your specific destinations. Delete search history and try checking from different devices when doing flight search.
• Look at mid-week flight deals to save costs
• Take enough rest and sleep well before the flight if you have to take any long haul flight, especially at night.
• Web check in as much as you can – get to select your seats; afford to reach airport a little later and shorter queues.
• Send your meal request while booking or checking in especially if you are a vegan or prefer low carb diet.
• Keep yourself hydrated all along the journey. Drink lots of water; avoid alcohol or caffeine in the flight as it dehydrates your body.
• Set your watch as per the destination time.
• Stretch– In long flights specifically get up as and when possible to stretch your body. Walk a few steps, stand for a while. Sitting in the same position for long can cause your blood to accumulate in legs and feet and lead to swelling. Flex your feet, extend your legs or contract your calf muscles to circulate blood upwards, which will help boost oxygen levels and fight your fatigue.
• Use sunscreen even while flying. At 20000 ft above, your skin is more susceptible to damage by UV rays which are not blocked by the plane windows.
• Carrying shaving gels over foams is better.
• Carry liquids and gels in pouches (or a separate section of your bag). The cream from the tubes if comes out due to airplane pressure can damage all other things
• Load your phone, laptop etc with your fav music and movies to tide over limited in-flight entertainment

Travel tips for train

• Book trains in advance and with reservations. Read about specific country train system, and which options (no. of days, class etc.) suits your plan. Foreigners coming to India, please make advance bookings.
• Trains are not always cheaper than flights. If the differential is low, then flying is quicker (if you are in a hurry) and train is relaxing (worth spending time).
• Carry your pocket food (in disposable packets) for quick bites. Food onboard European trains can be expensive. India has mushrooming community of food ordering apps which are value for money and hygienic.
• If worried about hygiene levels in rail coaches (seen sometimes in India), carry one thin sheet or disposable sheet with you. Don’t use the blanket (provided in trains) directly to cover yourself when cold. First use the clean bedsheet (provided in trains) and then put the blanket above that.
• Drink bottled water only.
• Carry liquid soap for sure along with sanitizer and a small towel.

Travel tips for buses/roads

• Book with reputed travel companies. Reserve seats well in advance. Look for seats around the front axle than the rear.
• Keep anti vomiting tablets always with you. Sleeper coaches in India can be claustrophobic. Stay out of those.
• Overnight buses make more travel sense. Eat at least 2 hrs before boarding. Go light on food. If needed, use scheduled bus stops for buying a quick bite.
• Traveling solo – always judge from location/time / culture. If in doubt, DONT.
• You may hardly find restrooms or bus stoppages with clean restrooms. Women specifically should carry portable female urination device. There are various solutions, please check our travel gear page.
• Drink bottled water only.
• Carry liquid soap for sure along with sanitizer and a small towel.

Accommodation  tips

• One way to save and also have a better diet chart when traveling abroad is to book places where you can cook your own meals. Apartments for families do make sense in Europe. Evenings are usually free in Europe for you to cook.
• Book hotels in business districts for the weekends since such hotels are booked during weekdays and over weekends they may run lower rates.
• Don’t forget to check promotional deals, last minute deals for hotels/accommodations.
• Read reviews for sure (don’t go completely by rankings on TripAdvisor though), check how much a km or two will disturb your travel plan if you are getting a better hotel at that distance.
• If your whole day is planned in visiting places and things to do, don’t spend too much on luxury if you just need to sleep at the hotel.
• Ask for the room upgrade once you reach the hotel if they can do it at the same cost. Many times they happily do this. If they don’t, there is nothing to lose.
• Book hotels with breakfast especially when traveling with children or else you may unnecessary spend time looking for a breakfast place before starting your day’s sightseeing plan.

Luggage and Packing tips

• Carry good quality luggage and pack light – check our travel gear guide for the same
• Always carry an extra lock.

Dressing tips

• Wear comfortable clothes while traveling. For long haul flights not just to stretch yourself but also for security check purpose, wear comfortable yet classy clothes. For destination specific clothing guide check here.
• Extra pair of underwears and socks make more sense than one of your additional fancy dress.
• For cold places, dress in layers. Always carry warmers for children, doesn’t take much space but can be a great savior.

 Food related tips

• Avoid eating at places in and around tourist attractions. They are the most expensive ones and crowded.
• Ask locals for reference, we have done that even in places like Manali and Kodaikanal and found tasty authentic food. Such restaurants were also cheaper compared to other places frequented by tourists.
• Cook your meals if you prefer to. You will eat much better at lower costs when traveling to expensive places compared to India. Thanks to the apartment and nearby grocery shops, we could make most things that we wanted to for our 11-month-old in Paris and Amsterdam.
• Eat Yogurt or fruit to save yourself from odd time hunger pangs. They are healthier choices.
• Always carry pocket food like nuts, some fruit or some snacks in your handbag. Must for your children or even for yourself to avoid acidity.
• Read reviews about restaurants and do some research if you are particular about a cuisine when traveling out of country.  Try the World Around Me App.
• Bottled water is always least expensive in superstores than at hotels. Buy accordingly, if there is limit on free water at the hotel.

Local travel tips

• Some places it makes sense to rent the car, in some places it may not be. Some places have very good local transport and trains may make more sense, some places it may not be the case and if the frequency of the public transport is not good enough you may end up wasting a lot of time. Check this part in advance and book a local tour if it makes sense when you are with children. With local tour booked in advance you will not need to haggle and negotiate everytime. You will have better control over the sightseeing plan.
• Take passes whenever possible and once you reach the destination, visit local tourist office for passes, or suggestions.

Money and documents related tips

• Don’t keep all of your money in one place. This one is like grandmother’s advice. Put eggs in different baskets.
• Keep soft copy of your documents and even mail it to at least one of your family members or friends.
• Keep a file to carry all docs and maintain a sequence in which you will need them. Check out our travel page app for documents safety

 Stay in touch when traveling out of country

• No need to announce your travel plan on facebook but at least one of your family members or friends should know about your travel plan. Keep talking and informing about your whereabouts and safety .

Most helpful for any sort of travel

• First Aid including medicines for small grievances (headache, fever, cough etc)
• Sanitizer
• Towel
• Sunscreen
• Multipurpose Scarf for men and women
• Travel Insurance.
• Travel credit cards with Lounge access.