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50 Years of Travel Tips

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Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#131

Post by ghaff »

harperlee wrote: post #119
jonasdegendt wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that happens, aren’t you pretty much walking to the closest mobile phone store? A basic device that’ll give you access to the internet, mail and maps is basically a commodity the same way a toothbrush is.

Problem: with 2FA, lost phone = lost access to your email and rest of digital life, when on a trip (I’ll assume no one travels with their recovery keys).

I actually do have my Gmail recovery keys with my passport though I haven't tested in a while. But from reading other comments, I guess I'm pretty paranoid and maybe more prepared for a situation where I don't have a working phone.

But, if you use a password manager for Google, not sure if that does you any good. Honestly, regaining access to your various accounts if you need to get a new phone--perhaps especially internationally--may be pretty hard. I do sometimes travel with an older spare phone but it's getting out of support.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#132

Post by dageshi »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #102
1970-01-01 wrote: post #72

The entire 50 years is showing here. Seems like some of these tips are good, and some are awful because they're outdated. Don't crash random weddings if you're not able to pay your way out of trouble. Sketchy plans do result in kidnappings. Truly professional tour guides are wonderful assets that will 10X both your trip and your knowledge in any city.

True. Had a friend head to Central America to surf (I don't recall which country). The first cab he hailed took him to an alley where others were waiting and he was robbed of his passport, cash. End of trip. Please don't interpret this as my painting the whole of Central America as dangerous. This is anecdotal but perhaps a cautionary tale? I suspect if he had not grabbed a cab but rather found a bus or some other so…

That just sounds like terrible luck to be honest.

Catching a cab from the airport in a new country after a flight is a pretty common thing to do no matter where you're going. Depending on flight length you might well be too tired to really navigate public transport in a new city in a foreign language.

There's not a lot to learn from that.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#133

Post by ghaff »

harrall wrote: post #124
zeroq wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My counter is if you can't produce it within a day it's most likely not a necessity.

A few ibuprofen and anti-diarrhea pills can make a world of difference, save you from ruining your whole day on a potentially short trip, and they take up no space.

I have a couple of very compact kits, one of which is basically walking/hiking first aid (e.g. blister stuff) and the other is the sort of stuff you mention. It's a really good idea to throw something like these in your bag which weigh nothing, take up no space, and can really be nice if you need them.

PSA: The small index card holders (i.e. about an inch deep) are really good for these kind of kits as they provide some protection.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#134

Post by gk1 »

Fantastic list. Brings back many memories.

Regarding the “recharge” vs “engage” trips: If you’re restless like me then you’ll probably feel most recharged after a trip that fully engaged you. Because you can’t think about work when you’re busy navigating your way through a rural and foreign land, speaking with strangers, and straining to learn just enough of a new language to get around.

The “laser-back” tip is 100% on point. I came to know this intuitively but I’ve never seen it put into words. One caveat I’d add there is: if it takes >20 hours to get to your first destination, give yourself time and permission to just chill on the first full day there.

Also I want to strongly endorse the “carry-on only” tip. More than that, I suggest backpack only. Your options and opportunities for spontaneity increase significantly when you can just swing a backpack ever your shoulder and go. It also forces you to live with less, at least for a time, which in turn teaches you that actually you don’t need all that much to get by. Then you return home and question why you need a closet full of clothes.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#135

Post by decimalenough »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #58
seer wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one thing you _need_ to pack, apart from visa docs required for travel, is a credit/debit card. Anything you’ve missed can be purchased on location. Traveling to rural Vietnam looked daunting and dangerous for people from the EU, but once there me and the friend realized all the worrying and excessive preparation was for naught. We still forgot some things, an hour or two spent at the local shops and the problem…

Agreed in general although do your homework first. Some countries don't use the VISA/Mastercard payment system. China is an absolute unbelievable pain due to being largely WeChat payment based now and there's a lot of restrictions on who can set this up. https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/16u03k4/how_the_hell...

WeChat Pay is still a no-go, but you can now set up Alipay with any foreign credit/debit card, no need for the former rigmarole of account verification with Chinese phone number/bank account. And Alipay is accepted basically everywhere. (Cash is not.)

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#136

Post by venturator »

ferngreen wrote: post #121

Say my good man! Why don't we visit your mother? We can secure a filial obligation for you and an authentic experience for me! By the way, is your sister getting married anytime soon? I have a small cash token to offer in this regard, I think it will be most welcome!

No kidding. The undercurrent of colonialism — this exotic world is made for my conquest! - feels pervasive and somewhat nauseating as described here.

Western obsession with travel leads to overtourism and a fixation on “novelty”. There’s nothing wrong with a relaxing vacation but we must all learn to be content with our day to day existence to unlock true happiness.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#137

Post by hujun »

one tip of the list I can't agree more is the www.seat61.com for train ticket, especially if you travel in Europe, where train is the most convenient way to travel between cities/nations but man is it such complex system, there are so many different rail companies and lines, this website gives a clear instruction on options, price and where to buy the ticket

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#138

Post by titanomachy »

astura wrote: post #99
programmertote wrote: post #22

>Crash a wedding. You are not a nuisance; you are the celebrity guest! ... They will usually feel honored. You can offer the newlyweds a small token gift of cash if you want. You will be obliged to dance. Take photos of them; they will take photos of you. It will make your day and theirs. (I’ve crashed a wedding in most of the countries I have visited.) That will only work if a white tourist wedding crashes in a poor…

I can't even imagine having this sort of attitude where you think that your presence is like a "celebrity guest" for strangers and and will be "making their day." You. Complete strangers. Like, how does one have such an inflated sense of importance? And feel absolutely no shame in writing it out for the world to see. Delusions of grandeur.

It depends on the place. I've definitely been to a couple places where people were very excited to meet me (a large white man), practice their limited English, parade me around to their friends, and ask me about where I live.

I was constantly expecting them to want something from me in return, but it never happened. Actually they would often insist on giving me things. This has happened to me probably four distinct times. It's obviously more likely to happen in small towns that don't get a lot of tourists, and also more likely to happen in countries without white people.

I imagine this might not generalize to people of all races. It also helps to have an outgoing personality.

Of course, in tourist hotspots people are probably vaguely annoyed by your presence (or specifically and intensely annoyed, like in Barcelona apparently) and will either ignore you or try to sell you things.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#139

Post by ghaff »

alistairSH wrote: post #114

I’d add… - Learn to travel light. You don’t need more than ~4 days of clothes - laundry soap exists. Dragging large rollers around old cities is not fun. - Checklists for prep. I have one for plane travel, one for backpacking, and one for travel by RV. Nothing unexpected on any them, but helps me avoid asking myself “did I pack the phone charger?” Or “do I have sunscreen?” - Give yourself options - I like to list out…

Especially for mostly casual city-type stuff, you don't need a lot and it can be washed in a sink or whatever. Stuff getting really muddy on hiking trails gets harder but you can often get laundry done. (My last long distance walk in the UK I had laundry done a couple of times.)

Where it gets harder is when you need different type of clothing (especially bulkier clothing) for different legs of a trip.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#140

Post by cadamsdotcom »

So many people got enraged enough about one or two tips to comment on them, to the exclusion of all else.

Do yourself a favor.

Copy paste the article’s text to somewhere you can edit.

Delete the tips you don’t agree with.

Read the article without them.

Now take note of what you do notice.

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