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50 Years of Travel Tips

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Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#61

Post by throwup238 »

susam wrote: post #18

One travel technique that has worked very well for me takes place the day before my trip: using a pre-travel prep-and-packing checklist. I created this checklist about 15 years ago and still refine it occasionally. This list has three sections: A) Preparation tasks: Like printing essential travel documents, saving a backup to my mobile phone, buying foreign currency, activating data roaming, etc. B) Packing list: Min…

Do you mind sharing these checklists? I’d love to throw them into my Obsidian notes for the next time I travel. I do it infrequently but it’s always stressful because it’s to visit family internationally.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#62

Post by mglz »

Luggage tipp: Have exactly one, easy to grab main piece at luggage that goes on your back or on wheels. Have at most one tiny extra piece to carry. The second your luggage exceeds three it becomes a massive hassle: You cannot hold on to things, you will lose one piece and your fun trip descends into a disorganized mess.

Luggage which clips together like a storage/day backpack combo is very valuable for this: Your backpack might be comically large, but you can haul all your stuff with free hands. At your accomodation, you can leave the large bag and continue on your day pack.

Free hands are critical when travelling by train or bus, or if you just wanna get a snack and drink.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#63

Post by ghaff »

ww520 wrote: post #59

One thing I didn’t see mention is the utilization of airport lounges. It really helps to relax before boarding. Though in recent years lounges are getting overcrowded.

I really appreciated airport lounges when I was flying a lot, especially when there were long connections or delays. I don't have mine any longer given I'm trying to make fewer but longer trips. And, as you say, they've gotten overcrowded in many cases. They don't also really help much for early AM departures which are what I'm doing a lot of the time. These days, $400+ a year is better spent on other travel amenities.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#64

Post by [deleted] »

trinix912 wrote: post #55
pocketarc wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, a few of these items sound a lot like "white tourist in poor country". Like the one about asking the taxi driver to drive you to his mom, like holy cow that's creepy. Imagine asking an American Uber driver "hey drive me to your mom's" and see how they'd respond.

It doesn't even have to be the US, that already wouldn't go well in Eastern Europe. Such things can be seen as extremely disrespectful and are a sure way to get a punch in your face in some places. Lots of these tips seem like what you'd hear from someone regularly traveling someplace like Egypt, where the taxi drivers will openly tell you about their life/family/etc.

[deleted]

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#65

Post by ghaff »

rawgabbit wrote: post #60
ghaff wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find TripIt pretty indispensable even if I'd love to give "notes" to the designers Maybe Expedia too though I often make the final reservation directly One of the OSM mapping apps. I use MapOut TripAdvisor and Yelp are "OK." Often better than nothing. Various carrier or hotel chain-related apps depending on your preferences

On a related note in Europe I tend to use their taxi apps instead of Uber. In Paris I used the G7 app because official taxis could use the HOV lane while Uber cannot. In Italy, I use the Freenow app as I found their taxis very affordable.

Yeah, Uber plus whatever the relevant local transit apps are I should have mentioned. Thanks for the G7 app recommendation as I'll be in Paris in a couple months. Don't normally take taxis much there but good to know.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#66

Post by Retric »

ghaff wrote: post #47
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.

There's a ton of medical and medical-adjacent stuff (both prescription and not) that isn't going to be easy to come up with in a typical village or small town. Good to have some basic things you can use to rig a backpack strap or hole repair. There are fairly essential clothing items you may not easily replace on foot in small towns; it's raining hard and you left your rain jacket at home. Sure. If you have wheels, i…

I’ve gone decades without using a raincoat.

If you’re going someplace cold you’ll want warm clothing and if it’s sunny then sunblock is a big deal, but in general you don’t need much stuff on a trip.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#67

Post by sneak »

susam wrote: post #18

One travel technique that has worked very well for me takes place the day before my trip: using a pre-travel prep-and-packing checklist. I created this checklist about 15 years ago and still refine it occasionally. This list has three sections: A) Preparation tasks: Like printing essential travel documents, saving a backup to my mobile phone, buying foreign currency, activating data roaming, etc. B) Packing list: Min…

Don't buy foreign currency. Take it out of the ATM in the country, and spend it before you leave. Leave the currency in the place it belongs.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#69

Post by sneak »

keyme wrote: post #37
hermitcrab wrote: post #28

Lots of great advice here. But.. >In many parts of the world today motorcycles play the role of cars. That means you can hire a moto-taxi to take you on the back seat, or to summon a moto-taxi with an uber-like app, or to take a motorcycle tour with a guide doing the driving. In areas where motorcycles dominate they will be ten times more efficient than slowly going by car. I would be extremely wary about this. You a…

2 years ago when backpacking in East Africa, I went from "there is no way I'm ever doing this" to taking nothing but those moto-taxis ("boda bodas") even for 40 minute inter-city rides with a 12KG backpack on my back. No helmets to speak of. Except maybe in Rwanda. Part of the learning experience of such travel, is to see firsthand how the locals of these places perceive the risk. How they manage risk in general, and…

I will never ride a bicycle or motorcycle or scooter in any location without a helmet.

Those that do so are simply stupid. It's 2025. Helmets are such a ridiculously high cost/benefit ratio.

It's like not using a seatbelt, or smoking cigarettes. Totally insane, knowing what we now know.

Doesn't matter if it "isn't done here". TBIs work the same in Bangkok as Boston.

Re: 50 Years of Travel Tips

#70

Post by et-al »

zeroq wrote: post #38
ghaff wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My counter to that is that, once you get out of major cities, even in the UK, there may be very few opportunities to pick up things including pretty routine first aid supplies. You probably also don't want to spend the first half-day of your vacation doing routine shopping. So, yes, you can often pick things up but don't count on it. If you're adaptable, you can probably manage (perhaps outside of some things like me…

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

Two small exceptions to a generally good rule:

- good shoes in certain regions may not be easy to find. don't skimp on good shoes.

- not to get into a dirtbag pissing contest about necessities, but there were also plenty of towns in Myanmar where one couldn't produce a USB-C or Lightning cable pre-pandemic

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