As a travel geek, I have gained a lot of learnings and experience from 60 countries, three war zones, 1064 flights, multiple long distance train, bus and boat journeys and 21 suitcases! One of my motivations for blogging is sharing what I have learnt so that travel is easier and safer for others. Here are 100 of my travel tips arranged in ten key categories: Planning Booking Travel Tools Accommodation Money Luggage En Route Attitude Safety and Security At Your Destination Any suggestions or requests welcomed. 1. Planning Stop Wishing and Do it- Life’s Bucket…
Travel Tips (Monday)
Category Archives for Travel Tips (Monday).
Five Charities for a better world
This might sound Pollyanna-esque but as a traveller, I want to see a better world. I travel to learn more about this world and further the lot of myself and others. I support the work of others in creating a better world. As I come to the start of the year, I wanted to share five international charities that travellers should consider supporting as part of our travel adventures. (I also encourage people to support the charitable group I work for but that is a different story!) The Railway Children First came across them in India. Linked to…
Taking Notes en Route
The older I get, the more I realise, I will not remember the name of the random person I met on the airport bus or the book they recommended or the walking tour guide’s name, or the artist whose sculpture I loved. I need to record it in some way on the spot. I used to write it down in my diary or travel journal but in this electronic age, there are my three favourite note programs. These are my top three: Evernote has been stable mate. It allows me to photograph things and imbed them…
Don’t choose hotels just on cost
Out of the 1000+ nights, I have spent in hotels, I have only been disappointed on nine occasions and of those six were chosen by my client! And I suspect their major motivating factor was cost! In our modern cost conscious world, hotel choices are often made on the basis of their cost alone. The number of accounts departments that enforce decisions about accommodation on this factor alone are numerous. Assuming the hotel itself is not a flea ridden unpleasant place, there are five factors I consider and argue for with my travel and that of my staff:…
Can’t use a Non refundable hotel room?
The other week my boss had to fly to Sydney, Australia for work. And almost every hotel was booked out. The few rooms available were at astronomical prices. The Boardingarea community came to the rescue! Through a brilliant article on Magic of Miles on what to do with non refundable hotel rooms, I discovered Roomer, one of several websites that allows people to sell non refundable hotel rooms. As a result, I found a hotel room at my boss favourite hotel for less than half of what was being asked for. Win for the employee (me). There is…
Five things you must do while waiting for plane
There is a debate in my family over how early to get to the airport. Some family members like to be there four hours before a flight. Not me! I try to balance between spending the least amount of time waiting with having adequate time if something goes wrong. Even with my routines aimed at minimising every second I spend at airports, I still spend way too long waiting for planes! I reckon I have spent close to fifty days of my life waiting for planes at 212 airports around the globe! I have not counted…
Travelling with Books
I am an avid reader. While I live off my electronic gadgets, I still like a real paper book to read on journeys. Watching other people on buses, planes and trains, I know that I am not alone! Books take up space and add weight so here are some of my tips for travelling with books: Before Travel avoid buying books at the airport or train station- rarely will they be discounted-the exception is in the UK where I have found deals such as three books for the price of two! avoid hard covers as they add to…
Staying comfy in Long haul Economy
One of the disadvantages of being based in Australia is that my long distance flights are all very long. And many of my flights have been done in the back of the plane! the reality is that this is where most passengers end up. The hallowed grail of Business or First can be elusive despite our best prayers, wishes and attempts! Here are 12 tips: Do some research- some airlines do long haul better than others. Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Finnair, Lan, Malaysia, Qatar, Qantas, Turkish and Singapore keep me much happier than Air Canada, Air France, American, Delta, Etihad and…
Reducing Lost Luggage Problems
I have had a few bags lost in my travels. There are some things one can do to minimise them. Don’t check in luggage -I do all I can to reduce my total luggage to one carry-on and a small extra bag Choose an airline that has a better record with bags than the others. Do not put anything important in your checked luggage. This includes medicines, ID documents, cash, credit cards, laptops, ipad or jewellry Put your name, email and phone number on a piece of A4 or A3 paper inside your bag and…
Where to credit air miles
Booked your ticket and airline and trying to work out which Frequent Flyer program will get the most miles. It can be useful if you are planning a one off trip or thinking through your mileage earn for the next 12 months. Where to credit is a handy way to find out that your First Class ticket will get you 130% of miles with one airline and 300% with another. Or my Malaysia airways discount economy ticket will get me 25% of the miles with Malaysia and 0% with any other carrier. It is very simple…
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