Many people experience great difficulty when planning their travel, but the process does not need to be as difficult or expensive as you might think. Advents in customer service and technology, allow you to plan your travel in the easiest and most cost effective manor. This article is meant to guide you through your travel planning with helpful tips and advice.
Before going out to visit attractions for the day, always ask someone at the hotel for directions. You may have gotten map directions there, but those directions may take you to parts of town that are unsafe. A hotel employee will most likely be able to guide you there in a way that avoids an dangerous areas.
Before leaving on a trip, find out and write down the addresses of the American embassies in the countries you’ll be visiting. While the embassy is not a traveler’s aid office, they can help you if your passport is stolen or if you find yourself in some kind of unexpected legal trouble while overseas.
If you are traveling with a companion but you do not normally share funds, consider having a joint wallet, for expenses like meals, travel and lodging. You and your companion can add the same amount of money to the joint wallet each day. This way, you aren’t constantly splitting bills or exchanging money.
Reach out to your network. Social networking sites make it simple to get suggestions from your friends and pick their brains for information. Post a question about your destination and you’ll likely garner many responses. These instant answers are especially helpful when you are on your trip and looking for a place to eat ASAP.
International travel can be quite fun. On the plane flight to your destination, bring along a phrase book and try to learn a few phrases in the language of the culture where you will be spending time. You do not have to be fluent in the language and many locals will be delighted that you tried to learn a little bit of their language. Do not be shy about mistakes. Most people will appreciate you tried to learn a little bit about their culture.
When traveling by air, purchase your airline tickets as early as possible. Airlines that offer very low fares, like Southwest Airlines, have a limited number of seats available at the lowest price. By purchasing your tickets early you are assured of getting the best possible rates for air travel.
A car’s tires should be checked before any major road travel. This includes, not only a visual inspection for leaks and flatness, but a full pressure check. Tires that are not fully inflated to their recommended PSI will hurt highway performance and reduce gas mileage. By ensuring the tires are up to snuff, the wise motorist can save real money on a long car trip.
If you’re going on a cruise, pack a tackle box and keep your valuables in it. Cruises often have a lot of thieves aboard them and you don’t want to risk losing something important to you. Thieves will often ignore something like a tackle box, leaving your valuables safe.
Make sure you double or even triple check all of your reservations before you leave for your trip. Just call the hotels you are staying at or make sure none the events you were planning on going to got cancelled. You don’t want to be left stranded with no where to stay or disappointed that your favorite band isn’t going to play in the city you are going to visit just to see them live. There’s nothing wrong with checking your plans for your trip.
Tired of the same boring road trip? Next time you have to pack up and go to an out-of-town event, try something different. After you map your main driving route, pick a few random places off the beaten path to stop at along the way. It could be a small mom-and-pop diner, a state park or maybe your first visit to a comic book store. Not only will this break up your drive, you will have added memories to keep forever.
Before you begin thinking about where you would like to travel next, subscribe to get emails from major airlines, hotels and rental companies. It will increase your amount of “junk” mail, but these newsletters often include information about last-minute hotel deals or flights that will allow you to use your frequent-flyer miles. Since these deals go quickly, finding out about them first is essential.
Ask the hotel for an electronic air filter when you are traveling. Many rooms have windows that will not open, and they have a tendency to smell a little funny. An air filter does a great job of moving and cleaning the air, allowing you to relax and feel comfortable in your room. It also provides some background noise that could be helpful as well.
Before traveling on a road trip, come up with two different routes; one should include a variety of landmarks while the other should give you a direct path to your destination. By having two routes planned, you can be flexible depending on your needs. If you start to run out of time, take the faster route. Otherwise, go on the scenic route and enjoy seeing some of the local landmarks.
Bring your own snacks to eat during a flight. Sure the airline will offer you some snacks and refreshments but they will likely charge you and arm and a leg for them. If you bring your own you know you will like what you have and you will not get overcharged for it.
When filling out your luggage tag, do not put your home address on it. Instead, fill in your business address. This is beneficial should your luggage get into the wrong hands– you do not want a thief to know your home address. Also, put your business phone number on the tag instead of your home or cell number.
As you may now be starting to understand, the planning and purchasing of your travel needs, does not have to be as complex or expensive as you may have imagined. By following the tips from this article, you will be sure to have the best travel experience, while getting the best deal possible.
