Travel Tips

I'm a pretty worldly girl. I've traveled every kinda way a person can travel. Road trips in cars & motorcycles. Camping, camper-ing. Backpacking & hostel-ing. Ocean cruises, and river cruises. Fancy-pants tour groups, and not so fancy-pants tour groups. If there's a style of traveling I haven't done, I can't think of what it is.

Please don't think I'm bragging - I am REALLY not. Yes, I have been lucky - my grandma used to take me on trips with her All. The. Time. Hell, if she was still physically able to, she'd take me on trips now - in fact, the last trip we did together was a cruise in 2009. BUT - you so totally do not need a benefactor to take trips. Yes, it's nice to stay in 4 star hotels, and eat at nice restaurants 3 times a day. But, that's not what I think traveling is all about. The whole point to travel is to learn & experience new things.

And let me tell ya - it ain't always a 4 star experience. Travel life isn't 100% carefree and fun. But, it's worth it. If you're not a traveler by nature - please please please try it at least once. You may hate it (although, if you do, I don't think you and I have much in common), but it'll make you a better person.

You don't even have to go very far. Chances are, you are living in a place somewhere, and not on the moon. (but, if you're living on the moon - can i please come visit you?) So - I guarantee there are things to do and see within a short drive from you. A trip doesn't have to be a plane ride, or 10 hour car ride away.

But, there are some things that can make your travel experiences easier. Especially if you're on the more frugal side of things.

These are in no particular order.

Tip 1: Plan the trip yourself. Yes, it takes a lot more work, but it will be worth it. While I think you should plan the trip yourself - take advantage of city bus tours!!!! Most touristy cities have those open topped bus tours. For 20 or 30 bucks a day, you can ride this kind of bus, and hop on/off at all the city highlights. This is WELL worth the money.

Tip 2: Bring stuff for lunch. Or breakfast, or even dinner. The point is - make your own meal once a day. Pick hotels that have free breakfasts, and then treat yourself to dinner. Bring a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a bag of chips/crackers, some fruit packs, nuts, beef jerky (although since I'm a vegetarian, I have to ask you not to bring beef jerky) etc. etc. etc. That way, you have breakfast paid for, you don't have to worry about lunch, and you really only have to pay for dinner.

Tip 3: Bring a pain reliever, and a tummy trouble reliever. You will go far with a bottle of advil & a bottle of pepto. Even if not for you - it's always a nice thing to be able to give a fellow traveler-in-need some relief. Trust me - even if you have a cast-iron stomach, that weird plate of tapas you ordered will rust a hole thru the cast-iron.

Tip 4: PURELL!!!! Yes, I am a germaphobe. But, even my anti-germaphobe husband always purells his hands when we are traveling. 10 million people visit Paris a year, and every single one of 'em have used that hand rail you're using at the Eiffel tower. Do you really want to lick the hands of 10 million people?? If that thought doesn't bother you, then I suggest you high-tail it to the nearest mental health professional. Or, at the very least, high-tail it to the nearest shower...and away from me.

Tip 5: Do NOT wear clothing with "USA" emblazoned on it. In fact, don't wear clothing with any state name plastered all over it. Or anything with the US flag. I hate to say it, but it's not the safest thing in the world to do that. Some people don't like us. Some people wish us harm. You don't want to be having a cocktail in a foreign bar, and have some drunk local want to pick a fight with you, all because you're wearing a "I'm a proud American" t-shirt.

Tip 6: Try at least one local dish. Something that the area you are traveling in is famous for. I'm not saying you have to be all Andrew Zimmern about it, but take a risk. You travel to experience other cultures, and there is no easier way to experience another culture than to try their food. I admit, there is a certain mental block associated with, say, escargot. But, if you can get over that mental block, your world will open up that much more. Also, if you have children, start them off early. I was eating fish eyes and frog legs when I was 3 years old. Even though I'm a vegetarian now, I'm so thankful that my parents' rule was, "You have to at least try a bite." It's ok if you don't like it, but at least you tried it.

Tip 7: This tip is in response to the most egregious traveling error. For the love of all things that are holy - bring extra batteries for your camera!!!!!! Or, a backup of some sort. Any sort. Josh has his nice, fancy camera that he always brings. He brings two rechargeable batteries, ALONG WITH the battery charger!!!! Also, if you're traveling in another country - BRING THE ADAPTER for the charger!! And, not only do we always bring two battery packs, the charger, and the adapter, but I always keep a small point & shoot in my purse. During our trip to Paris last weekend, at least 3 different families on that trip used up their camera battery 2/3 of the way in on the first day. That meant that any time we went to the next photo op, they either did without, or they had to run to the nearest gift shop and buy a disposable. Imagine going to the Louvre with a disposable camera. Yeah, not pretty.

Tip 8: Speaking of cameras - take the time to step out from behind the camera. Enjoy where you are. You may be on the most jam-packed, busiest trips of all time. But take a few seconds and recognize how awesome it is that you are where you are. You can have 50 pictures of the pyramids, or Christ the Redeemer, or hell, Mount Rushmore. But no picture is as important as the memories associated with your trip. So take the time to make some.

Tip 9: If you come across something you like, buy it. Do NOT "wait & see" if there is something else better down the line. Chances are, you'll wait too long, and regret not buying the thing you originally wanted to buy.

Tip 10: Have fun. That's the whole point of traveling anyway, right? Get out of your comfort zone. Get dirty. Get lost. Even if you come out of the trip saying, "never again", at least you have a story, right? At least you tried.