These are some of our favorite travel tips. Of course, this list is far from comprehensive, and we always recommend you do your research before traveling to ensure you know what to expect, what to pack, where to go, how to dress, how to get around, etc.
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BEFORE YOU GO
Always check with the Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs for any travel advisories, cautions, vaccinations, visa/document requirements, etc. before you travel. They also have handy traveler’s checklists and tips for different types of travelers. Safety first!
Our must-haves for any trip are:
- First aid, medicine and feminine products (some countries don’t have the same ones that we are used to)
- Neck pillow – we like the trtl pillow because it folds up to be relatively flat and can slide right into a backpack without taking up much space
- Chargers for all of your devices
- Outlet adapters for specific country of travel
- Power/charger banks
- Kindle Paperwhite or books
- Headphones
- Reusable water bottle – most airports have fill up stations, so it’s much cheaper and better for the environment
- Cross-body purse or undergarment wallet (we like the Lewis N. Clark RFID Blocking Stash Wallet)
Not to toot our own horns, but we are totally packing queens! We usually only travel with carry-on luggage and one personal item, typically a backpack.
- We recently discovered these packing cubes by TravelWise, and they truly make all the difference!
- We recommend folding your clothes normally on the way there, then rolling them on the way back to save space for souvenirs.
- You can stuff dirty socks and underwear into extra pairs of shoes to conserve even more space on the way home.
- Pack dryer sheets in with your luggage, so your clothes stay smelling fresh throughout the trip, especially when putting dirty clothes back into your suitcase.
- And, bring plastic bags to put those dirty clothes in to separate them from your clean clothes.
We love using hotels.com. If you book through their site or app and stay 10 nights (these nights can be at any hotel and do not have to be all at once), your 11th night is discounted by the average cost of the first 10 nights.
ON THE WAY
We absolutely love the advice from “How to Skimm Your Life” to set your clock on your phone forward or backward to the time zone you are traveling to immediately upon getting on the plane and finding your seat. This is an invaluable piece of advice; Sara experienced zero jet-lag on her trips to India and Kenya, which was truly miraculous.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
We use the been app to keep track of the states and countries we have traveled to; it has a list feature that shows the percentage of countries traveled to by continent, as well as a world map that can be shared on social networks and by email.
We recommend downloading a currency converter app to keep track of conversion rates between countries, especially if you are traveling to more than one country on your trip! We like My Currency Converter & Rates, since it can be used without WiFi.
We would love to hear about some of your favorite travel tips. Feel free to leave some in the comments below, and don’t forget to pin it!
Happy traveling!
XOXO Travel A-Broads
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