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 Travel & Outdoors | January 2008 
Vacation Tips from Seasoned Travelers
 PVNN
Planning a vacation? There are dozens of details you need to think about before you take off, but with a little advance preparation, planning your vacation can be half the fun!
From advice on packing to time-saving and cost-cutting ideas, we've compiled a list of travel tips from some seasoned world travelers that will help you minimize the stress and maximize the excitement of planning your vacation.
• Pack old, loved, well-worn walking shoes. Your feet will be comfortable and blister-free, and you won't care if the shoes get muddy or soaked in a downpour. In a packing pinch, you can even leave them behind when you head home, making space for new purchases.
• Visit a local cemetery. It's an unexpected place to learn about the culture and history of a town and its people. And there's no charge.
- ANGELA DRURY, San Francisco, California
• Bring the cable that connects your digital camera to a TV. Use it alt night to check the days photos on your hotel-room television. If you see that your pictures are blurry or otherwise flawed - something you often can't make out on the camera's small LCD - you can go back and reshoot.
• Create and save a packing list on your computer. Use it to pack for your trip, and when you get back, add any items that you forgot and needed to acquire while you were away. After a few trips, you will have a comprehensive packing list and will never forget anything.
- PAUL TIMPA, New York, New York
• Carry a small roll of duct tape and a ball of nylon string. these are invaluable for mending items ranging from broken shoes to bags. The string can be used as a belt, a handle, or a clothesline. Carry re closable plastic bags of various sizes, too. These are useful for anything that might leak, such as an ice pack, or for wrapping foodstuffs.
• Bring an LED headlamp. They're helpful for exploring dark passages in ancient castles and for illuminating late-night walks home from the pub. They free your hands when you're working in an unlit area or reading in a tent at night.
- BRUCE BENEDICT, Mission Viejo, California
• Before zipping up your packed suitcase at home, photograph the inside with your digital camera. When you claim your luggage at your destinations baggage carousel, open the suitcase and compare what you see with the image. If you don't discover that something is missing until you get to your hotel, you will have no recourse with the airline.
• Pack old, worn-out undergarments that you've been meaning to replace. After wearing them, discard them. This will lighten your luggage and make room for things you want to buy.
- RAY GRASSO, Nethersfeld, Connecticut
• When you arrive at your destination, purchase one or two sets of local clothes to wear during your trip. It shows respect for the culture, allows you to wear comfortable outfits suited to the weather. and makes negotiating while shopping easier. since the sellers will see your attire and assume you know what the price should be.
- LINDA MORRISON, Ellensburg, Washington
• In destinations that use a different alphabet, ask your concierge to write the names and addresses of the sights and restaurants you want to visit in a notebook. Write one item per page, accompanied by the English translation. Show the page to a cabbie and you're on your way. For the return trip, don't forget to have your hotel's name and address written in your notebook.
If you're an inveterate shopper, lightly pack a big suitcase or a duffel. Fill the extra space with bubble wrap (to protect the items you will buy) and an extra duffel (to bring them home). [For what to do when the extra duffel is full. see the next tip.]
Before heading abroad, get the local addresses for FedEx, UPS, and DHL. These companies will ship your stuff home so that you can reload your duffel or suitcase.
- PAUL F. KRYNICKI, Kirkland, Washington
• Pack easy-to-wash, fast-drying clothing. Avoid checking luggage (thus speeding your transit and enabling you to make tight connections or to fly standby) by traveling with only three sets of clothing. TravelSmith's can be washed in a sink or a shower and dries overnight.
- GUY BRYANT, Valdosta, Georgia
• Don't dine in your hotel unless you chose it for its restaurant. Instead, eat out even for breakfast. You'll enjoy authentic food, pay less, and feel like you're living in the country you're visiting rather than just passing through.
• Where it's a cultural tradition, learn to enjoy the pleasures of bargaining. Bargain only if you
have a serious interest in the item. The discussion should be about fairly transferring an object that both you and the seller care about not about who 'wins.' Be the first to offer a price, always take plenty of time, and don't sweat the last few dollars.
• Turn your travel schedule upside down. Most travelers reach their destinations at midday when temperatures are highest, the light is at its worst for photography, and the locals are under cover. Better to explore early and late in the day, reserving the midday hours for traveling between cities or enjoying a leisurely lunch in the shade.
- ALAN TOBEY, Berkeley, California
• Always carry a pair of extra passport-size photographs and your passport number. If your passport is lost or stolen, this will greatly expedite your consulate's issuance of replacement documentation.
• Study a detailed map of your destination before you arrive. Identify places of interest and mark them with a highlighter. Familiarizing yourself with the locations of the sights you want to see is one of the best ways to get the most out of your travel experience.
- KIM MOLINE, Venice, Florida
• If you will be forced to leave valuable gear in a rental car, make people think the car belongs to a local. Rent a low-profile vehicle and fill it with newspapers and empty water bottles - garbage. essentially - to create an undesirable appearance. Mimic the locals. whether that means hanging beads on the mirror or placing flyers on the dashboard.
• To keep your feet dry and comfortable, wear nylon gaiters for hiking in sandy or snowy locales. Trekking for miles in the desert in low-rise hiking hoots can fill your shoes with sand, yet high-rise hoots are cumbersome and hot. Nylon gaiters are the answer - in wintry conditions, too, since they keep out the snow.
• When snorkeling, don't leave valuables unguarded on the beach. Robbery can ruin your trip. If there's no hotel room safe or beach locker for your wallet and other valuables, either leave one of your party behind to watch your possessions or use a waterproof floating tote.
- JOY D. BARNES, Santa Barbara, California
• Wander through a food market to get the local flavor. Try an unusual bottled drink, a native fruit you can peel, or an enticing baked cookie or pastry. Buy unfamiliar spices to sample in dishes back home.
• No matter where you're traveling, always bring along a set of lightweight, collapsible trekking poles. Whether negotiating penguin guano in Antarctica's snowfields or impossibly steep temple steps in Cambodia, these can keep you stable and make the difference between a safe journey and an emergency medical evacuation.
- JANET MANN, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Spend time connecting with your surroundings on your own. If you are traveling with loved ones, friends, or a group, schedule time for yourself. My preference is for walks at sunup: while my companions are still in bed. I stroll the streets of a city that is just waking up or find a peaceful spot to watch the sun rise and begin to warm the landscape. It's often when I take my best photographs.
- CLAUDE CARRIER, Toronto, Ontario |
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