Best Travel Tips & Advice

It’s always exciting to plan for a trip, whether by car, airplane or ship.  Here are some of the best travel tips before starting out on your adventure.

You Can’t Take Your Closet With You! So many times, people pack way too many clothes and it is a wonder they can find a suitcase large enough to accommodate them.  Coordination is the key word to packing clothing.  Pick just a few interchangeable clothes that work together, cutting down on the number of items to pack.

Try to avoid materials that wrinkle very easily. You do not want to spend your entire vacation ironing.  A pair of jeans are great because they can be interchanged with a variety of tops and will withstand numerous wearing.

Pack only two pairs of shoes: shoes for great comfort, in case you will be doing a lot of walking, and a pair of formal ones for a special night out. Evening wear can be placed in a wardrobe bag with a hanger. Most airlines have closets to accommodate these bags.

On Foreign Soil

When traveling abroad there are certain precautions you should take.  Double check that you have all important documentations, such as your passport and perhaps your driver’s license. Use traveler’s checks instead of cash, and carry only one creditcard.  Always keep them in a safe place to protect them from theft.  Most hotels will have a main safe or there will be a safe in your room. Keep your wallet and passport in a money-belt wrapped around your waste, and under your clothes.

Gather as much information as you can, regarding the area you visiting.  You want to know if there are places to avoid, or the travel time to theme parks and resorts.  Checking with the bureau of tourism, for that area, is a great place to start.  It’s also a good idea to get the address and telephone number of the nearest embassy to your location.  Never say never; an emergency might always pop up.

Upon arrival at your destination, take the hotel van –if there is one- or hire a limousine.  If you are traveling in a foreign country and do not speak the language, you might not be able to communicate with a cab driver.  Also, some cabs are not reputable, you could end up spending a fortune for that ride to the hotel or worse, something could happen to you. If only taxis are available, discuss the price before stepping into the car. This will give you the possibility to negotiate with other taxi drivers, and will avoid confusion or worse afterwards.

Safe Hotel Travel Tips

Although most reputable, star-rated hotels have excellent security, you still need to be cautious. Doing a thorough room search is smart and highly advisable.  Have one of you stand by the open door to your room, while the other searches the room.  Look in closets, the rest room, under the bed and behind curtains.  If you have separate rooms, make sure you’ve done a room search in both.  You do not want to find an unwanted person in your room.  Flight crews who frequently stay in hotels across the world, use this practice.

Anytime you leave your room, make sure your door is totally shut and locked.  Leaving a light on or the television running, while you are gone, is just another security.

Never travel along dark, unlit streets, keep your bag safely tucked under your arm, carry money inside your clothing and be aware of your surroundings, including people nearby.

Timeshare Might Be For You

Timeshare has become extremely popular with travelers as they can get far more amenities than hotels offer.  Owners of a timeshare might have a week within a year that will not be convenient for them.  As they will have to pay for the timeshare, whether they use it or not, many owners will rent them out.  There are various places you can find people renting their timeshares, such as ebay.

Not only will you get great privileges and great accommodations, you can actually save money along the way.  These timeshares are usually condominiums or specious suites.

You could save some serious money by preparing your meals in their full-sized kitchens instead of eating out every day.  Many of these timeshares are located much closer to or within resorts and theme parks.  As an example, Disney offers timeshares that are literally inside their parks.  Think of the money you could save on cabs or car rentals.

Here’s the really great news, you can find timeshares anywhere in the world right from your computer.  Look around and see if this might be a good alternative for you.

These are just a few travel tips that could make your vacation a lot less expensive and worry-free, allowing you to just have an exceptionally wonderful time.

travel tips

Great tips for traveling with kids

What a joy to be traveling with kids!

It is great to have them with you on your travels. It opens up their eyes to more knowledge and discovery. By bringing along your children on your travels, it will bring them even closer to your heart. If you take along kids on your travels, you would need to be well prepared.You are here to find some great travel tips.

They have special needs to which we have to respond. With the tips below, it will help to get your self prepared for a great holiday! Here are some great travel tips.

First of all, some vital items you need to bring along when traveling with kids:

• Their favorite cuddly/ stuffed animal (This is really crucial stuff. We sometimes tend to overlook how important these can be!
• Lots of wet tissues (multi-functional)
• Sunscreen
• Diapers (depending on their age)
• Band-Aids and Tylenol or aspirin
• Antiseptic hand gel
• Telephone numbers of medical Doctor
• Plug-in nightlight (so it feels safe and can find the bathroom at night)
• Zip lock bags (very handy for collecting shells, wet clothes, and storing food)
• Sunglasses / hat
• Extra set of underwear (not deep-down in a suitcase!)

Children are usually not too fond of looking out of the window of the car when traveling and looking at the wonderful natural surroundings…! They’d rather play with their favorite games and toys! Do not forget those, and of course, bring along sufficient crayons and paper. I always have the back of the passenger’s seat packed with stuff for kids: deck of cards, safe scissors, pencils, paper. A very nice memory game to consider is the Flip and Win memory game by Melisa and Doug. I have used it a few times when traveling with kids and they absolutely adore it! It keept them busy for quite a while, and it trains their memory! This is a great one among travel tips!

 

 

When my kids were around 5/ 8 years old they have been busy for hours on end with a tiny recording device! They could record funny noices and played them over and over again! Really great stuff! Do take along if you have one! Great travel tips?

Since there will likely be people from other states or countries traveling as well over the holidays, make a game to identify cars from as many states or countries as possible. You could consider having a list with you and then they would mark them off the list once they are identified. Or you can buy a ready-made license plate game like this one, provided you are traveling with kids in the United States:

 

Consider having a photo of your kids in your wallet – in case you loose them in a crowded area. I have a band that I wrap around their wrist with my mobile number on. Never had to use it, but you never know!

If you take your own car as a means of transport for vacation you avoid the hassle at an airport. In addition, it is less expensive. Especially if you are planning to go on holiday during the holiday season. If your car is too small, you can consider renting a mini-van or a larger car. Try to make sure you have plenty of room for the children and for all the stuff you need to take with you. As an alternative, you could consider buying a container on top of your car.
When traveling by car, do not forget sunscreens. Kids are not fond of looking outside anyway. It prevents them from getting hot and bored. In all likelihood they will fall asleep during the road trip, so bring along a pillow and a blanket. Obviously, you cannot expect them to sit still for hours on end or to keep quiet when they have no activities to undertake. Plan your trip so that you can stop every three hours at a rest area along the way, and let them run around for a while and make a pee even if they say they do not need to..!

What I have done for years now, is to buy a small present for each before leaving. They are allowed to open it as soon as we are on the highway. They love the anticipation to open the present and will play with the toy for hours. I do the same on the way back. If you do this every year, it gets a tradition all kids will surely like!

A Huge Lifesaver!

It is advisable to for long road trips when traveling with kids to purchase a portable DVD system with monitors so the children can watch movies during their travel. They are rather modest in price nowadays. They can be a huge lifesaver! Kids will be fully entertained, will love it, and will be quiet. With a bit of luck they will fall asleep as well. Do not forget to take these monitors out of the car when you leave the car at night!

Of all portable DVD players with screens I have seen I find this one the best. Why? It has two large 7-inch screens, and it comes with 5 hour built in battery life. Nothing more annoying than having run out of batteries..! And it is not expensive considering the fun the kids will definitely have.

 

You can also play a game where one person asks a question (what animal have I got in mind?) and then each person in the car gets the chance to ask a question. Is it bigger than a cat? The other person is only allowed to answer with a yes or a no. This can go on for hours! Other questions can be very simple. Like ‘what is your best memory’. Surprising what you get to hear! In addition to pass the time in a nice way, you will get to learn a great deal about your kids and they will learn more about you as a person.

Inevitably there comes a time when they have run out of all games they played..! They are bored and wish they had already reached the destination..! (This may have already happened to you..!) That is the appropriate time to play a CD with fun songs for children to listen to and to sing along with.one of the free games that can be played basically anytime

Last but not least, do not attempt to speed while traveling with children in the car during the holidays. You want to arrive safely at your destination. In case it takes a little longer, perhaps because you are in a traffic jam or otherwise, why not spend that time bonding with your children and play a mind-game?

Some advice for you: don’t forget yourself!

There is nothing more annoying than empty batteries in your cell-phone. Do take a solar charger along to ensure you can always make a telephone call or send a text massage when you need to! And consider a Kindle Fire! You may also want to have some fun on the road (in the passenger’s seat that is..!) You can watch movies, read books, listen to music, etc. Your kids will definitely want to borrow it from you!! Have fun!

travel, travel tips