Student Travel Tips
The permission slips are signed, your bags are packed and you’re, like, so ready to ditch the classroom and head out on your class trip. Travel is an exciting opportunity to experience different places and wondrous cultures, so the key is not to blow it by doing something that will ruin the trip for yourself and others.
While it’s tempting to forget about all the rules as soon as your chaperones turn their backs, Some of the most travel-wise people in the world. Continue reading
21 Tips Your Pack for a Trip
1. Security and Keeping Details Safe
Scan your passport, passport photos and paper tickets (if not the e type) in. Store this (in an email for e.g.) in your web based email account. You can also store the details of your emergency ‘lost card’ telephone numbers in your web based email account so you know who to contact if your credit card or ATM card is lost or stolen. This way, even if you lose everything, you have immediate access your all important information. You can even email the details page of your passport to the embassy or consulate when applying for a new one.
Also consider writing your home and destination address (and mobile number if you have one) on a self-adhesive sticky label to stick INSIDE your luggage in a visible place. If your luggage is lost and the baggage label has come off, at least the airline can still figure out whose luggage it is. Continue reading
Tips planning trips with tweens
I’ve often said my favorite trips require a passport, but there’s something to be said for a trip that requires me to do next to nothing short of making a reservation. My family has done more than a few all-inclusive resort vacations. There are definitely things to ask questions about before you make the reservation, like restaurants, accommodation options and kid-focused activities. The food will typically not excite a “foodie”, think buffets and lots of noise, but the plus side to all-inclusives is they work to offer something for everyone.
That’s huge in the tween crowds. While one of your tweens is taking surfing lessons, another may be in the art studio learning a local craft, and if you still have a little one, they can be in the kids club getting their face painted. And when the kids are off having a good time, parents can pick what truly interests them and go for it. Another huge perk with all-inclusives is that you can leave your wallet in your room. No worrying about the kids having money to buy a drink or get some food. You pay in advance. While it may sound like a dream vacation to some, it’s not a family-togetherness type of trip. Be prepared for some days where you have breakfast with the kids and don’t seem them again until it’s time for dinner. That’s hard for some parents. Continue reading
Traveling with a baby
Here are the most impactful and important things I learned from our experience that made our travel much more manageable.
Confirm, confirm, and reconfirm seats
So lesson number one is to make sure you have a bulkhead seat. This is critical for two reasons. If you have an infant (the bassinet is based on height/weight restrictions), you want to have the baby bassinet at your disposal. Most international flights with larger planes will have these. Even if you don’t think your infant will sleep in the bassinet, it’s nice just to store stuff in it.
For babies older than 8 months, it’s just nice to have the bulkhead for the extra space and it’s easier to change their diaper and for you to get on the ground and play with them. Continue reading
Tips for Healthy Travel Kids
We’ve discovered that being prepared and having a plan of action saves both time and worry while traveling with kids.
Children on a Beach
Be thoughtful about where you choose to travel with kids
Be thoughtful about where you chose to travel. Have a realistic understanding of your family’s medical needs. Keep in mind that the more secluded a destination, the higher the likelihood that medical care will be difficult to reach. Some remote rural destinations don’t have anything more than simple clinic. In that case, you’d have to be flown out for any major issues — worrisome for infants or grand-parents are more likely to require speedy care.
Language can also be a problem. Medical facilities in or around large urban destinations are more likely to have English-speaking staff, but fluency often decreases with distance in many countries. Continue reading
Women Traveling
As a woman, should I even consider traveling on my own?
These safety tips should help you get started on the right foot:
Choose destinations in which a woman on her own would feel comfortable – such as most of Europe and North America, Australia and New Zealand, and a large portion of Asia.
Avoid unwanted male attention by staying close to other women, dressing locally, and simply ignoring approaches. In countries where the going gets rough, a wedding ring and reference to a husband nearby will do wonders.
Do research before you leave. Find out about customs. Is it all right for a woman to look a man in the eye or to walk uncovered? Don’t get me wrong – you can do what you like. Just know that if you fly in the face of custom, there may be consequences.
Wear culturally appropriate clothing which won’t draw too much attention in conservative societies. At a minimum keep your shoulders and knees covered, and save the cleavage for date night. What is perfectly adequate in Chicago or Sydney may be wildly offensive in North Africa or the Middle East.
Solo or not, always be careful at night, just as you would in a major city back home. Keep your eye on your drink if you’re among new company, and don’t do drugs when you’re on the road. In some countries, there’s a death penalty involved. And at the very least, get stoned and you’ll find yourself in a position of helplessness. Continue reading
Backpackers Insurance
Quote & Buy We know you aren’t reading this because you are excited about purchasing travel insurance. You are here because you are planning on going on a backpacker trip. Maybe you will be away for a few weeks or perhaps you will be traveling for an extended time. In any event, it is the thought of your trip that has you pumped not the thought of deductibles, emergency medical service and cancellation policies.
Backpacker travel insurance is the affordable and smart way to protect you against unexpected travel problems. It can assist you when you need emergency dental and medical assistance, when your luggage is lost or stolen, or if you need to unexpectedly return home for an emergency.
backpackers We’re not here to put a damper on your enthusiasm. The chances are that you will go on your backpacking vacation and have the time of your life. You might not run into any. We hope this is the case. Nevertheless, the fact is that travel has its risks, especially when you are backpacking through a foreign country. These risks might be unpleasant to think about, but they do happen and you might as well be prepared when they do. Continue reading
Travel tips for everyone
Protect Yourself
I never travel without a simple rubber door-stop. It can stop intruders in their tracks. It’s inexpensive, light to pack, and gives you the peace of mind to sleep well. The main door to your room usually has a pretty good lock and peephole and sometimes a bar chain. But if there is an adjoining room, that door usually has a fairly flimsy lock. The doorstop is especially useful in those situations.
Another item I never leave home without is a foot-long piece of duct tape, which I wrap around a pencil. It fixes so many things. If a strap on a sandal snaps, a purse handle breaks, it’s duct tape to the rescue.
Wake Up Calls
Carry your own alarm clock or a sports watch with an alarm. Even five star hotels screw up on wake up calls.
Beat Blisters
Foot problems are a painful part of the frequent-flyer lifestye. Long hours of walking in airports, through convention halls or on uneven surfaces like cobblestone streets can lead to blisters. Band-aids often slip off toes and heels, so I pack thin moleskin instead. Buy the soft self-adhesive sheets at a grocery or drugstore, cut them into small squares and keep them in your purse or briefcase. If my shoe starts to rub, I can cover the area right away before it turns into a .
Travel with Kids teens
When traveling to several locations, try to stay at least four or five days in one place, so your teens have a chance to meet other kids, adjust to the area and find their way around the vicinity. Then they get a feeling of orientation and independence. Have them memorize the name of your hotel (or the address of your lodging) and give them a hotel business card to keep in their pocket.
City visits with heavy cultural emphasis can be boring for teens. London is an exception, as there are some wonderfully hip places that both parents and teens will find interesting. Any vacation spot where there aren’t other teens will be unpopular. (Forget the visit to Grandma and Grandpa’s retirement spot in Florida, even if you think the beach is spectacular.)
Many parents find that by the time their kids become teens they are burned out from long road trips and will refuse to do extensive car trips anymore. If your vacation plans include long drives, consider buying or borrowing a small TV and VCR that will plug into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter. Continue reading
Tips Traveling with Family
Family Travel Tips
Ask these questions when booking a room:
Do the hotel restaurant and room service have a kids’ menu?
Does the hotel offer several family-oriented cable stations, like Disney, Nickelodeon, AMC, Discovery and Lifetime? Does the TV have a VCR, and is there a video library with kids’ videos?
Are there Super Nintendos in the room?
Can the balcony or patio door be locked?
Does the pool have any special features (like a slide or waterfalls)?
Does the hotel offer a children’s program? Is it included in the room rate?
Do kids stay free? Is breakfast free?
Does the hotel offer a discount for adjoining rooms?
Does the hotel have cribs and roll-away beds? Do they charge to rent them?
Are there any supervised programs for kids? How much do they cost? Do you have to make a reservation?
Is there in-room babysitting? How much per hour? What are the qualifications of the sitter? How far in advance do you need to make reservations?