TRAVEL TIPS . . . About Travelling…

I have decided to compile a list of travel tips for those of you inspired enough by my travels to travel yourself. Some of them are my own some for them I have edited but I got them from http://www.escapeworld.travel/ and http://www.vacation-lists.com/travel-packing-advice.html

 As much as you want to remember all of the details of your vacation, it can be hard to find the time to journal every day. Try picking up postcards from all of your destinations and adding a couple notes about the location and your visit on the back. Not only is it quick and easy, but at the end of the trip you will have a colorful scrapbook of your adventure!

 Start a blog for your travels! Each time you go on a trip, create a blog (some free examples are tumblr.com or blogger.com) so that your family and friends back home can experience your trip with you and stay up to date, even if they are thousands of miles away! Find an internet café on your trip to start sharing entries and photos!

 If your phone or camera battery dies while you are exploring a city, stop into a camera or phone shop and ask if you can charge your device for a short while! Some places will ask for a small fee, while some will do it for free. While you are waiting, you can grab a quick bite to eat near the shop and it will be done charging when you come back!

 If you are in Paris and would like some local tips about the city, ask a young person. An older Parisian may not understand English. Education requirements in France now require a second language, and a majority of Parisian students have chosen English! So may be helping those students practice their second language.

 Have some left over foreign change and don't plan on using it? Grab some magnetic tape and apply it to the back of the coins and now you have yourself a nice keepsake from your trip or it could be a gift for someone else!

 Need to wrap a gift for someone upon returning home? Grab a newspaper of the country you're in! It's a cheap and fun alternative to regular wrapping paper. You can even match-up various sections to the recipient’s interests. They may get just as much enjoyment out of the wrapping paper as the gift!

 If hallway noise & light is bothering you while you sleep use a bath mat! Rolling up one and putting it underneath the door can reduce the amount of light and noise coming in from the hallway a great deal. You'll be able to rest much better at night by doing this!

 Still can't find the perfect souvenir to bring home? Try this: When you are at a restaurant, grab the disposable placemat or the disposable coaster from the bar on your way out. It'll serve as the perfect memento for either yourself or a loved one interested in foreign culture!

 Hotel ice bucket missing its liner? Use a shower cap as a liner! It works perfectly as the liner for your ice bucket and the elastic band holds it in place very well.

 No time to do laundry on your trip? Need to wear an outfit more than once? Pack some Febreze! It will have clothes smelling fresh like they were just picked up from the Laundromat.

 Running late and wrinkled clothes are never a good combination. Instead of waiting for the iron to heat up, you can use a flat iron on a low setting to touch up the seams and cuffs of your clothing.

 Finding places in foreign countries when you are not familiar with the language can be difficult. Next time you travel, buy postcards of the places you want to see. An English description is usually found on the back. You can show the picture to your taxi driver and he will know exactly where you want to go.

 Instead of throwing away all of the beautiful ticket stubs from various attractions on your vacations, save them and bring them to a local office supply store when you return. They make great magnets and bookmarks, and each one is a great reminder of your travels!

 If you're on a tour with several friends or family members, try not to sit together at every meal, at every event, and on every bus. Split up and get to know the other people on the tour. You'll have a better time if you engage your fellow travelers, and there'll be more interesting stories to hear than if you always insist on sitting with your own little group.

 As you take off your jacket or sweater, grab one end of your scarf and hold on to it. Once the garment is off, you'll find that the scarf has been threaded through the sleeve. Since the scarf isn't loose, it's less likely to fall off and get left behind.

 Since looking at old ruins, churches, and other landmarks sometimes make your eyes glaze over, do some literary sleuthing beforehand to make those visits more interesting. When you get to each site, pull out the related passages.

 The disposable shower caps in hotel bathrooms make great shoe covers. Just slip a cap over each shoe and you won't have to worry about getting everything else in your suitcase dirty.

 Here's a fun use for change from foreign countries: attach a piece of magnetic tape to the back of a coin, and voila - instant fridge magnet! It makes for an inexpensive souvenir and it will always remind you of good times.

 Before traveling overseas, print out a small U.S. (or whatever country you are from) map to keep in your wallet. Then when you meet someone and the conversation inevitably turns to what part of the country you're from, or where it is in relation to Walt Disney World or the Grand Canyon (or other famous landmarks), you can just pull out your map and point.