Top Tips for Tip-Top Travel

[JAS]

Thought it might be good to have a thread where we can post our travelling do's and don'ts...those little nuggets of info and pearls of wisdom that we've either learnt through experience or heard along the way and can add to as and when we think of more. Feel free to bust myths too if you can.

So for starters...

Learn the local language, take a phrasebook or at least try to say a few words. It really does make a difference and even if you able unable to pronounce anything eg my attemps at 'good morning' in Prague the humour that creates and the fact that you tried is an icebreaker itself.

Always, always, always take out insurance...it won't break the bank, you probably won't need to use it BUT if something does go wrong not having it could ruin your trip even more and your bank balance. Same goes for carrying (seperately) photocopies of your documents especially your passport.

Heard a 'travel expert' on the radio last week talking about using sat nav on mobiles as a way of getting around in foreign cities etc. You should double check this cos I don't use mobiles so can't say if he's right but he said the downloadable apps like Tom Tom were ok BUT the built-in ones that some companies include on their phones have been racking up horrendous roaming charges for people without them realising it.

Regards
JAS

[AFLflyer]

good thread jas.

simple and short.
don't lose reality and dont trust everyone, but take a few risks!

[Q.]

It pays to have a sense of humour. A smile can be your best asset in many situations.

[JAS]

Try to spot where the locals eat and go there. It's usually cheaper (handy if the budget is tight) and much more authentic and if you show a genuine interest in their local/national food and drink they'll often want to show off a bit and you might get a glass or two of the local firewater on the house or even some extra dishes.

Smokers take some nicotine gum or patches with you. If you get stuck for hours in a no smoking area it could help stop the withdrawl and keep the stress levels and tempers down. I reckon there's a reason we only really started to hear about air rage after smoking was banned on flights

Regards
JAS

[JAS]

Take photo's of your bags and your valuables and either keep them on your camera, store them on an sd card, load them up onto a site like webshots that you can access from any pc (you can control privacy) or email them to yourself. Then if anything gets stolen or lost a picture will make describing the item to police or airport/hotel staff much easier especially if there's a language barrier.

Regards
JAS

[mrjbeam1981]

don't leave your Digital SLR in the back of a taxi in Mombasa...

we ended up getting it back but wow...

we stayed in mombasa for about 4 days and our taxi driver took us around for the whole trip. we had taken a bus there from Nairobi so we thought we'd fly back (30 min flight). we are at the airport, about to board when my fiance gets a call to say that we (me) had left the camera in the back of the cab. let's just say i didn't have a conversation with anyone for the next 30 mins.

a touch of luck though as one of my fiance's friends was going to be staying at the same resort we were at the next day. so the taxi driver dropped the camera to the hotel and it was given to her friend.

our camera will be waiting for us when we head over for xmas this year!