General
Quote about knowing
“You don't need to climb a mountain to know that it's high.” - Paulo Coelho
Travel Tip: Check your hotel room for bedbugs
I started doing this 15 years ago when I first started to travel to Asia and have done it for every hotel stay since. The minute I walk into a room I drop my luggage in the washroom, remove the bedding and check for bedbugs. Why the washroom? Bedbugs typically hate all tile hotel washrooms and there are very few places for them to hide in there. This make the washroom the safest place to store your luggage until you finish with your bed bug check.
Groundskeeper Willie from the Simpsons and Scottish independence
The ever popular Simpson's character groundskeeper Willie presenting his "unbiased" opinion about the upcoming Scottish independence vote.
Travel Tip : Snap a picture of your luggage
I have worked in the Air Transportation industry for many years and know airlines take the PAWOB (Passengers without bags) statistic very seriously. Having flown over 1 million miles so far, my bags have been irrecoverably lost only once. Every Time you are about to check in a bag, take a picture of the bag and then another one of the airline bag tag. In the event is is lost, you can show a picture of it to the airline attendant (instead of spending 10 minutes trying to describe what it looks like) and the picture of the bag tag is to show that the routing code was correct when you handed it off.
Travel Tip : Where to shop for airline tickets
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“800”]Image by Julia P used under Creative Commons License [/caption] After hundreds of thousands of air miles (hundreds of trips for business and pleasure), I can safely say the best value tickets are rarely found by searching on travel booking sites (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc). The best way to find a great deal on your next flight is to use a meta search service. This is a service that doesn't directly book flights but rather that searches dozens of them to show you the best deals.
Travel Tip : Bring Your Own
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1296”]Image by Angelo DeSantis used under Creative Commons License [/caption] For the best travel experience, BRING YOUR OWN STUFF. Everything you think you may want or need on the plane should be brought with you. Why? Because things you buy on a plane are expensive, bad quality and generally not that good. If you want a pillow, bring a small inflatable travel pillow. If you get cold, bring your own sweater. If you are travelling during breakfast, lunch or supper, buy something in the airport and bring it with you.
Travel Tip : travel as light as possible
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“600”]Image by Reg Natarajan used under Creative Commons License [/caption] Related Articles: How To Travel Light With Only A Carry-On My Review Of The Red Oxx AirBoss Carry-On Luggage Wanderlite Daypack Review - A Light Packable Backpack Review Of The Scottevest Travel Boxers 2.0 WineSkin Is The Ideal Way To Bring Back Wine From Your Trip Airlines are trying to nickle and dime you every chance they have. In addition to paying top dollar for tickets, Air Canada (as an example) charges a fee for every piece of checked luggage and is making carry-on allowances smaller and lighter.
Travel Tip : Reserve that airplane seat
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1200”]Image by Angelo DeSantis used under Creative Commons License [/caption] Always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always book your seat in advance. The minute you can reserve your seat (24 hours before flight or at booking) do it. Many travel agents can do it for free (no surcharge).
Travel Tip : Keep shopping even after you book
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2500”]Image by Franck BLAIS used under Creative Commons License [/caption] When possible, continue shopping for deals even after you book your trip. I understand that packaged sun vacations are typically non cancellable but in most other situations, you can cancel your reservation up to 48 hours before. This means that you should keep shopping for better deals until the very last minute. Hotels, car rental agencies, tourist attractions will sometimes run last minute deals to fill up their spot at greatly reduced rates and you shouldn't miss these.
Travel Tip : Beating Jet Lag
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2079”]Image by Frank O’Dwyer used under Creative Commons License [/caption] Every trip you take makes the next one a little easier. You learn how to do things better, faster and more efficiently (packing, booking, getting through customs, etc). The one challenge that never gets easier is Jet Lag. Jet Lag is the impact of switching multiple time zones in a very short period of time. Your body thinks its time to sleep but your new time zone says its only lunch time.
Travel Tip : Buy Travel Insurance
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1772”]Image by Alan Cleaver used under Creative Commons License [/caption] To buy or not to buy, that is the question. Travel insurance is an interesting product that I can debate for hours. Some are sold and never travel without it, while others think its a waste of your hard earned money. For anything more than an affordable sun holiday, I recommend you buy comprehensive travel insurance. Most comprehensive plans will not only cover emergency medical costs (which could be in the thousands) but they also provide baggage loss/delay coverage and more importantly trip cancellation coverage.
Travel Tip : Use Social Media to plan a better trip
Social Media sites are useful for more than watching cat videos. The truth is your social contacts can provide insightful information that can help you plan a better vacation or trip. Post a status update requesting tips for a specific location or for a good vacation spot. Engage with respondents about what they liked and what they would do differently. Find hidden gems or that extra special restaurant. These are your contacts so their recommendations should be better aligned with your likes and dislikes.
Travel Tip : Join a travel forum
A friend of mine is an airmile magician. He knows the travel reward systems so well he manages to pull off some incredible and amazing can't believe it's possible trips. when I asked him how he learns and keeps up to date, he mentioned the FlyerTalk forums. As a traveller, after reading review sites (link), your next step is to sign up for and use the various travel discussion forums. On them you can learn tips and tricks (for travel clubs, hidden menu items at restaurants, little known activities to do while travelling, etc).
Travel Tips : Some General recommendations
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“745”]Image by Sean MacEntee used Under Creative Commons License [/caption] 6 Tips From An Experienced Traveller Loksak Keeps Your Valuables Dry Even When Diving Collection Of Travel Tips To Keep You Safe And Save You Money Travel Tips When Travelling Alone Best Portable Travel Power Strip Best Travel Water Bottle - Vapur Elements 1L Best Travel USB And Lightning Cable - Chargekey When Travelling, Should You Use Cash, Credit Card Or Debit Card?
Travel Tip : Read Review Sites
I remember the pre-Internet days when your only source of reliable information was a library or friend. The Internet has radically shifted many of our life processes and travel is one of them. Travel review sites are a fantastic way to evaluate hotels, resorts, airlines, attractions and almost every other aspect of travel. The one site I always check (the 800lb gorilla) is TripAdvisor (link). With millions of reviews, you are almost guaranteed to find what you are looking for. There are of course many others like CitySearch (link)
happiness is within reach
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” - Thích Nhất Hạnh #quote #meditation #serenity #happiness #joy
Quote about efficient use of time
"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." William Penn
Walk as if you are kissing the earth
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh #mindful #peace #meditation #Quote
Peace comes from within quote
"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." - Buddha
The mind is powerful quote
"The mind is everything. What you think you become." - Buddha