The Best Travel Tips After A Decade of Traveling

These are my best travel tips to help save you money and have an enjoyable trip. Excited. Nervous. Terrified. That’s how I felt when I was 21 traveling around the world. I had no idea what I was doing, and that was okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. Right?

I used to be the one who would ask whomever I could for travel advice – any advice that they spared was much appreciated.

Natasha and I have spent the better part of a decade traveling around the world we receive a lot of questions about our experience. I thought we should share a few of our best travel tips.

---

My Best Travel Tips

---

Learn to Relax

Patience is a virtue, and it could not be more important than when it comes to travel. If you travel enough, things will, without a doubt, go awry. Stuff like a bankrupt airline, flat tires, petty theft, sickness, flash floods, and missed buses are not reasons to fret. As Forest Gump says, Shit Happens.

Once you learn to let the little things slide and not stress too much, you’ll have a much better time. That’s not to say we don’t curse a little bump in the road, but you must relax and move on.

---

Be Present

It’s easy to keep looking forward when things will get “better” instead of enjoying the moment. Or even worse to spend your time focused on a phone screen while you attempt to craft the perfect photo.

Travel will be far more memorable and enjoyable if you learn to be present at the moment. Take time to enjoy that sunset, coffee, or views as you travel around the world, or life for that matter. That may require turning off notifications and putting up an “Out Of Office.”

---

Don’t be the disrespectful American, Aussie, Brit…etc

Don’t be the loud, drunk, or insensitive vacationer that disrespects the locals and trashes a foreign city. We once got yelled at by a local in the Baltics for speaking English to each other.

Chances are it was just some cranky woman…or maybe she was just sick of privileged Westerners coming to her country and treating it like a wasteland. You have seen them, you know who they are, don’t be them. Act like your mother is watching you, and be aware of social cues. This shouldn’t need to be a travel tip.

---

You do not need to know the language

You do not need to know the local language to travel internationally. Knowing French, German, Spanish, or even Zulu will help and probably enhance your experiences in a country. However, do not let that stop you from traveling.

We travel all around the world and, sadly, we cannot fluently speak another language besides English. We still get from point A to point B and have a great time doing so. It may require some help from a translator or our personal favorite hand gestures.

---

Learn to say YES

Just be a YES person. Would you like to try a fried spider? YES (No). Would you like to get hit in the face with one hundred tomatoes? I suppose so! Good stories rarely ever come from saying no.

---

Slow Down!

We find Americans to be the most guilty of this due to the limited vacation days. Don’t fall victim to filling every day and hour with an itinerary.

Some of our most memorable travel experiences have come from simply exploring with no aim. Try to spend more of your time in fewer places for a more enjoyable trip.

---

Accept curiosity

When you travel, people will be interested in your story – accept it. You may get some questions, whether it be new friends or the man waiting at a bus stop with you. Where are you from? How long are you traveling? Where is your favorite destination?

You’re going to get a lot of the same questions, a lot of different questions, and many, many personal questions. Accept them, and be curious back!

---

Embrace The Difference

Different viewpoints are abundant in the world, and that’s a good thing. The more you travel, the more you understand people.

You meet all walks of life, and you begin to understand what makes other people form their opinions. We believe most people in this world are good at heart.

---

Keep Your Street Smarts

That being said, a healthy sense of skepticism is important. There are some cons and scams that prey upon unknowing tourists around the world. It would be terrible to get yourself into a bad situation.

It’s good to be trusting but never disclose too much personal information. For example, do you need to tell every stranger you meet in a city your exact hotel or future plans? Trust your intuition and keep some level of guard up when traveling. Be wary of your surroundings.

---

Read A Book

When we have the time, we love to read a new books about a country before we arrive. Once you arrive, your experience will be much more fulfilling.

You’ll find you understand more about the culture and people’s way of life. It doesn’t matter if it’s non-fiction, fiction, or even a guidebook.

If we don’t have time before the trip, we’ll bring the book along and read it on the beach or at night!

---

Find The Humor

It happens to almost all travelers at some point where things just go wrong. I mean getting kicked off a train at 4:00 a.m. wrong and sleeping in a train station with only a hole in the ground for a toilet. Or that shitty meal you just had to eat because everything is closed, and you’ve been traveling for 18 hours straight, and then it starts to rain.

Or when that freak thunderstorm almost washes your truck away in the middle of the night. Just learn to laugh. Otherwise, you’ll just be miserable. And yes, it does suck.

---

Money Saving Travel Tips

---

Get a Rewards credit card

And a travel-related one at that. Our favorites for Americans are the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, Barclay World Elite, Citi ThankYou, Chase Reserve, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

We never pay foreign transaction fees, can dispute false charges easily, and rack in some serious airline and hotel points. Learn more about our favorite travel credit cards.

---

Take Advantage Of Financial Products

With competition these days between banks and financial institutions, there is no reason to pay foreign transaction fees.

We travel with no-fee debit and credit cards that allow us to withdraw money or pay bills anywhere in the world. A few percentage points add up over the course of a trip.

---

Save on Flights

You can use a couple of tactics to save on flights. Try to book flights 2-3 months in advance as it’s the sweet spot between not booking too early or late.

Next, do not be afraid to experiment with dates and different regional airports. Sometimes you can save much money by flying to a slightly further airport.

That being said, do not obsess over finding the cheapest flight. Also, sometimes it pays to pick reliable carriers and a direct flight. Minimizing travel time is a great way to fight jet lag.

---

Hide your money

You never want to be caught somewhere without money. Many places in the world are cash only and if you are robbed, lose your wallet, or you have drained your bank account, you could be facing some trouble.

We have money, and extra credit cards stashed in a suitcase or backpack just in case something unexpected happens. I like to hide money in empty chapstick containers and always in a stable currency. Read more about how we protect our money abroad here. 

---

Know the exchange rate before landing

I will never forget meeting a traveler that went to McDonald’s in Dubai, ordered his meal, figured 100 UAE Dirhams couldn’t be that much, and ate away. I hope it was the best Big Mac he ever tasted because the burger cost $26!

Always have a general idea of exchange rates before arriving at your destination. We use the XE Currency Converter application on our phones to stay up to date on currency fluctuations.

---

Student IDs are gold

We can’t get away with this one any longer, but we traveled with our old university IDs for a long time.

If you look relatively “student aged,” then make sure to always bust the card out in museums, train stations, and special events. Some places will require you to be from a certain region, but it never hurts to try!

---

Cook Your Own Food

A great perk to short-term rentals or hostels is the ability to cook your own food, as they often have a kitchen. We rarely eat out at home and can find it exhausting when we travel.

Dining out for every meal can make a trip much more expensive. To save on money, we’ll cook our own meals. This helps with things like breakfast; I’m hungry right when I wake up.

Don’t think you’ll miss out on the local food either, as it’s a great chance to head to the local market or supermarket. You’ll often find fantastic local products that you can cook yourself.

---

Avoid currency exchange offices whenever possible

I can count the number of times we have used currency exchange offices on one hand. They typically give crap exchange rates and have hidden fees – we avoid them like the plague, and my best travel tip is that you do too.

Get your cash from the ATM for the very best rates. On top of that, never allow the ATM to determine the exchange rate for you. ATMs around Europe specifically love to rip travelers off with bad exchange rates.

Our minds are always thinking about the amount of foreign currency we carry when we are in a new country. We try never to leave a country with leftover currency as once you leave the country, chances are you won’t use it again unless you are a frequent traveler to that area.

---

Know Your Cab Fare

It doesn’t matter what part of the globe you’re around. The world travels take you. A cab can be one of the best ways to get scammed. 

To avoid overpaying or being scammed, always ask for the meter to be turned on or agree to a set price beforehand.

---

Tips For Traveling

---

Clear your cookies

---

Not on your plate. One thing I have learned while searching for flights is to clear my browsing data and cookies before searching.

Airline booking engines can track your recent searches and may raise the price the next time you search for it; demand meets supply. All because they know you want it like Cookie Monster wants a cookie.

---

Download an offline Map

Whenever possible, download an offline map before arrival. This allows the app to run smoothly without WiFi. This is particularly helpful when you land in a new country without a local SIM card. Once you download a map, save your accommodation address and any points of interest.

---

Do your research beforehand

If you’re on a budget, check prices in your new destination before purchasing anything. Take a gander into a couple of shops, ask around for current prices, and even research online the correct price of things.

I kick myself when I find out I pay a “tourist” price when I could have been paying the fair local price for things. This tip is big for food and drink costs.

---

Document your documents

Take a photo of your passport, credit cards, insurance cards, and anything else that may be important. Send it to your loved ones, save it in the cloud, or print out extra copies and keep them with you.

You never know when you may need to revert back to these. We also like to travel with passport-sized photos of ourselves in case we ever need extra ones at border crossings for visas (This happened between Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia and saved us $20).

---

Learn How To Say “hello” and “thank you”

I hate to admit it, but I am a horrendous linguist. Sometimes, we travel fast through certain regions, and the languages are always changing.

Despite this, we always learn “Hello” and “Thank You” in the local language. Trust us; these two words can make all the difference in your experience with a local. There isn’t a culture in the world that does not appreciate a “thank you.”

---

Purchase travel insurance

Thankfully we have never had an injury while traveling, but that doesn’t mean that we travel without insurance.

Purchasing travel insurance is crucial. Just like at home, you never know what can happen. We use Heymondo for all our insurance needs.

---

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Yes, this age-old saying also applies to travel destinations. Bus stations are almost always located outside the main city centers, and sometimes train stations can be located in some downright dodgy locations. There have been countless times when we got off our bus and thought, “this place doesn’t look that great.”

It’s important not to let first impressions get the best of you and to delve into a new destination a few days before labeling it undesirable. For example, we’ve heard from many people that Napoli is a total skip in Italy, but we found it to be one of our favorite Italian cities.

---

Visit The Tourism Office

Tourism offices are great resources that are not used by enough travelers. Their job is to help you and provide you with some great information.

Some tourism offices will offer discounts on local attractions and activities. This makes for a great travel tip to save money.

---

Travel during the off-season

Traveling outside of the summer months will generally yield lower prices, friendlier locals, and fewer crowds. Not to mention peak summer is a miserable time to be outside in most places.

We travel during all periods of the year but truly love traveling in the fall and early spring when crowds are fewer, and we get a destination all to ourselves. Of course, there are a few places where the high season is truly the best.

---

Use public transport

Unless it is absolutely unavailable, or we arrive somewhere new past midnight, we always take the local public transport options.

Whether it be the metro, bus, or a tuk-tuk, we get around as the locals do. 99% of the time, public transport will be cheaper, 99% more eco-friendly, and 100% of the time, it will be more of an adventure.

---

Don’t Be Afraid To Drive

While public transport can be an adventure, so can renting a car. One of our favorite ways to travel abroad is with a rental car. In fact, we rent cars on most of our trips these days as we love the flexibility it provides.

It means you aren’t limited to public transport hours and stops. You’re also capable of heading to destinations that are off the beaten path and frequented by locals. Driving in a foreign country is not as stressful as it seems.

---

Eat and shop local

This goes for anywhere in the world – traveling or not. Would you rather support the large companies or the local merchant?

Do you fantasize about putting fruit into your body that has been imported from other continents or eating fresh local produce from the farmers’ market?

---

Eat good food

When traveling the world, your days are often filled with so many foreign flavors, and you’ll discover new food in every region of the world. Explore with your taste. Don’t be afraid to join the locals. If they have a passion for something, chances are it’s pretty good.

While you’re at it, don’t be afraid to spend the money on good food. We find it’s the middle ground between cheap and expensive where food dies.

---

Don’t Eat In Touristy Places

It’s best to avoid restaurants that are located next to prime tourist destinations. Generally, the closer you are to major attractions, prices climb, and the quality declines.

I’ll save several restaurants around the area we’ll be in for the day. That being said, we’ve had plenty of amazing eats by just following our nose. If a place looks busy with locals, chances are it’s for good reason.

---

Wake Up Early

As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. If you want to enjoy the best attractions, hikes, and sites to yourself, it pays to arrive first.

Morning light is the best time for photographs, and it’s nice to watch the locals getting ready for the day. You can really capture the true heart of a destination early in the morning.

---

Think before you haggle

Many shops in South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East operate on a bargaining basis. These are my favorite as I love a good deal, and I believe I have a self-awarded gold medal in bargaining. 

However, sometimes it’s important to stop and think about who really needs that money – the local villager or the traveler? Sometimes I find myself getting caught up haggling over 50 cents. Then I really have to stop and think relatively about this.

Don’t feel obligated to buy unnecessary trinkets if you’re being hassled. If you give in you’re just perpetuating the cycle. If you like something, go for it!

---

Don’t Be Overly Cheap

There is a difference between being thrifty and cheap. Don’t miss out on something you’d like to do because it costs money. Also, don’t waste your time in the effort to save a few bucks.

---

Take Lots of Photos

Don’t be afraid to take photos, and more importantly, don’t be afraid to ask to take photos. We love good selfies and love to take them with new people we just met.

It’s a great way to save memories. We couldn’t be happier having this amazing website to save so many travel memories.

---

Travel Tips For Gear

---

Pack A Towel

I know it sounds a little crazy, but we always pack a towel. This is pretty standard for backpackers, and it’s a habit that has stuck with us even as we aged.

Despite staying in hotels, lodges, resorts, and vacation rentals, we still love to bring an extra travel towel in our luggage. They’re handy for the beach, picnic, hike, or drying off.

---

Carry an Extra Battery

We all love to take photos to cherish our memories; nothing is worse than when your camera dies. For most people, that means a smartphone, but your phone is often a lifeline abroad.

Your phone carries reservations, addresses, maps, and important apps and provides safety. Packing a power bank and extra battery for your camera never hurts.

---

Pack Ear Plugs and an Eye Mask

A pair of earplugs and an eye mask always travels in our carry-on luggage or bag. It can help with catching some sleep on the plane.

However, the real importance is that it can save you a bad night’s sleep at the destination. You’ll be sleeping in a new bed, so there isn’t always a guarantee you won’t have a noisy neighbor or annoying lights in the room.

You may never need them, but when you do, they are a lifesaver!

---

Always check for your passport and phone

This one is one of my very best travel tips. What are your two most important travel accessories? The number one thing you do not want to lose is your passport. It’s small, it’s expensive, it’s a legal document, it’s your means to travel, and it means you can get home.

My second most important travel accessory is my phone. It gets me from point A to point B, allows me to check my emails, and holds some pretty precious photos That’s why after every bus, taxi, plane, and train ride, I habitually check to ensure they are still on me.

---

sunscreen

Make sure to throw some sunscreen in your bag. Skin damage is serious and can ruin a trip. It can also save you money as destinations love to overcharge for knock-off sunscreen. We like to travel with eco-friendly reef-safe sunscreen.

---

Carry A Travel Water Bottle

The best way to stay healthy and fight jet lag on the road is to stay hydrated. Purchasing bottled water leads to a heck of a lot of waste, and if you haven’t noticed, we’re currently destroying our planet.

A water bottle is an easy way to save money, the environment, and your health. We carry a Grayl purifying water bottle when we travel for safe drinking water anywhere.

---

Buy A Smaller Suitcase or Backpack

Our bags are never overweight when it comes time to check in at the airport because we can only fit so much. If you purchase a larger bag, you’re more likely to fill it with unnecessary stuff.

---

Wear Good Travel Shoes

When you’re out exploring a new place, you’ll spend a lot of time on your feet. When we’re in Europe, we spend a ton of time on our feet. Sometimes we even avoid taking transport to see more of the city on foot.

It’s a good idea to invest in good travel shoes that are lightweight, comfortable, and fit for many occasions. We really love Allbirds! If you’re traveling to an outdoor destination, invest in proper hiking footwear, sneakers for running and the gym are not the same.

---

Extra Socks and Undies

Wearing pants and even shirts multiple times in a row is not a big deal. However, fresh socks and underwear are always appreciated! We always try to pack a few extra pairs of both.

---

If there is a washing machine – use it

I’ve never met anyone who feels comfortable paying $13 a pair of socks for a wash at a hotel. Free washers are a rare find but should never be passed up. If a hotel or hostel offers a cheap laundry service, we typically take them up on it, no matter the number of dirty clothes we have.

Even when we’re on a short trip, we’ll take advantage of the wash because it means coming home with clean clothes and avoiding a smelly suitcase. This is a great reason to enjoy vacation rentals, as they often include washers.

---

Pack Some quick-dry items

Cameron and I travel with several quick-dry items in our bags. Many countries don’t have dryers for their clothes, so the quicker my clothing air dries, the better. Cotton may be the most popular material for clothing, but it sucks at drying in humidity.

---

Don’t Forget a Jacket

Weather can be unexpected. An emergency jacket never hurts, even when cold weather is not expected.

---

One Final Travel Tip

---

SMILE

Out of all of the best travel tips we can share with you, the number one is to smile. It’s the most common language in our world.

---