28 travel tips

15 December 2022

I like planning, organizing and optimizing my travel and vacations. This doesn't mean I'm rigid about how things pan out during the vacation itself. If anything, being well prepared and pre-addressing the possible snags takes care of the basics, so that the finer details like I what do on the actual vacation I can be somewhat flexible about.

  1. I learnt this late but pick the right option when withdrawing cash in a foreign ATM. See this video. In short, always pay in the local currency when they ask you whether you want to 1) pay in local currency, 2) convert to your home currency (i.e. INR).
  2. If you are travelling from India, don't forget to check if you need to convert your Indian Driving License to an International Driving License so that you can rent cars in your destination country.
  3. If you are backpacking, get a TSA approved (the dimensions need to be correct) travel bag like the Arcido by Akra which I use. Id recommend not carrying anything that you need to check in while travelling. Its much easier to do backpacking with just 1 backpack that you fit a lot of things into. When you have to check things in, chances of losing something goes up.
  4. Get a few AirTags and put them in your handbag, wallet, backpack.
  5. Use Packing or Compression Cubes for your clothes. They help compartmentalise and use space efficiently.
  6. Get the Niyo Global Travel Card. MMT also has a travel card. And as backup, turn on international spending on your usual credit cards (like Kotak, Axis, etc). Research the fees associated with it though so you know which card you should be using as your primary driver.
  7. Get an Airalo e-sim. You wouldn't have to manually swap out physical sims that way. You land in your destination country and it just starts working automagically.
  8. Use Army rolls to fold clothes
  9. Optimize every gram. For e.g. if you want to bring a perfume, dont carry the whole perfume bottle. Instead buy a 10ml diffuser and fill it up
  10. Carry sink washing pods, in case you cant find washing machines
  11. When carrying cash, dont keep all of it in your wallet. Spread it across different compartments. so in case you get robbed or lose your wallet, you have a backup.
  12. Especially if you are a female traveller and you are travelling to touristy locations like Phuket/Bali etc, don't accept drinks that strangers buy for you in case they roofie it.
  13. Carry a decoy wallet with a dummy card or two and very little cash in case you get robbed.
  14. Reddit is great for research on itinerary planning. a lot of people who are thoughtful share tips there. For example see this and this.
  15. In any of the major cities, research all the typical tourist scams that the country is known for. For example see this video.
  16. Carry converters for plugs. Research the kind of plugpoints the country you will go to will have.
  17. If you are doing a Eurotrip, consider flying the combo of KLM Airlines / Air France, which goes to both Amsterdam and France respectively. This means that you could fly KLM to Amsterdam as your first port in Europe and at the end of the Eurotrip, fly back from France on Air France. The idea here is that you get slightly better prices by flying airlines within the same alliance both ways.
  18. Use the Matrix Airfare Search portal. Use it to optimise for the cheapest airfares, especially by using advanced search queries. SkyScanner and Google Flights are good too.
  19. Learn the basic greetings in the local language. They will find you earnest and be more willing to help you. Especially in countries like Paris where they are a (very) proud of their language.
  20. Avoid getting into fights with locals because the police will likely side with the locals than a tourist.
  21. Start booking hotels as early as possible because the highly rated AirBnBs and hotels run out quickly. The more you procrastinate, the worse your options would be.
  22. Use the Google Translate app and turn on the conversation mode.
  23. Sometimes airports allow you to claim Tax Refunds on certain purchases you make while abroad if you can prove that you are a tourist. Utilize them. See this video
  24. Carry a lightweight powerbank. Important to not put it in your check-in luggage though because they might flag it off.
  25. Have some buffer space in your luggage so you can bring back some souvenirs.
  26. Stay in a 8 bed dorm if you want to meet other travellers easily.
  27. Try to avoid layovers under 1 hour. Because a delay in your 1st flight may possibly result in your missing your 2nd flight. At the least, make sure the 2nd flight departs from the same terminal as the one 1st flight lands in.
  28. h/t Vivek Lath. Call the hotel directly for the booking and ask for a discount compared to the online OTA price. They'll likely deny the discount. However they might give you a free airport transfer.