1. Before you leave home, throw a half dozen empty sealable plastic baggies of different sizes into your luggage.
2. Pack a toothbrush and travel tube of toothpaste in your carry on.
3. Keep your passports in a little zipper pouch, big enough to include vaccination information, if necessary, and boarding passes. Drop a small pen in the pouch to make jotting down gate information or filling out those annoying landing cards a little easier.
4. Grab a paper map and mark destinations of interest on it in pen when you have access to fast internet and a big screen.
5. Research public transportation prices in advance so you know the cheapest option for your situation. It’s all too easy to get sucked into unnecessarily expensive tourist options.
6. Set a short time window each day for posting photos and digitally checking in. Stay off-line the rest of the day if possible. (When traveling with teens, this can become a family habitat or at least a goal).
7. Arrange for a cloud-based back-up service for photos on your phone just in case the phone gets lost, broken, or simply fills up.
8. Have a budget (time and money) for cold drinks, cafes, hot cocoa, ice cream cones, or whatever restful and revitalizing treats you will need. Spending on an extra entrance fee and not having enough time or money left over for recharging is generally a mistake.
9. Pick out souvenirs that are either big ticket items you truly want to have in your life and home for the long term or small remembrances that you might use daily and, potentially, use up. As charming as the little trinkets appear, they become “dust me’s” when you get them home. Be original: a bottle of fancy lotion, spices, tea, funny socks, a notepad.
10. Keep some cash in your pocket. Dragging your full wallet out of its secure location for every bus fare or bottle of water is just asking for trouble.
