Top Travel Experts Share Their Secrets With You

Traveling can be pretty intimidating to someone that has never gone on a trip before. It can easily lead to a bit of information overload because of all of the resources you can access. Below are some tips to help you in organizing this information so that you can start traveling smarter and safer.

If you’re going to be traveling soon, don’t go through a travel agent. You’ll find your trip costing twice as much. Rather, shop around online through different bargain dealers like expedia.com or travelocity.com. This will help you save some money that can be better spent when you arrive at your destination, perhaps on souvenirs, or for that nice guy online that gave you this tip.

If you travel by air frequently, it’s a good idea to learn the rules of the TSA. Every airport has a security checkpoint that you need yo pass before you can get too your plane and not knowing the security rules can make your time at the checkpoint frustrating for you and the people around you.

If you’re going on a trip to visit family, one way to make sure everyone will have a place to sleep is to bring along a number of inflatable vinyl air mattresses as well as an electric pump. These mattresses have improved greatly in quality over the years and the price is quite reasonable. Pumps can be hooked up to your car’s cigarette lighter or into an AC outlet. It is well worth the minimal cost to be sure that everyone has a bed to sleep in when you arrive.

It’s important to tip the housekeeper and bell station well. You don’t have to overdo it, though, just a simple dollar per bag and no more than five dollars a day for the housekeeper is adequate enough. That ensures that the people in charge of your service are happy and helpful.

Once you have found an agent and an insurance policy you are happy with you will pay your premium and then you should receive your written policy. Receiving your premium tells you that the insurance agent has forwarded your insurance premium information to the insurance company. If you don’t receive your policy within a couple months, contact your agent.

Not all medical insurance plans cover you when you travel abroad. When making a plan to travel to international destinations it’s a good idea to look into purchasing medical coverage for your trip. So, before you go you may want to research what kind of medical coverage is available to you and what the costs might be.

To avoid paying high airport prices for snacks and food, make sure to pack your own bag of treats before you leave home. Pretzels, crackers, trail mix and dried fruit, are all great airplane snack ideas. If you bring your own, you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg for snacks at the airport or on board the plane.

Be aware of the opportunity to get travel credit and continue to watch the price of your flight even after you make your reservation. Many major airlines will give you a credit for future travel if the price of your flight goes down after you have purchased your ticket. You could save money on a future vacation by being aware of the price fluctuations.

Get yourself a National Parks Pass if you think you will be visiting often. The passes can be purchased for $50 and are a great deal as they cover all national parks for one full year.

Check your car insurance if you plan to rent a car. Car rental agents will surely attempt to sell you some insurance, but it may be that you do not even need it. Some of these policies will be a ripoff for what you require. It is important that you look over your insurance policy before leaving.

When packing for a trip use space management techniques that make the most of your luggage space. For instance, consider rolling your clothing items instead of folding them. This will cut down on wrinkles and make additional space so you can fit a few more items in each piece of luggage.

Plan your budget before your trip. There’s nothing worse than being away from home and realizing you don’t have enough money to do all of the fun things on your list. Plan so much per day for food, entertainment, souvenirs, and cab/bus fare if needed. Stick to that amount each day. At the end of your trip, you might be pleasantly surprised by how much you have left over.

Bring your own snacks to eat during a flight. Sure the airline will offer you some snacks and refreshments but they will likely charge you and arm and a leg for them. If you bring your own you know you will like what you have and you will not get overcharged for it.

If you are traveling on an airplane, bring a set of headphones with you. When you would like to get some rest or just need a little peace and quiet, put the headphones on. This will discourage the people around you from talking, although you may need to also avoid eye contact with them.

Make sure that your appearance doesn’t just scream “MONEY” when you are traveling. You are just begging for someone to rob you or try to take advantage of you. Leave all the expensive jewelry, watches, and clothes at home. You’re on vacation, not a TV show.

Before you travel, put together an entertainment pack for any children traveling with you. Taking a bag full of things to entertain each child, such as reading books, comics, puzzles, portable DVD players, coloring books and handheld game consoles, will stop children getting bored and causing trouble during the journey.

Hopefully, these tips have provided you with some very valuable information, as well as given you a way to organize all of the thoughts and information you may have already had on traveling. Keeping these tips in mind when you start traveling can help you enjoy more of your trip.