99 Best Travel Tips (and Some Life Tips, too!)

I’ve been on the road for 9 years (actually, it’s now up to 17 years traveling in 2024!) to all continents and about 65 countries and I normally shy away from doling out my best travel tips, as everyone’s tastes are different. But after all this time living on the road, I think I have earned the right to give people some of my best travel advice and life tips that I’ve learned and used all the time.

Keep in mind many of these travel tips are oriented toward the long-term traveler or longer trips. However, many can apply for typical vacations, too.

And since my tagline from the beginning has been “Life and Travel Experiences of a Corporate American Runaway,” you not only get travel tips, but I threw in plenty of life tips, too.

Best Travel Tips For Travel Planning

I plan very little these days.  After years on the road, I have a system that just works now and I don’t even really think about it. These tips are things I still do today as I travel.

1. Always have a little US cash on you stashed away… new bills preferably 20’s and 1’s.
2. Sign up for an eating tour the first day you’re in a new destination so you can get other food/restaurant recommendations.

3. One of my top budget travel tips: Stay places where you have your own kitchen – save money on breakfast and pack a lunch.
4. Malaria pills may protect you from Malaria, but they won’t protect you from Dengue Fever and other mosquito illnesses. I skip the pills and use repellent with high deet instead.
5. Keep digital copies of all important docs. Take a picture of your passport, license, visa, and even the front/back of credit cards, and store them somewhere you can easily get them (in the cloud, or on a family member’s computer who can email them to you)
6. Buy antibiotics in other countries where they are cheaper and you don’t need a prescription.
7. Always choose aisle seats on long flights – that way you can get up anytime you want without bothering people. And if you get up more frequently you’ll reduce the chance of getting blood clots from flying like I did.
8. If you are going to be in a country for a few weeks or you are planning long-term travel, organize the first 1/3 of your trip, and leave the rest open-ended so you can plan as you go based on the people and advice you get along the way!
9. T Mobile has the best international cell plan out there for Americans… free texting and 1 gig of international data. The coverage in the US sucks, but if you are going to be out of the country a lot, it’s the way to go. I recently switched over to Google Fi for my cell coverage and it’s even cheaper than T Mobile for Android users. You pay as you go with no contract and no additional costs for international calls or texts. Check them both out and see what is better for you.
10. Have a Mastercard AND a Visa card in case you come across countries or ATMs that only accept one or the other. Make it a travel credit card and rack up travel benefits to use, as well!
11. One of my favorite travel tips: Shoulder seasons, monsoon seasons, rainy seasons, and hot seasons are all the best times to travel as you have fewer tourists and cheaper prices. I love traveling to a place when you ‘aren’t recommended to go’… I find it more local and interesting to see how the locals deal with the inclement weather.

12. Sharing a bathroom with people is not a big deal… get over it. And actually staying in places where you have to share a room or a bathroom is actually a way to be much more social.
13. As someone who travels solo most of the time – shared accommodations in general are a great way to meet people! Airbnb, Couchsurfing, and EatWith are all great ways to have more local experiences while you travel – try them!
14. Booking an overnight train or bus is a great way to save money on a hotel and get to where you need to go!
15. Carry personal ‘business/travel’ cards with you so you can give people your email/Twitter/FB/Instagram that you meet along the way.
16. One of my top travel safety tips for travelers is to sign up with the State Department’s STEP program. It’s simple and a good way to let people know where you are going to be in case of country emergencies. Plus, you get helpful updates from the embassy on things going on in the area or notification of political issues.
17. If you are afraid of traveling solo for the first time, then choose a small group tour to go on. You can check sites like Stride to search for a multitude of small-group tour operators.  Based on my experience though my favorite small group operator is  Intrepid Travel.  Not only do they typically focus on local experiences, but the group size is restricted to around 12 people max. You go solo, but you’ll meet many other solo travelers or couples and travel as a group. I’ve never taken an Intrepid trip I didn’t love.
18. If you are traveling for a longer time, spend some of your time volunteering in some way.  There are many more options than simply teaching English.

19. When traveling to developing or more remote countries, bring postcards from your country to give out to local families you stay with. They love to see what your home looks like.
20. Have one song that you know the words to from your home country. That way when you are sitting around a fire or inside a local person’s home, and someone asks you to sing a song from your country – you know one! This will inevitably happen.

Best Travel Tips For Packing & Gear 

I get a lot of stuff from companies to try out and write about, but few are really any good or stuff that I actually use while traveling. This list contains some brand names of things that I absolutely adore and they are in my pack EVERY trip. 

21. Roll your clothes to get maximum room in your suitcase/backpack.
22. Always have a headlamp with batteries packed in your carry-on/daypack.
23. Scarves make you fashionable and can be used for various uses – towels, beach cover-ups, sun shade, warmth, modesty cover-ups in Islamic countries, and they can be used to add a pop of color to a drab travel color palette.
24. Packing cubes are the key to packing happiness – turn your bag into a dresser… organized! I use and love Eagle Creek Packing Solutions.
25. My favorite travel items are the gear that has double uses. My Lululemon reversible tights, my PrAna swimsuit, and shorts that I can hike, swim, and surf in.

26. Good wool socks (like Point6) are GREAT for travel. They dry really fast, don’t hold odor, stay warm in the cold, and cool in the hot. The only socks I travel with!
27. Pack in one color palette so that you can stay light and everything can go together in different combinations.
28. Use a backpack if you are doing a lot of train or bus travel – it’s much easier to maneuver. I use an REI daypack and Eagle Creek backpack/duffle.
29. Bring a collapsible/refillable water bottle and stop using plastic.
30. Heavy-duty trail running shoes double as hiking shoes – one pair of shoes, two uses!
31. Exofficio underwear really does work as its advertising indicates. Wear them day after day!
32. Bring a small travel umbrella as it’s great for protection from the rain and the sun. One of the most essential items in my bag.
33. LensCoat raincoats for cameras are great for keeping your camera dry in a downpour.
34. You must be able to carry everything on your own. If you can’t lift your bag over your head and into a railroad car or bus overhead storage, then you shouldn’t be carrying it.

35. Ditch the heavy books and use a Kindle or e-reader – your shoulders and back will thank you.
36. Tripods are great – but if you need to stay light in your pack – just invest in a really good low-light lens instead. I’ve been surviving off of a F2.8 17-55mm lens for years now and have never carried a tripod.
37. Buffs are great for so many uses – a hat, scarf, mask, tube top, washcloth, and even handkerchief.

38. When you are looking at what you can get rid of out of your bag to make it lighter and you are deciding between your hair dryer and your vibrator, always choose to pack the vibrator. Hair dryers are easy to find when traveling, but vibrators aren’t.
39. If you wear glasses, have one extra pair to bring along just in case – even if it’s an old prescription. Make sure you have your recent prescription with you or somewhere on the internet cloud in case of emergency.
40. Bring a Rocket Air Blaster (no – this isn’t a brand of vibrator)to remove dust and debris from your camera lenses. It’s small and squishes down.
41. Noise-canceling headphones are a LIFESAVER… worth the ridiculous price tag. I just started using them this year and can’t believe I waited this long.
42. Money Belts are a waste, I’ve never used one – plus, who in their right mind wants to add bulk to your belly area? Most things made specifically for travel are crap and you don’t need them. See #42 and save your money.
43. Always travel with a deck of cards.
44. Carry 4 or 5 extra passport pictures with you just in case you need them for visa applications while on the road.
45. Tiger Balm for those aches and pains.
46. Don’t pack/bring clothes you need to iron or dry clean.

Best Travel Tips For Life On the Road

These are some of my favorite ways to deal with life on the road. Many of them are specifically geared toward getting more local and off the tourist trail.

47. Save and listen to podcasts for when you have downtime on buses, airports, and car rides and there’s no connectivity. My favorites – This American Life, Planet Money, Startup, Amateur Traveler, This Week in Travel, The Moth
48. Travel connected. Rent and use a MiFi device to stay connected no matter where you go in the world – it’s much easier than dealing with international roaming. Plus, you can connect up to 5 devices to the MiFI device – perfect for group travel! TravelWifi is a good option.
49. Take/Use public transportation for real experiences. It may take longer, but who cares… the journey is the experience.
50. Always have emergency snacks for those hangry times – I use Cliff bars.
51. Visit local supermarkets just to see what people eat in a country. I can easily spend hours in a foreign supermarket just looking at all of the food and people-watching!
52. Respect the customs and dress appropriately – when in doubt, look around you and see how locals dress.

53. Most cultures are looking for the same things in life – love, happiness, and family.
54. All cities think they have the best craft beer movement in the world. They are all good… move on.
55. Whenever a local invites you into their home or out for coffee – go!
56. Be a good guest – leave no trace. As an eternal guest, I try to have no impact – put away your things, and clean up a space like it was when you first got there. Manners!
57. Always have a vomit bag with you.

58. On that note… always carry Dramamine and take it whenever in doubt. It doesn’t work after the fact.
59. Learn how to say hello and thank you in the native language of where you are visiting.
60. Fill out those Trip Advisor Reviews if you have a strong feeling about a place – it is a way to pay it forward and it really helps small businesses.
61. Rent a car and drive yourself! Learning to drive on the other side of the road isn’t rocket science, and it can be quite a fun adventure!

62. Send postcards! People still love to get things in the mail.
63. Take pictures of menus or historical plaques if you want to remember things but don’t want to take notes.
64. Jet Lag sucks, nothing stops it, and all of the jetlag apps suck. However, melatonin helps and I advise you to change your watch to the destination time as SOON as you get on the plane. And whatever you do, try not to nap.
65. A rule of thumb – if there isn’t a price listed or a price tag, this means it’s okay to haggle – this is just part of the process, it is expected so get over yourself and have fun with it. This is especially true in most developing countries. There you can even haggle when there is a price listed.
66. Eat anything you are offered – it’s just kind to at least try it – yes, even if it’s disgusting looking.

67. When you get to a new country, spend the majority of your time observing instead of judging.
68. Don’t worry about exchanging money – 99% of places I have gone to have an ATM at the airport where you can simply get out the cash you need in the local currency for better rates than any money exchanger.
69. Call your bank before you go and let them know what countries you are traveling to else this may not work!
70. Once you get that local currency out of the ATM, then go to the money exchanger and ask nicely if they will break a large bill into smaller bills. It’s always good to have small bills for taxis, bottles of water, and tips. Many people often tell you they don’t have change for large bills and cannot sell you a bottle of water/bread/taxi ride.
71. When a place offers to charge your credit card in your home currency – decline it and tell them to charge it in their local currency. There are hidden fees that are more than exchange rates that are charged when you have the company charge it in your home currency.
72. Do laundry whenever you can as you never know when you will get the opportunity again.

73. Look for school-age kids when you can’t find someone who speaks English, they often at least know a little English from school, television, or those teaching TEFL in the region. And if that fails… Google Translate!
74. Adopt and enforce the rule – one in, one out when it comes to your suitcase. If you must buy something, then something else must go!
75. Once you pass through immigration – put your passport away and never carry it on you once you get to your destination. If you are carrying it in your money belt, purse, or pocket as you tour around a city, you just increase the odds that it will get stolen from you. Leave it in your room locked/hidden in your bag. Out of all of the countries I’ve traveled to – there was only one country that I actually needed to carry my passport with me at all times – Lebanon. The others… just put it away.
76. Back up everything regularly. Whether you travel with a laptop, your phone, an external backup drive, or whatever – have a backup plan. Something will get stolen/lost eventually.
77. Whether you keep a blog, a journal, videos, or one second a day keep track of your adventures somehow. It’s a great way to see how far you’ve come and learn from your past.

78. If you have a bad experience somewhere (Airbnb, Couchsurfing, etc) leave an honest review about the situation. If you are going to use the sharing economy, then you are responsible for making it work. That means leaving good reviews and bad reviews as it may save the next person from a very bad situation.

My Best Life Tips

Not necessarily travel-oriented, but these are a few of the life lessons I’ve learned along the way, and am still learning…

79. You don’t need ½ of what you think you need in life… or in retirement… or in your suitcase.
80. Do at least one thing that is completely ridiculous, dangerous, and pushes your boundaries; it will probably be the most memorable and talked about thing that you do in your life.
81. People with less seem happier all around the world
82. Accept praise or a compliment with a thank you and move on.
83. Meet new friends, but don’t forget the old.
84. Travel makes you see your own culture through other’s eyes, and that can be a humbling beautiful thing.
85. The Middle East has a more welcoming guest culture than anywhere else I’ve been in the world. Surprising? Yes – but this is why it’s important to not let the news and media rule our impressions. Get out and see for yourself.
86. At least once in your life, travel solo – completely solo.
87. Learning how to give someone a bribe is a good life skill to possess. Practice.
88. A smile is the universal language
89. SPF30 – every day.
90. Conform and be dull
91. There is not one right way of living your life. Many paths can get you to where you want to be in life, and if you are bold and take the unknown paths, you may end up in a place you never thought imaginable.

92. Don’t spend your life pining away waiting for stuff to happen – just go and make it happen yourself.
93. Certainty is overrated
94. You are more capable than you think you are
95. If you know you are going to make it, then it’s not an adventure

96. If we have space, we fill it – it’s human nature. Whether it’s a home, garage, storage unit, or suitcase. So if you want to be/live light, then just get a smaller space.
97. Be a travel mentor to someone.

98. If you have a goal to do longer-term travel, but don’t know where to start, the best and first thing you should do is pick a date that you want to leave. That way you have something to work towards.
99. Say “YES”! It’s much more fun than saying “no”.

Do you have a favorite life of travel tip you’d like to share?  Please add your tips in the comments!