- Think outside the box when shopping around for the best airfare Even though we live only ~15 minutes from the Pittsburgh airport, we found a really good deal flying out of Toronto (thanks to our local coffee shop owner who told us about doing this). We paid the price for the three of us, what one ticket would have cost on flights out of Pittsburgh along with the benefit of the flight being non-stop instead of one-stop.
- Spend time learning about the people and the culture of where you are visiting There are so many YouTube videos out there that you can watch to better prepare you on what to expect when you arrive. We also enjoyed watching, Rick Steve’s travel shows and learned a lot of information on each city from him.
- Plan to have local currency Each destination is different so research your location and if it’s out of the US see what is recommended. Of course if it’s a location that tripfocused.com has visited we will call out our specific currency recommendations. Once you arrive at your lodging destination and if local currency is recommended pull up Google maps and locate the most convenient ATMs.
- Try to avoid the touristy areas as much as you can and really experience what life is like in the areas that you travel to. Isn’t that the point of traveling to a different country/region?
- Go off of the beaten path and find restaurants and stores that support the local people. It is really fun to meet and talk to people and learn about their part of the world. You will find in most destinations, such as Rome, a block or two from a main attraction such as the Colosseum will provide much better food and much lower prices.
- Try to learn a little of the language before you visit, so you can interact and communicate. The locals really appreciate your efforts. Simple things like saying, please and thank-you are always welcome.
- Download Google maps of the area you plan on visiting, incase you can’t get online to view it and you will still be able to navigate your way around when you are offline.
- Make copies of your passports and important travel documents We took pictures of everything with our phones and then texted the info so that everyone had it.
- Purchase travel insurance Our trip to Italy in 2017 was canceled due to an emergency appendectomy. We luckily had insurance and it covered the cost of the trip, so we could re-schedule and recover all of our expenses.
- Pack light I like to lay the clothes out on the bed and mix and match clothing to make sure that I can interchange clothing and create different outfits with minimal pieces. If you are going on a 21 day trip for example, you can pack 3 bottoms and 7 tops/shirts, so you can have 21 different outfits. Narrow down those shoes too! I wore my sneakers and took flip-flops for walking around our apartments and I bought a pair of sandals to wear with dresses for dinner, once I was in Rome. Packing light is especially important if you are moving about via public transportation and will be lugging suitcases along. I have learned from our mistakes with 29″ luggage. I thought we were packing light, but then quickly realized that our suitcases were too large and bogging us down. In 2020, we will be packing 21″ carry-on spinners to be able to maneuver and travel more quickly when traveling from city to city.
- Wash your clothes – Finding lodging that has at least a washer will significantly reduce the number of clothes you need to pack and carry. Destinations like Italy don’t generally have a clothes dryer as you hang/air dry your clothes instead.
- Print out all useful info Before you leave home, print out addresses to your Airbnb apartments/houses, itineraries, train and ferry schedules, tour information, along with any tour tickets so you know what day/time that you are scheduled to do an event or check-out/check-in to a new place/destination. We kept everything in one plastic notebook sleeve in the order that we would need them and it was the best way to keep track of the day’s scheduled events. I remember that we celebrated when we caught our last ferry as we handed them our final printed out ticket. We didn’t miss any of our trains or transportation or tours. Being prepared with those important schedules kept us organized and on time…..for the most part….picture us running with huge suitcases as our teen daughter ran ahead to let the ferry know to wait for us. But, we made it and we gave high-fives all around!
- Determine local transportation as soon as you get to your destination. Each place varies so it’s best to find out how you will get around. Aruba and the Cayman’s had convenient local buses or vans that will get you around for only a couple bucks. Rome’s subway was great for most of the trip, but after a few longs outings we took cabs which were much better than stories we have heard. On the other hand, we felt other areas such as Ercolano, Sorrento and Amalfi have very overpriced cabs though sometimes you have to bite the bullet.