Don’s travel tips:
1. Avoid France.
2. Pack immodium.
3. If you’re nice to the locals they will be nice to you, but refer back to rule #1. Smile.
4. Take lots of money. You will always spend way more than you think.
5. Travel as lite as possible. If you’re not sure you need something don’t pack it. You can nearly always buy it there. Your suitcase will be fuller on the return than outbound, so make sure there is some extra room.
6. Never use the currency exchanges. They are a ripoff! Use ATM’s.
7. Don’t get excited when things don’t go as planned. A little money can fix 99.9% of the unexpected things that come up. Don’t let anything ruin your trip. Just keep going.
8. Don’t buy souvenirs until just before your return flight. Remember that you will have to lug all that crap with you.
9. Look for the best food down alleys.
10. Don’t have a set schedule. Just bumble and wander some.
11. Airbnb is great for larger groups, but this is changing. Give it a try.
The normal travel tips:
1. Europe is not dangerous, but watch out for the many scammers, con artists, pick pockets, etc… They are very clever and can really mess up your trip if you’re not careful.
2. Have backup credit cards because sometimes the card you intended to use won’t work. The fees on debit cards are lower than credit cards. Make sure to know your pin number. Never use the currency exchanges.
3. Carry a good unlocked smartphone (not Blu). Sim cards with limited data are cheap and make traveling much easier. If the thing doesn’t work right after putting in the sim card turn it on and off a couple of times over a period of about fifteen minutes. If it still doesn’t work right find a teenager and ask him/her to verify the APN settings for you. Having working internet is worth the hassle.
4. Put “whats app” on your phone and also set it up for anyone you may want to call while away. It works really well on just wifi as well.
5. Take photos of your credit cards and travel documents and upload them onto the cloud.
6. If traveling with another person always have a pre-arranged meeting place if you get separated. Don’t count on technology.
7. Enable location sharing with anyone & everyone you think appropriate.
8. Take a business card of the hotel you are staying in just in case you get lost. I know a woman who went for a stroll after dinner and ended up lost and wandering around Venice till 3:00 a.m.
Travel With A Curmudgeon 