Organising Your Trip--Booking Flights and Hotels
Packing and Luggage Essentials, Passports, Visas and Travel Docs
Checking In, Changing Flights and Getting Bumped
WiFi and Cell Phones and Technology
Transport, Rental Cars, Exploring Your Destination & Food Tips
• Why Rent When You Can Go Greener?
• Footloose And Fancy Free-Pain Free Too!
• Break Your Fast With Breakfast On The Go
Why Rent When You Can Go Greener?
The first notion may be to rent a car, but why not discover your destination on public transport or by bike around town? Most cities have easy to research public train, tram, bus and other public transport routes, schedules and prices online for easy reference. European cities' undergrund rail systems (U-bahn) are clean and efficient whil the street trams (S-bahn) or bus systems can be a great tour advantage, especially on cloudy or drizzly days or when it's cold outside. I often buy multiple day or system passes and use them to hop cross town buses with huge windows for maximum views and plan my stops and starts to tour areas, have meals or snacks or simply discover new attractions. Never a parking problem either.
Bikes can often be rented from hotels or your concierge can point you to a nearby vendor and there's no parking or valet charges overnight. For coastal cities and towns, flat areas and level cities with superb bike access such as Amsterdam, biking is a breeze and a great way to discover the locale as well as blend in with the locals. It's not as daunting as driving a car on the other side of the road from the other side's seat either and far less expensive. I always carry a locking bike cable in my luggage anyway to lock bags together at airports or hotels while waiting, and I always know the combination rather than using keyed options.
Footloose And Fancy Free-Pain Free Too!
Exploring destinations on foot is the greatest way to discover them and work up a healthy appetite for great cuisine. But you have the right shoes and foot protection. Those new Italian shoes from the market may be a temptation to wear and break in, but it's best to always have shoes your feet are comfortable in for long walks. So hauling over those sneakers and walking shoes as primary soles are vital and if you're smart, you'll have a pair of orthotic implants fitted.
These are foam inserts modelled to your feet's needs in terms of arch support, gait, foot shape and stance and can make the difference between painful trips or delightful journeys. If you are not used to long walks and may be prone to blisters, use two pairs of socks, light ones next to your feet and heavier ones next to the shoe itself to cushion and prevent chafing. A little dash of poweder also helps keep things fresh and dry. And make sure to air your shows out nightly, maybe leaving them on the suitcase and alternate shoes during your tip.
Break Your Fast With Breakfast On The Go
It pays to start the day with a solid breakfast but hotel options can be expensive when you start your day. I always pack a small plastic jar of crunchy peanut butter and a resealable plastic container with a variety of crackers, biscuits or flatbreads for the early morning startup before heading out for a local restaurant or market to have a cheaper meal option. My wife, who is gluten intolerant, often carries her cereals, nuts, dried fruits and other delights in ziplock bags which can be packed into a resealable plastic container that easily serves as a breakfast bowl with her own spoon, knife and fork rubber banded to it. We also carry a small electric travel jug with two cups as part of it and a coffee filter in built so we can have fresh brewed coffee in the morning or boil water for noodles mid day, especially handy when hotels don't have jugs or open their restaurant later than you leave in early mornings.