Travel Tips: Top Ten Travel Tools We Recommend
Are you dreaming of or planning for an upcoming trip? We have some tips and best practices we've learned along the way that we want to share. Hopefully, these will help you cut through the noise of everything available on the Internet and get you moving on your way toward your next adventure.
Flights
1. When searching for flights, use Skyscanner first to determine your best routes and alternative airline options. Though Kayak is amazing, we find it can sometimes be limited when traveling internationally. Skyscanner gives you the option to also craft your route based on where you want to stop and see fares across a month at a time. We use this constantly and sometimes determine our flight paths by searching for the “flexible” option in the “To” column. Here’s a snapshot of what that looks like in case you are flexible on where you want to go this is a great way to see what’s possible within your budget and timing.
2. When it comes to actually booking, we mostly go straight to the airline’s website to make a booking. We find this is typically easier and streamlines the process, especially if you have to purchase additional items like a checked bag, seats or food.
3. Avoiding cookies when making a booking can be a real lifesaver and save you hundred of dollars. Make sure you always clear your cache when going to any websites repeatedly or use a site that does not use aggressive cookies like momondo.com
Hotels
We use a combination of websites to cross-reference where we stay but typically these are the ones we look at:
Asia: Agoda.com (this typically comes in cheaper than Booking for Asia).
Europe: Booking.com
AirBnB – haven’t used it yet? Use this coupon to get 40$ in travel credit. We typically stay in places that have already been reviewed and the reviews are the first place we look to determine if it’s a fit for us.
Money & Credit Cards
1. Always travel with some cash especially if you’re going to places on the outskirts of major cities.
2. You can always use your ATM card in most destinations but beware the fees your Bank charges and foreign currency adjustments to take out cash while abroad.
3. A lot of people want to know more about points and the best travel rewards Credit Cards – we like www.thepointsguy.com
4. Make sure to get a card that does not incur foreign transaction fees and hidden charges. We have made this mistake and it adds up considerably.
Packing
1. We are huge fans of packing light – we’ve been living out of small bags for the last 2 years. We suggest the XYZ pack from Osprey and we also carry a fold up extra large Longchamp bag in case we buy extra things and need to carry it on.
2. Also note, that sometimes on cheaper flights you will be paying for that baggage – so try to keep it under 15 kilos.
3. The best thing we carry to always know what’s up is this XYZ luggage weight which always helps us figure it out.
4. For more tips on packing – see our packing lists here.
5. We have used Osprey luggage and swear by it
Communications and Translation
1. The best tip we can give anyone is to learn at least 3 phrases in the language of the host country you are visiting: Hello, Please and Thank You. This will get you everywhere in the world and with a smile. People are so very friendly and want to share their culture and country with you. If you can learn these 3 phrases, you will be halfway there.
2. If you are interested in learning more – we recommend the Duo Lingo app for long term study and of course Google Translate while you’re on the ground
3. Google translate allows you to download offline translation libraries which most of the time work quite well
Cell Phones, SIM cards & MAking international calls
We get asked about international phone sim cards a lot. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Each country has its own rules about sim cards but typically they can be bought very easily at the Airport, or at a cell phone provider store in the place you are going. Before you go on your trip, go to your cell phone carrier and ask if your phone is “Unlocked.” If it is, this means you will be able to pop out your SIM and put in the country-specific one you purchase on the ground. If it’s not, you have 2 options: 1. Use an older phone if you have one in the drawer.
2. Purchase an international calling & data plan from your carrier (this will be the most expensive option typically)
3. When you are on the ground in the country you are visiting, make sure you purchase data. Typically, these things are either bundled or bought a la carte. When purchasing, also make sure you understand how to check your balance of time/data and how to add additional money to your SIM.
4. We are huge fans of What’sApp – if you don’t have it yet, download it before you leave – even if you change your SIM card it will still work and it will allow you to make calls with Wifi to anywhere in the world for free. This is a great way to keep in touch with your office too if there’s someone there you need to stay in contact with. Make sure they download the app too.
5. When traveling for a longer period of time, you may want to maintain an Internet based domestic line. We do this through Skype where we pay $1.99/month to maintain a US phone number so anyone can call us domestically there and we can make domestic calls within the US. This is a great additional item to have to round out your connectivity.
6. If you plan on doing work while you are abroad, you may want to consider Coccoon – which is a product that allows you to use a US-based IP address to access Internet content that may be limited from other countries. It costs XYZ a month.
Insurance – Travelers & Health
Travelers Insurance: We typically travel with insurance to assure that everything goes according to plan. Here are the 2 plans we recommend:
If you are under 69: World Nomads
For Seniors: Global Allianz
What to do if you get Sick
We have both gotten sick out on the road and while not ideal it’s not the end of the world. Unless you are really in a far-flung place on the map you will be OK. Here’s what we recommend you consider if this happens to you:
1. First, determine your needs – do you need a hospital or an ER? If so, do that, otherwise, read on...
2. We recommend visiting the pharmacy first. You’ll find that most countries have very specific pharmacies that sell medications that you may need over the counter and are typically staffed by people who are experts in healthcare. I had a tooth infection last year and was able to get Amoxycyline over the counter for a few euros in a pharmacy on the island of Naxos. This was easier than finding a dentist and kept my infection at bay. The pharmacy is your first line of defense.
3. If you need a doctor, we have found that pharmacists can typically recommend one nearby and sometimes there will be a doctor on call at the pharmacy itself (this happened when we were in Mexico City and Julio came down with Strep Throat). The pharmacies are very connected to the medical system so this is a great way to tap into that knowledge without overdoing it on the Google searching.
4. If you are unable to locate a pharmacy or if something doesn’t feel right, call your Embassy – they will typically have a list of doctors that they recommend who will most likely speak English.
5. If you are having a dental emergency, fear not! There are wonderful dentists throughout the world and you can easily find one. The first thing I would do, is contact your primary dentist back at home and see if they have any network connections in the place you are in. If not, simply search for a dentist online or again, go through the Pharmacy or Embassy networks.
Travel Blogs We Recommend
We’ve done a lot of online travel research over the last few years. Here are some great blogs and vlogs we recommend checking out if you're interested:
