Travel Advice - Travel Devices That Are Must Haves

The following travel tips and advice is a public service pronouncement from a father with a teenager. In my early days of travel, you could forget the sunscreen and just pick some up wherever you arrived. Try picking up an IPOD wall charger though in Paris. You might spend TWICE what it cost just to get to a place that MIGHT have them, so it is vital you take one from home first. And then consider the possibilities of these as well.

Gotta have portable speakers as well unless only one person is listening and THEN you better remember the ear plugs. Ever get tired of holding an IPOD on a plane? Consider the IPOD tripod - it holds up a video IPOD with a suction cup and frees your hands to manipulate the dials. There's also an IPOD stand you can buy for $15 and use at home for your PDA as well. And of course you will need a universal electrical converter. They can be found online for less than $15 and work in ANY country or continent.

If you take lots of digital pictures, consider a flash drive rather than storing them on your laptop. And speaking of laptops, a security cord is vital. You can lock your laptop to a desk, bed or chair and not worry too much about it being left in the room. A camera bag is a necessity also for all your cables, batteries, flash cards etc. One of the IPOD 'holders' can also serve as a pad for mounting a small flash digital camera and then you avoid the hassle of accosting a local to take your group picture or the irritation of a family picture with you not in it.

Take rechargeable batteries, a battery re-charger, your IPOD wall charger AND laptop charger and perhaps a portable GPS device as well. They are quite the rage among foreign travelers I see daily and I have to imagine they will help navigate the 'calles' and 'rue des' of Europe as well.

There is now available a travel bag where you don't need to take your laptop out anymore. It speeds through security because it was tested with the FAA's input and allows the security screener to get a clear X-ray of the laptop on one part of the Zip Up case. It's pricey ($100) but maybe well worth it for the frequent business traveler. Finally, with baggage weight a costly issue now, there is a portable scale available for $25. It runs on AAA batteries, is compact and only weighs 10 ounces. With overweight bags costing $50 and up, it may pay for itself with only one use.

You can easily find these items online or see below for more information.

Traveling Tips For the First Time Traveler

If you are a regular overseas traveler then you probably do not need to be reading this article. This article is not designed for you. This article is written for the first time overseas traveler. If you have never been overseas before you may be a bit frazzled. I am sure that you are excited but there is a lot that you need to do.

Below I have outlined four tips for you to follow before you leave. If you follow these tips you will be better suited to dealing with any situations should the unfortunate arise.

Photocopy your documents and take spare passport photos. There is nothing more annoying then losing your passport. It is a very painful experience. To help you more quickly get a replacement, you should take copies of all of your important documents, leaving one copy in Australia and taking one with you and leaving it at the hotel. You should also have spare passport photos in case you need to get one organised quickly.

Understand the laws where you are traveling. Now, I am not telling you that you need to become a legal scholar in the laws of the country that you are traveling to, but you do need to have a basic understanding of laws related to drugs and alcohol, how you behave on the streets and whether there are any curfews or out of bounds area that you shouldn't travel to.

Organise any visas you need before you travel. In many countries around the world, you need a visa before you can enter the country. You should make sure you organise all visas that you may need before you travel so that you have no problems getting in to any of the countries that you want to visit.

Get any vaccinations your doctor recommends. Some countries may have diseases that are not in your own country but you may be able to get a vaccination from your doctor before you travel. Speak to your doctor and get some advice on what vaccinations you may need and make sure you take up this advice.

Traveling overseas is extremely exciting. It should bring you a lifetime of memories. Make sure that you follow the tips that I have mentioned above so that your trip is only filled with happy memories.

Travel Tips - 4 Tips to Ensure That Your Dream Trip Does Not Become a Nightmare

If this is your first trip off overseas, I know that you must be very excited. Everybody looks forward to their first big adventure. If this sounds like you, I really want you to keep reading this article. I don't want to scare you and I don't want to put you off traveling, but I do want you to make sure that you follow the advice that I have outlined in this article. The advice that I have outlined below could help ensure that your dream trip does not turn in to a nightmare.

Don't leave home without travel insurance. If you have not purchased travel insurance before you leave for your holiday, you should not be getting on the plane. There are a variety of things that can happen that can cause you heartache and severe financial distress. Get yourself travel insurance so this doesn't become a problem.

Get all the vaccinations you need before you travel. Some countries can leave you susceptible to diseases that are borne in water supplies or by insects. In the western world we have vaccinations for many of these diseases. You need to make sure that you see a doctor before you leave, tell him that you are traveling, and get all of the vaccinations that are recommended.

Pack some condoms. If you are single and you are traveling, chances are that you will head out on the town and meet some of the locals. If you 'get lucky' you need to make sure that you practice safe sex. Whether you are a man or a woman, you need to make sure that you pack some condoms in your wallet. It is much better to be safe then end up with a sexually transmitted disease.

Only eat food from reputable sources. In some countries, especially throughout Asia, there can be problems with eating food from some places. You need to be careful where you get your food from. There would be nothing worse than ruining your holiday with a bout of food poisoning.

Traveling is a lot of fun but you need to make sure that you do it safely. Follow the tips that I have mentioned above and your holiday should not turn in to a nightmare.

Travel Tips and Advice For the Novice Traveler

Since there is a huge difference between domestic travel and out of country travel, these pieces of advice should be applied to whichever location fits your situation. Some fit into both categories. At some point, you will probably use ALL the tips, as I have found even veteran travelers tend to not have thought of many of them.

Domestic travel: Print out all your documents and have them handy when you arrive at an airport/hotel etc. There is (now) almost always more than one hotel of the same franchise at every airport and jumping into a cab or on a shuttle to take you to the hotel by the same brand name may not necessarily be for YOUR specific hotel. So make sure you know where you are going and which is the right shuttle for that location. Always ask, ask, ask. Ask the drivers, fellow passengers, desk clerks, maids - anyone who is local to the area that can help you navigate your way through choices of restaurants or malls, safe or unsafe areas and what to see or where to go. Save luggage fees for a second bag by packing lighter and taking a carry-on plus your suitcase instead of two suitcases. May save you $25 right there ($50 for round trip). If you have an e-ticket, use curbside baggage check in to avoid standing in lines to check your one bag. Will cost you a tip and maybe a bag fee but if you are late for a flight, this may save you from missing the flight.

Foreign travel: Make sure you have your needed documents and passports. Some countries require special Visas, some immunization records, some special stamps or documents so ask your airline what is needed when you reserve your ticket. If done online, research online before you leave. If you didn't think of it ahead of time, have the hotel make COPIES of your passports. If you lose a passport, you will help yourself tremendously by having a copy for the authorities. Carry the copy(s) separate from your other documents in case you are robbed. For the same reason, have at least two credit or debit type cards in case one is lost or rejected in a foreign location. Not all ATM's will accept debit cards and neither may your hotel. Keep a list of handy numbers to call in case of trouble. Like bank phone numbers in case you lose your wallet or purse, the local Embassy, the airlines AND your destination hotels in case you get lost. Ask locals for tips on what to see or how best to see it but don't trust strangers to direct you to their 'cousin' who has a jitney or car and "will take you anywhere you want to go cheap".

These simple, common sense tips are often overlooked in the hurry to pack and leave but if you ever had need for any of the tips, you will know why it pays to stop, think and plan ahead - "just in casing".