Vaca 101

In the little bit of traveling that i have done, I've picked up a few tricks along the way.  Most are pretty simple, some are "well duh", and others you just learn along the way. Here are some of them that might come in handy.

1.  Pack light.  Luggage fees get steep once you cross the 50 pound limit.  If you are close to the weight limit, put heavy stuff and  a grocery store shopping bag in one of the outer pockets of your suitcase.  Chances are, somebody in your party can carry on one more bag if the scales don't tip in your favor.  The spousal unit can pick up a bag and tell if it is over 50.  Must be from toting those babies around all those years ago.

2.  Carry your medicines in a carryon.  Might want to include some personal items in case you luggage doesn't arrive with you.  Nothing worse than traveling with someone that needs a bitch suppressant pill every six hours and they don't have that pill!

3.  Make sure that everything you need is in the car with you before departing for the airport.  Do not depend on someone else.  The spousal unit called me from the airport, no suit case.  It was in the wee morning hours.  She thought son#1 had put her bag in the car.  They get to the airport, and no suitcase.  I made it there with no red light interruptions and three minutes to spare.

4.  When traveling out of country, turn off your smart phone features. You can get discounted minutes for international travel,  but the media charges will eat you alive. Use the hotel's internet service.  I ended up with a $400 cell phone bill on a company trip to Canada.

5.  Try out the paperless boarding passes.  Instead of having to find the hotels business center, you down load your boarding passes to your phone.  TSA has a scanner that reads the barcode off your phone.  Pretty cool.  Remember to have that phone charged.

6.  During a layover, or just waiting to board, take advantage of the available charging stations.  I now carry a compact Nexis instead of the bulky laptop, which is not needed in retirement!

7.  Take the right shoes.  Remember, shoes come off at the airport.  Had a woman on the USS Midway last night at a reception that was wearing 3 inch heels.  Her calf muscles were about to pop after climbing ladder stairs on a short tour of the carrier island on top!

8.  If staying several days in a high end hotel, make a stop at a local market to pick up soft drinks and water.  There should be a frig in your room.

9.  Do not panic if there is no slot in the door to scan your plastic room key.  There is now a sensor near the handle that reads the card.

10.  Bring some paper money for cash only purchases and tips.  Believe it or not, but most cabs have GPS's and credit card readers, even the bicycle taxis!  But, there is still the valet parking guy and the luggage guy to take care of.

11.  Most high end hotels supply all the toiletries you will need.  The Hyatt even had toothpaste along with the soap and shampoo!

12.  Watch out for that high priced breakfast buffet.  On this stay its $24.  They have a small deli where a sweet roll and juice is $7.

13.  When flying, pack some snacks and ear phones.  You can only eat so many peanuts and pretzels and peanuts.  Longer flights usually offer music and videos, but the headsets are not free.

14.  Don't panic if your suitcase gets blowed up!  Eventually, if you travel enough, its gonna happen.  The airline sometimes will get you a small allowance for a replacement.  However, you may be on the wrong side of the security line to buy one at the airport, then you can panic!

15.  Use Google maps to find out how far a restaurant or venue is from your hotel.  It may be in walking distance.  It can be a good tool in dealing with cabbies that like to take you the long way.

16.  Do some research before your trip.  Taxis might be cheaper than a car rental, depending on your proximity to places that interest you.  Or, a rental car may be a better fit.  The cost to go to an animal safari by taxi on this trip would have been $90 each way.  That just got saved for another trip.

17.  If you are traveling to a new destination, ask your social media friends for suggestions for restaurants and entertainment venues.  The suggestions I got off Facebook were very helpful for my first trip to San Diego!


18.  If you are traveling out of country or out of your normal pattern, let your credit card company know in advance.  This keeps them from putting your card on hold when you have charges come through from places far from home.

19.  Use the internet to purchase your tickets to shows, amusement parks, and ball games.  Even when "on site"  you can either print the tickets at the hotel or do a will call pickup.  Usually there is a discount for buying online.

20.  Have the man carry a small backpack.  Great for storing ponchos, dry socks, and snacks.  And don't forget a zip lock bag for dry storage of cell phones and other loose items.  Both are life savers!

Hope you found these to be useful.  Good luck in your travels!