Hints for solving a variety of travel issues, especially problems that require experiential knowledge to solve or are not covered by traditional travel books or resources.
117
votes
8answers
12k views
OK we're all adults here, so really, how on earth should I use a squat toilet?
OK so for anyone that's travelled beyond North America and Western Europe you know what I'm talking about.
Left: Romania, last year. Right: Turkey, last night.
They start popping up in the Balkans ...
63
votes
8answers
6k views
How to avoid drinking vodka?
This summer I spent some days in Moscow and St. Petersburg. There I also visited a friend at his home. We were there with its family and traditional they drunk a lot of vodka during the meal. We as ...
45
votes
7answers
2k views
Tactics to avoid getting harassed by corrupt police
In Uzbekistan I was stopped, searched and questioned six times in one day.
At the border with Tajikistan, one official tried hiding my paperwork to elicit something from me.
In Kyrgyzstan, I was ...
43
votes
6answers
1k views
How can I avoid or minimize jet lag?
From my personal anecdotal experience, I've found it worse when travelling east around the globe. I also tend to stay awake most if not all of the flight, so sleeping time doesn't tend to matter as ...
40
votes
7answers
2k views
Long term travel without being wealthy - how is it possible?
Some people are practically most of the time traveling, from country to country, for a very long periods and sometimes even years.
How could one be able to travel for a long period of time, over ...
39
votes
8answers
2k views
How should I deal with beggars in India?
I heard that it is unsafe to show some money or help for someone in India.
Is there any rules I should respect not to get into trouble?
32
votes
12answers
2k views
What techniques, tricks or otherwise have you used to get upgrades on flights?
I've travelled a lot. Living in New Zealand or the UK means anywhere is likely a flight, but I've always flown economy. Twice between LA and Auckland I managed to get the exit row after talking ...
27
votes
6answers
3k views
What can I do to prevent passport stamps being put on blank pages?
I'm running low on blank passport pages which are sometimes needed for full page visas such as those issued by Armenia, India, and Vietnam.
When I crossed the border into Turkey the other day I got ...
24
votes
7answers
2k views
How to prevent “Delhi Belly”?
Montezuma's revenge, Aztec two step, mummy's tummy, or Cairo two-step in Egypt, Kurtz Hurtz in Uzbekistan, Bombay belly or Delhi belly in India.
A case of the sh-- or Hershey Squirts or The McSh-- in ...
24
votes
6answers
958 views
What to do with your valuables on a low-cost holiday while swimming/diving?
I am planning to go to central America (Costa Rica + Panama) for a rather budget holiday, and I am wondering what people usually do with their documents, money, cameras, etc. when staying in a budget ...
22
votes
6answers
732 views
What are good security tactics for sleeping in airports?
Sleeping in airports is something I've found myself doing more often than I ever expected, and while I have no issue with sleeping on the floor or chairs or whatever, sometimes I have valuable stuff, ...
21
votes
2answers
811 views
What are the chances of success and the consequences of sneaking into business class?
I've read some people writing that they've seen people be caught sitting in First/Business class when they have economy class tickets. This was for international flights on big planes with several ...
20
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the most efficient way to pack a bag?
On trips of four days or less, I try to travel with a shoulder bag containing my laptop, electronics, etc. and a rolling, carry-on bag for everything else.
What is the best technique for packing as ...
19
votes
6answers
12k views
Best way to make my ears pop?
What is the best way to make my ears pop when landing on a plane? The hold-your-nose-and-pitch method is very painful; are there any other methods to pop ears?
18
votes
7answers
913 views
Is there any trick to checking in more weight on planes?
I soon have to move from France to Spain, one way no coming back. And as with most of the airlines carriers in Europe I am allowed at 23Kg checked-in and 10Kg on board with me. Packing lifetime stuff ...
18
votes
3answers
665 views
OK we're all nerds here, so really, how on earth should I use a Japanese toilet?
OK so for anyone that's travelled to Japan you know what I'm talking about.
They're devices that are a textbook example of excessive featuritis.
But I want to use something other than the flush knob ...
18
votes
2answers
3k views
What are some tricks you use to buy cheap airline tickets in Europe?
I have been flying with Wizzair, Ryanair and Easyjet for some time already and have found that there is really a lot to be learned about how to achieve the lowest prices. It was not uncommon for me to ...
17
votes
1answer
4k views
2FABE - the 'secret' international travel postcard stamp code?
I was told about this about three years ago, that if you were desperate and didn't have time to buy stamps for a postcard, merely putting the code '2FABE' would get your postcard to its intended ...
16
votes
1answer
448 views
Tips for getting a visa when there's no embassy in one's country of residence
I'm looking for general tips about how to get a visa cheaply when there are no embassies in one's country of residence. This has prevented us from getting visas more than one time. Think e.g. non-EU ...
15
votes
7answers
4k views
How do I get my money back for my foreign coins?
Tonight I just cleaned my room and while doing this I found some money. I counted it and I found out that there are a lot of coins from 25 different countries.
I know that normally banks don't ...
15
votes
5answers
302 views
What are some techniques to avoid annoying the travel mate?
After school I went on a 2 months travel trip with my best friend. We knew each other for 13 years, and it started really great. But after 2 or 3 weeks, we noticed that it is a difference between ...
14
votes
2answers
820 views
Stuck without toilet paper while travelling - what is the best approach?
Well, this has happened to everyone at some point - you find out there is no toilet paper just after you need it the most. Usually it's not a big deal, even in public toilet room you can wait until ...
14
votes
1answer
269 views
If you go to the pool and find all the sunbeds have towels on and you have nowhere to sit, what do you do?
When I've been staying in a hotels in Spain I often go down to the pool in the morning and find that there are no sunbeds to sit on because people have reserved them with towels.
I'm never 100% if a ...
14
votes
2answers
322 views
Trick to breaking down air routes
For example, last year I was looking at Bogota, Colombia to LON. This was quite pricey, but it turned out if I bought separate tickets - Bogota to Orlando, Florida, and then an Air Berlin flight to ...
13
votes
6answers
377 views
What do you do when you're on-the-road and you cannot shower?
Let's say you're backpacking and you're staying at a super-cheap hostel. Either because you have a lot planned for the day or you're catching long distance bus / train, you've to get up really early ...
13
votes
4answers
276 views
How to assess whether a restaurant is good on the spot?
You just arrived hungry in a new city and are in a desperate need of finding a good place to eat. And you need to do it without a guidebook or recommendation. There is one restaurant popping after ...
13
votes
4answers
6k views
Free / cheap ways to get airport lounge access?
Until recently, I had a complimentary Priority Pass card. Although the Priority Pass lounges aren't generally great, they are better than nothing when travelling on an airline where you don't have ...
13
votes
2answers
365 views
Are there any common, secret services offered by airlines to passengers onboard?
There are several services that many passengers are not aware of on-board airplanes simply because they are unadvertised.
For example:
Coat compartments. You can hang your suit in the airplanes ...
13
votes
2answers
246 views
What are some strategies for keeping solo travel costs down?
As solo travellers, one often finds hotels charging for two beds in a room. Cruises charge a double occupancy for cabins, usually. Even in hostels on a regular basis I've seen this happen if you want ...
13
votes
0answers
581 views
Does browsing ticket sites in incognito mode and/or from different IP's result in cheaper ticket prices?
I stumbled across a discussion yesterday where industry insiders share tips relating to their respective fields. Someone who works in e-commerce stated :
"When purchasing items on the internet ...
12
votes
7answers
722 views
How can I avoid being overcharged when taking a cab?
I've heard that taxis will frequently scam foreigners by overcharging. How can I reduce the chance of this happening?
12
votes
6answers
1k views
Changing unusual foreign currencies in London
I've just returned from several unusual countries in Asia, and annoyingly despite being told I'd have no problem, I'm unable to find anyone in London to change back to pounds.
I've tried Travelex in ...
11
votes
7answers
327 views
How to document travel expenses?
I have found that many travelers write down their expenses while on a trip. I always however found it difficult personally, because there are so many situation in which I do not have enough time to ...
11
votes
3answers
307 views
Using Occupy Wall Street as a travel hack - any downsides?
So it occured to me after looking at a trip up to Auckland for a brief instant after joking with a friend about staying at their place, that alternatively you could just set up a tent in Aotea Square. ...
10
votes
4answers
291 views
How to avoid getting motion sickness?
My travel mate has a big problem when we are traveling together. He gets travel sick very fast. Obviously there are medicament which you can take to avoid it, but aren't there any other ways to avoid ...
10
votes
5answers
188 views
How to choose a guide book for your next trip?
So I have decided which country I want to visit next and go down to the local travel book store. On the shelves they have over ten different travel guide books about the country.
How do I choose ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Are there any techniques, tricks, or tactics to avoid a one-way fee when renting a car?
Very often, when renting a car and dropping it off at a different location than where you picked it up, you have to pay a huge one-way fee.
Have you successfully used any technique, trick, or tactic ...
10
votes
1answer
150 views
Best inside tip for Liechtenstein?
Being from a big country like Australia I'm fascinated with tiny countries.
Most people wouldn't visit Liechtenstein while touring Europe since it doesn't have any of the spots Europe is most famous ...
10
votes
3answers
398 views
Are there any tricks to book multi-city international flights?
Generally, multi-city air fares are much higher than round trip fares. Let's say I'm getting these flights (A->B->C->B->A) and I am staying in first B and C. It is actually a round trip with ...
9
votes
2answers
112 views
Factors to consider when travelling by car with a 1.5 year old baby in Europe?
With my husband we used to travel around the Europe with a car during our holidays (4 weeks of continuous tour). The route was outlined in such a way that we could sightsee a lot. Now a third ...
9
votes
5answers
160 views
How to make the best use of signs while hitchiking?
It looks to me that the ability of signs to speed you up/slow down while hitchhiking is significant. I think they are useful in places where you want to specify your direction explicitly, like for ...
9
votes
2answers
105 views
Can you buy a longer ViaRail train ticket, but hop off with your stuff early?
So if you look at the deals for train tickets from Vancouver, there are about 3 trains a week heading east. They head through Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and onwards.
Now, for example, the ...
8
votes
4answers
280 views
How can I accurately estimate the weight of my luggage?
This is somewhat of a problem for me. Sometimes, when I'm packed up and getting ready to move, I find that I have no reliable way to weigh my own luggage.
Of course, most of us know that airlines ...
8
votes
2answers
814 views
How to use Turkish toilet tap?
I was in Turkey a while ago, and encountered sit toilets with taps (edit: taps controlling a nozzle a wee way below the rim making a little fountain from the back to the front inside the bowl). While ...
8
votes
2answers
113 views
What is the most effective advice to avoid/minimise risk of illness when travelling in Africa?
I'm considering some trips to Africa at some point in the future and a major concern is protecting against illness.
Obviously, as with other places, the continent varies a lot: cities, rural, ...
8
votes
2answers
193 views
One month in India: eating tips to getting spiced-out
I will be in India (Hyderabad) for about a month. I like spicy food, but it is a treat, not normal event. Last time I went to (North of) India, after a week, I had too much of the spices and my mouth ...
8
votes
1answer
171 views
What's the preferable option to book a flight?
I am very inexperienced traveler. I have a very basic question regarding booking flights.
On the Internet there are a few online agencies like Expedia, Kayak, Orbit. I don't really know what the ...
7
votes
4answers
336 views
How to find out your body weight while travelling?
While on the road you don't have your handy scales at home, and without making an appointment to see a doctor, where else could you find some scales to determine your on-the-road weight? This is ...
7
votes
4answers
766 views
What precautions should travelers take in Spain/France?
On my last visit in Milano Italy, i went to the Duomo. It was the first day of my trip, and definitely the worst.
On the second I stepped out the subway, "Tourist hunting gangs" jumps from all over, ...
7
votes
3answers
198 views
Can you suggest cheap ways of traveling? [closed]
I used to book travels via agency all the time and used to stay at resorts and hotels. I had to compromise on few things to be able to do some of my last travels, as they were quite expensive, so I ...
