Over the past several years I have been fortunate (or unfortunate depending on h

ow you look at it) to travel to many places in the world and I figured I would t
hrow together a few tips of my own, as well as comment/expand on a few that were
mentioned in the original article linked above.
#1 Book a flight on a non-domestic airline (i.e. not an airline operated within
the United States) I cannot agree with this more. To put it bluntly, most of the
US based airlines suck, but they behave like they are the best. Trust me, once
you have traveled on non-US based carriers, you will agree with me. My favorite
US carrier is United, but they ares the best of the worst in my experiences. My
favorite non-US airlines include Emirates, Qatar, Singapore Airlines and Thai Ai
rlines. The international carrier I dislike the most is Philippines airlines. I
have never had an airline actually look for ways to charge me extra fees like PA
L has.
#2 Get international Mobile Phone service - My recommendation & experience on th
is is to avoid roaming all together. If your going to visit a location for a few
hours, okay maybe. If you re going to be there for a few days, just go to the nea
rest 7-11 or convenience store and buy a SIM card. Most Americans don t understand
this concept, especially if they are new to traveling internationally. The US i
s really the only country that has mobile service provider that predominately of
fer post-paid billing plans. All of the other countries I have traveled to (46 o
f them) offer simple pre-paid SIM card. Most can be bought with little more than
a few dollars and then a top-up card to provide credit. You can then buy more cre
dit at anytime from almost any store. Some countries may require a copy of your
passport (see my notes below) before they will sell you a SIM card. Its their wa
y of tracking the SIM card in case it ends up being used for something bad .
#3 Get an Unlocked Backup Mobile Phone Absolutely positively get an unlocked cel
l phone. Many of the phones purchased in the US from carriers are locked onto th
eir networks. Many times you can get them unlocked from the carrier if you conta
ct them weeks before you travel and explain you will be outside the country. The
y will typically email you an unlock code (T-Mobile) that can be entered to unlo
ck the phone from their network. ALmost ever other country in the world sells ph
ones that are already unlocked. If your going anywhere in Asia, you can buy a si
mple Nokia for about $10. If you are the connected type, then bring a smart phone.
Almost every country has caught onto the Internet and provide some type of Inte
rnet service. Some just offer simple browsing, which can be extremely useful whe
n in a foreign country. Others offer blackberry/iphone planes that can be paid b
y the week or month and are very cheap (<$25 for a month of unlimited data). Thi
s allows you to get email, stay in contact and communicate with family/friends v
ery inexpensively.
#4 Include country codes in your contacts or rolodex I agree with this. It will
be a time saver if you need to call back home. Without the country code, the cal
l will just fail and many people will get confused as to why they cant call back
home. I remember years ago when I was giving a family member my international n
umber and I said +66xxxxxxx . They said plus ?? how do I make a plus?? Again, this is
known to everyone outside the US at birth. Almost every phone known to mankind c
an signify a + by holding the 0? (zero) key. The + is another way of saying 00?. In o
her words if you were overseas and needed to call a family member in Los Angeles
, you could dial +1213555-1212 or 001213555-1212. If you have a international nu
mber, for example in Doha, Qatar, and you give the number to a family member, th
ey will need the mobile number and the country code. For Qatar that would be 974
, so they would need to dial +974 ########. Many countries have a preceeding zer
o for their numbers. Here in Thailand all numbers (mobile and landline) are prec
eded by a zero. When calling a number in a country that uses a preceding zero fr
om outside the country, you have to drop the zero. For example, if I was in Thai
land and I had a mobiel number, it might be 0859297935. If someone wanted to cal
l me from inside Thailand they would dial exactly that number. From outside the
country a person would need to dial +66859297935. The country code (+66) then th
e number without the preceding zero. If your staying in any location longer than
a day, get the local consulates phone number for your country. Most consulates
have a help assistance line for citizens of that country that are abroad. They c
an help in the case of an emergency, car crash, disaster or political unrest. Yo
u will also want to contact the Regional Security Office (RSO) of your embassy i
f you are a victim of a crime or having anything valuable or personally identify
ing (passport, wallet, etc) stolen.
#5 Plan for Jetlag - I somewhat agree with this, but also believe that jetlag an
d sleeping patterns are somewhat of a mental thing. If you are traveling outside
the county, look at your itinerary and figure out how many segments and how lon
g you will be traveling. Work out the time difference and figure out what time i
t will be when you land. If you will be landing in the middle of the night after
a long flight, avoid sleeping during the end part of your flight. Sleep at the
beginning, then stay awake till you land.Drink lots of water on the plane and fo
r the next day or so. Airlines typically will feed you several times during a lo
ng flight. Avoid eating just because they give it to you. Part of getting your b
ody into a routine and a new schedule is not eating every couple of hours on the
flight. Try and get your body into a habit for food as well as sleep.
#6 Wear compression gear or compression tights on the plane - Never used it, but
I have heard good things about them. I can attest that if you take your shoes o
ff during long flights, they generally do not fit when you try and put them back
on at the end of the flight.
#7 Carry power adapters and converters for electronics this is another commonly
overlooked issue for non-travelers. There are not many countries that use US sty
le plugs. Be prepared to have adapters to fit all your electronic needs. I commo
nly travel with a small power strip that you can buy from any hardware store. Th
en I use one adapter to interface that power strip to the wall of my hotel or wh
erever I need it, then I have 5 or 6 US style plugs I can use without adapters.
Be mindful of voltage differences. Most modern electronics will work with both v
oltages. The exception are printers and many Linksys devices. Also battery charg
ers bought in the US are commonly 110volts only. Check you camera and phone char
gers. Most laptop are dual voltage, but many desktops are not.
#8 Get Your Passport - This is kind of a no-brainer . Can t really go anywhere withou
t one (Mexico/Canada being the exception). Keep in mind of Visas. Americans are
somewhat spoiled lucky that many countries do not require visas for Americans tr
aveling as tourists. Do your homework and check the Internet. May countries that
dont require a visa to enter may put a fairly short limitation on how long you
can stay, i.e 21 days. Also keep in mind that many countries *require* you to le
ave the country to renew your visa. You can always risk by over-staying, but the
re will likely be penalties and some countries are threatening jail time for peo
ple who overstay by more than a few days. Also keep in mind that many countries
*require* at least 6 months remaining validity on your passport before they will
issue a visa. Many countries have US embassies that Americans can go to in case
they lose their passport or need to renew it while overseas. Get a few extra pas
sport style photos and put them in a plastic bag and store them with your passpor
t. You made need them if you apply for a visa while abroad and sometimes finding
a place to get them can be difficult.
#9 Be aware of local customs and culture - Agree. Many counties are forgiving an
d understandable with tourists, but they can wear thin after a little time so it
s best to know what is considered offensive (showing the bottom of your feet) as
well and dangers (the left hand). Kowing a few simple words in the language fou
nd in the area you are visiting can go a long way. A simple hello , goodbye and thank
you in the local language will go a long way. Also, when in Rome try local cuisine.
If you end up at business meetings or with local friends, it is likely they wil
l introduce you to local cuisine. Try it. No matter what it is, just try it. Alm
ost everything that seems undesirable is mental. Just suck it up and at least tr
y it. You are likely to offend your friends/business collegues if you dont at le
ast try it, After a few botes if you dont like it, then politely say so, but don
t say no without at least trying something. Half the fun of travel is experiencing
local culture.
#10 Have everything synced up in the cloud Agree with this one as well. Couple t
hings to think about. Many banks require you to authenticate the computer you us
e to login and see your banging data. I am not talking about your password. I am
talking about a cookie that the website sets on your home computer or the one y
ou typically use. If you login from a different computer, you may have to regist
er or receive an SMS message on your mobile to confirm it is really you. Keep this
in mind when traveling and you may or may not have access to your US based mobi
le. Also, make a copy of your passport and digitize it and save it in your email
inbox, dropbox or wherever you can get access to it easily from the Internet.
My additional suggestions:
Join a airline mileage club. Preferably on an airline that you will likely fly a
gain. Even if you feel you wont really be flying a lot, join the club and bank t
he mileage credit.
Print a few copies of your itinerary and keep them with you. Many airports in ot
her countries want to see the printed itinerary before they let you in the front
door.
Wear comfortable clothing while flying, preferably with very little metal. Sweat
s are great if they have pockets. Avoid belts and large wristwatches that are li
kely to set off the security detector. Wear shoes that can easily be slipped on
an off.
Bring noise -canceling headphones. If you can afford a nice pair of Bose, they a
re worth it. If not, buy what you can afford. Sometimes, just turning on the noi
se-canceling feature and putting them with no sound on will help relax you. Espe
cially on a plane when there is a lot of ambient noise.
When booking your flight, use seatguru.com to pick the beast seats in the cabin
class you are traveling in. Get to the airport early, but understand that many t
icket counters don t open or accept check-ins more than 3 hours from your flight.
Treat it like a family outing. Travel to the airport early. Have lunch, dinner,
coffee or whatever there. Take your time. You less likely to be stressed and you
will be way more organized.
Bring a pen (or two) with you on the plane that is easily accessible. You may ne
ed to fill out customs/immigration forms while in-flight, to save you time once
you land from standing at the counter trying to fill it out in a rush.
Get a spare ATM card, store it with your passport and keep it in the safe in you
r hotel once you are in-country. ATMs are fairly safe to use and give good excha
nge rates, just beware of fees that your bank may charge, typically up to $5 per
transaction. Use travelers check or buy a pre-paid *international* credit card.
Make sure its designed to be used internationally. You can charge it up and the
n take it abroad for simple convenience items. Keep in mind that many vendors in
most countries will charge you an extra 2-3% for credit card purchases. Cash al
ways negotiates better, but can be risky when you carry a large amount. Don t use
debit cards fort hotels, etc. They are likely to place a large hold as a deposit
and that can take awhile to clear even after you have left.
Depending on the country, taxis can brutal. Always request to use the meter befo
re you start your journey. It is kind of expected in the American culture, but m
any places won t start the meter unless you tell them. If you don t, you will probab
ly be unhappy with the result.
Expect to get a little sick. Especially if you are not a frequent traveler. Your
body has become tolerant of the bacteria you are exposed to at home, but when y
ou travel abroad, you will likely encounter bacteria your body is not used to an
d this will commonly upset your stomach, give you a little diarrhea and mild flu
type symptoms. You may want to pack some pepto and/or Imodium A-D. Try and get
the tablets, they travel easier. Depending on where you travel to, you may be ab
le to walk into any pharmacy and buy anti-biotics. Doxycycline is a very common
general use anti-biotic that you can easily buy over the counter without a presc
ription. Azithromycin (Zithromax, aka: Z-pack) is another stronger antibiotic th
at can be purchased easily from any local pharmacy. If you will be traveling fre
quently or for long period of time, I would suggest getting some that you can ha
ve on hand in case you become ill. Its not the type of stuff you want to take as
precautionary medicine, but when you have a sore throat or other non-cold type
symptoms, it helps to try and get to it early.
Bring some small pocket sized tissue packs. Girls are used to this, but for men,
this is unusual. Depending on where you travel, you are likely to encounter res
troom facilities that are different than you are used to. That may include a water
hose and no tissue.
When you arrive at your hotel, grab a few business card and put them in your poc
ket or with your other common pocket items. Once your out and about, you may not
remember how to get back or even a taxi driver may not understand what hotel yo
u are staying at, especially if its a small boutique type hotel. Show them a bus
iness card and it will likely have an address and/or local phone number they can
use to find your hotel. Carry a zerox copy of your passport, not your original.
Your original should be stored in your safe at the hotel or other secure locati
on. You will generally never need it unless you are going to a government-type b
uilding or your local consulate.
Bring one or two medium sized plastic bags with handles. The nice heavy duty thi
cker ones you get from department stores. They weigh nothing, fold up very small
and can be used to hold your dirty clothes separate from your clean ones while
in your suitcase and for carrying them to a local laundry place to avoid the ver
y high priced hotel laundry. Bring a box or two of the small on-the-go crystal lig
ht packets of lemonade or your other favorite flavors. Its a good change to plai
n water and can easily be carried in your pocket.
Be mindful of your luggage and its weight. Most carriers operating international
ly to/from the US allow at least one bag up to 23 kilos (50lbs), some offer two.
Get locking suitcases, preferably the TSA locks. I religiously lock my suitcase
s and the US has been the only location that has needed access to look inside an
d with the TSA locks, its no hassle. Remove all the previous stickers, bar code
stickers and luggage flight tags from previous flights. If you leave those small
stickers that look like the bar codes on the bottom of a cereal box, your lugga
ge might find its way back to a previous location that you dont intend on visiti
ng anytime soon.
I am sure there are more, but these are the ones that easily come to mind as I s
it in a hotel room in Doha, Qatar getting ready to travel to another country

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For packing the trick is BIT: buy it there. Pack the minimum you think you'll ne
ed and if you forget something, buy it there. Often I don't end up buying anythi
ng, but making this a part of my trip planning helps me relax and pack light.
Passport, wallet, housekey, phone & charger. That's my checklist when I leave th
e house on the way to a flight. Anything else is a non vital item I figure I can
take care of when I get there. You could buy a new phone charger there but this
is such an oft-forgotten item that you want it on your checklist lest you find
yourself drowning in $30 wall warts. If you take heart medication you might want
to add that to your checklist.
They're popular among frequent flyers, but I avoid the Bose noise-canceling head
phones because they're too big (and the travel case makes them even bigger). You
can get a pair of in-ear noise-isolating headphones that are just as good, half
the price, and 1/50th the volume (that's volume in cm**3, not db). Slip them in
your pocket and travel light. I use a pair from Shure and they're fine.
Luggage with a lifetime guarantee is worth the slight premium in price. Briggs a
nd Riley make a very sturdy bag that's strong enough you can sit on it during a
long pre-boarding wait, and with zippers that rarely break. And when they do - i
n 5 or 10 years - replacement is free.
If you're tall or otherwise picky about airplane seats, use seatguru.com to unde
rstand the seat layout of your flight. Seatguru will warn you about equipment bo
xes under the seat in front of you, cold seats, or seats with a lot of bathroom
traffic.
From my wife, I learned to *always* ask for a better price or a free upgrade on
hotel checkin. We stayed 10 nights in a $2400/night hotel room with an in-room i
nfinity-edged swimming pool at Jade Mountain in St. Lucia (it's amazing, check t
he website) for less than $300 a night because the lady who checked us in shrugg
ed and said "sure" when we asked for a free upgrade. If they say no, no harm don
e. And you'll be surprised how often things are negotiable (I was).
For overnight flights, don't take the sleeping pill until the airplane is actual
ly off the ground. I once had an 11pm redeye with a post-boarding, pre-takeoff e
quipment problem that was announced moments after I swallowed a pill. Deboard,
wait 3 hours, and finally reboard while fighting off the somnolence. Obviously d
oesn't apply if you don't take sleeping pills to fly (good for you).
Never drink on a redeye; you'll be dessicated enough when you land without any h
elp from alcohol or any other diuretic. I avoid caffeine for the same reason.
If you travel a lot internationally, it might be worth it to pay the $65/month f
or AT&T's international unlimited data plan. It really is unlimited, and as far
as I know it's unique in the world. People from other countries are incredibly j
ealous that this plan is available to Americans (or people with a US credit hist
ory and address).
Hotels make bank on the extras: room service, internet, parking, minibar, laundr
y. Make every effort to avoid these. If you're traveling light and need laundry
done, find a wash-dry-fold nearby; you can often pay them a rush fee for next-da
y service (sometimes it's not advertised) and save a bundle. Take an airport exp
ress to share the internet cost with your spouse (or tether through your phone w
ith unlimited international data). Grab a few snacks at a grocery store on the w
ay from the airport to eliminate the risk of sating late-night hunger with $12 c
ashews.

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