Travel Tips
Having travelled world over, here are some international travel tips for my audience. These tips are primarily meant for an Indian citizen travelling abroad. However some tips can be generalized whatever your source or destination be. I keep updating this section, so feel free to add your tip via comments and I will include them here with your name
Random tips, not in any specific order
- Always carry two credit cards. This is a life saver. And before departing make sure they are both working. This is another life saver 🙂
- You know how much foreign currency you need. Point is, carry as many denominations possible. I make sure I have 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 & 100 USD bills
- Immigration officers: Do not lie to them. At least, try not to. They are smart enough
- In the foreign land, never carry your original passport. Keep it safe in the Hotel. Always carry a photo copy. You never know when you might need a proof of your identity
- Make sure you don’t put important papers in your check-in luggage. This may include but not limited to: Return tickets, Letter(s) of Invitation, Any document stating purpose of travel, Address of stay, etc. I generally keep all documents scanned on my mobile device
- Address of Stay: Keep this handy since you might have to enter this in the immigration form
- Emergency seats: They give you more leg room. And are not always meant for elite members. You can request for it and you may get it if no elite member has reserved it. Don’t say that your knees are paining, you will not get it. If you are wearing a coat, you are likely to get the seats. If you are wearing a coat and a tie, you will definitely get the seats 😉
- Extra luggage: Mostly for international conferences, I carry two laptops. Airlines hate me. I keep one laptop bag behind and do not show it. I have to since on most flights, more than one cabin bag/laptop bag is not allowed. Or the total weight has to be less than 10 kilos. Both my boxes/laptops are bulky and weigh 12 kilos each
- Long flights? Carry fruits. That’s one thing that might be missing on the best of airlines
- If you are traveling to a destination for the first time, make sure you chalk out your route from the airport to the hotel beforehand. I have seen many stranded at the destination airport asking for help
- Web check-ins are a good thing. Most airlines today have special web check-in counters
- Make sure you have selected your meal on your PNR 48 hours before the flight, especially if you are a vegetarian. You can do this online on the airline’s website. You are bound to get into a heated argument with the cabin crew if they do not have veg food for you
- Always, re-confirm your tickets with the airline and fill out all the details online with the airline website using your PNR. These things speed up your check-in process
- Reach airport well in advance, at least 3 hours prior to departure
- Carry your own water bottle, just like your school days. It really helps in transits. I generally carry two small bottles
- Don’t forget your international adapter 🙂 I carry two, just in case
- Don’t mess around with the cabin crew for silly reasons. Tolerate a little. It’s a long flight and you want to enjoy it. Be friendly with them and enjoy their service 😉
- Don’t over-drink. You can be kicked out of the flight
- Get good sleep during long flights. Don’t try to watch all the movies. You don’t want to be utterly tired after landing
- During long flights, get up and walk around, you will feel better
- Know the time differences well. Keep the itinerary handy
- Pre-paid SIMs are available in most countries by submitting identity proof. Do not fall for Indian companies offering international SIMs. They turn out to be very expensive.
- Carry two phones
Have more tips? Share in the comments section and I will add them with attribution to you.
Vry practical, thanks!
Always try to picture where are you actually going; with Google Maps these days is not that hard anyhow; also, make sure you read a little about the culture you are going to visit; it might even save you from jail 😉
Very Informative, Thank You Amit