I spent three months living out of a small, ratty backpack in Costa Rica, and it was the best travel decision I made.
When two of my travel buddies had their brand new packs stolen, mine was safe because it was old-looking and ugly. The size of my backpack forced me to pack light, and every time I used public transportation I was grateful.
My friends would drag their huge packs onto crowded buses and take out people in the aisles, but my pack kept me nimble and friendly with the locals.
When you’re planning your next cruise, don’t just bring your family — bring your golfing buddies, church group or the whole neighborhood. Most cruise lines offer discounts for groups of eight cabins or more.
In addition to saving money, group cruises are sometimes offered special events, such as a private cocktail reception aboard the ship. And on some cruise lines, the group leader (i.e. you!) gets to sail for free.
Bonus: Your kids will have friends they already know to pal around with in the children’s programs.
Many airlines and travel web sites (such as Expedia, Kayak, etc.) track how many times you’ve visited their websites. In so doing, they provide different offers and deals depending on the user.
To make sure you’re getting the best prices when you book air travel online, be sure to clear your web browser’s cookies and cache. This will make it appear as if it’s your first time visiting these sites, and you’re likely to see much better prices for your next flight!
Maybe you’re not the traveler that overpacks. Maybe you’re the one who leaves the most important items at home. To avoid this, pack at least five to seven days in advance. Don’t wait until the day before.
Why? When you pack in advance, you allow yourself time to notice the items you’ve forgotten. Packing in advance can save you the stress of worrying and rid you of that “I feel like I forgot something but I don’t know what” feeling.
Bonus: taking several days to pack also increases excitement for your adventure!
Our best souvenirs when vacationing have been the ones we’ve collected through geocaching. Geocaching is high-tech treasure hunt using GPS devices and satellites. Currently there are nearly 1 million locations throughout the world to visit.
The objective is to find hidden containers, or geocaches, in outdoor locations and then collect a treasure from those containers. Frequently, we get to explore part of a city we’d never ordinarily think to visit.
The treasure found in these caches may only be dollar trinkets, but the true souvenir is the adventure of trekking through the outdoors with my family.