If you obtain a souvenir that does not have the city, state, country, and date already inscribed, make sure you write/paint/label this information in an innocuous place on your souvenir.
I failed to do this in the early years, and now after a lifetime of travel I have a beautiful collection of vases, decorative boxes, etc., but I can’t tell you what trip or what country many of them came from!
If you want to eat a better meal on your next long-haul flight, request a vegetarian (or kosher) meal when you book your tickets.
In addition to being fresher, the vegetarian and kosher meals on airlines — which are often the same — are often tastier than their meat-based meals. In addition, on U.S.-based flights, the meals often are less mixed together, making them easier to dissect/remove parts that don’t appeal to you.
As a poor student in the 60’s, I was lucky to pull together the money for a trip to France, but didn’t have a single sou left to buy souvenirs. What I did instead was to carefully scour my change and collect one French coin of every denomination minted that year.
After I got home and got a little money together, I found a jeweler who made my centimes and francs into a beautiful charm bracelet. It represents the time and place of a life-changing trip, and decades later, I still wear my all-time favorite souvenir.
As parents of 3 young children, rental apartments have become our favorite lodging when traveling.
Most country’s tourist boards maintain lists of rental apartments, and one can check reviews of the “chosen” apartment from the internet.
We visit the local butcher and purchase meals to finish at the apartment. The farmer’s market becomes much more fun when you get to take the produce “home” to cook locals will always tell you the best way to prepare it. Further, restaurants will often provide you take-out, so the romantic meal can still be had while the children sleep in bed.
Not only are rental apartments budget-friendly, they offer you the chance to “live like a local” while you’re visiting the destination.
One of the easiest ways to save money while staying in a hotel is to book a room with a refrigerator.
Food is one of the biggest expenses while traveling, and dining out can add up fast. If you have a small fridge in your room, you can easily have cereal or yogurt for breakfast, or sandwiches for lunch. If you dine out or order in, a refrigerator is a perfect way to store your leftovers.
And remember these words to live by: Cold pizza is always good for breakfast!