Don’t plan where, just go – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Take a day, plan a starting point and just go! Some of my best memories are from just meandering.

Once, in Shanghai, I walked to Yuyan Garden and just kept walking. I wandered down streets no wider than a narrow alley. I met a man cooking rice on a steel drum outside his one-room home, and he invited me inside. I sat and had tea with his extended family. After tea, I was given a green ceramic urn that they took food out of to give to me. I didn’t speak Chinese, and they didn’t speak English. It was one of my favorite experiences ever.

So plan very little and have fun!

Bring space-savers – Cruise trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

No matter the cruise line, one thing is certain: space is a commodity. There are several inexpensive items travelers can bring along to make the most of the space available:

  1. Pick up an over-the-door shoe organizer. These handy devices can hold everything from make up to sunscreen.
  2. Grab a portable shower caddy to easily store everything in that tiny shower.
  3. Bring a surge protector for charging those camcorder and digital camera batteries.

These items are inexpensive, easy to transport, and will be a fantastic space saver that you will use cruise after cruise!

Ask for the room – Hotel tip

by Gadling Staff on

If you arrive late, ask if the hotel has a room for the physically challenged that has not been booked for the night. Many hotels will hold this room until late in the day — but if it isn’t booked by someone who needs it, they will release it to a latecomer.

These rooms are larger than regular rooms, with added space around the beds and in the bathroom to accommodate wheelchairs.

The benefit to the traveler is less of a feeling of being stuffed in a sardine tin.

Pack plastic zipper bags – Packing tip

by Gadling Staff on

I always toss a couple plastic zipper bags in my suitcase and carry-on.

They come in handy for everything — from wet bathing suits after a hotel swim, to a dirty diaper on the airplane. They also keep souvenirs dry and unscratched, and come in handy for muddy shoes or liquid gifts (like maple syrup or olive oil) that might otherwise ruin clothing in a suitcase if the glass breaks.

Don’t be sad if you can’t find a zippered bag: any plastic bag will work. In fact, larger bags are great for containing muddy shoes, or can be used as an impromptu “day bag” in a pinch.

Buy local music – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

Most vacation spots sport all kinds of souvenirs at shops aimed at tourists. Many of these items were manufactured in other countries and have nothing to do with the location you came to visit. Take home a memory and support local creativity everywhere you go. Visit a club or an area with street performers and buy a CD from a musician.

Choose someone whose music you enjoy and strike up a conversation. Get the CD signed, and you’ve succeeded at supporting someone’s music and acquiring a personalized souvenir and a story to go with it.