Post-It along the highway – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

Memories can be preserved in many ways, and a family road trip is the perfect opportunity to capture those memories… with post-it notes!

Before leaving home, give each passenger a pad of post-its and a few colored pencils. Tell them to draw pictures or write about the things they see during the trip. They could draw a cool bird, a “Welcome to…” sign, or write about something they learned along the way. Encourage everyone to use all of their post-its.

When you return home, put the post-its into a scrapbook or make a colorful collage to display a collective memory of your family road trip.

Consider hitchhiking – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

On a recent trip to Ireland and London, I discovered that the best way to get to know the local people is to hitchhike. In addition to meeting some rather interesting people, it definitely beat paying for a rental car or idling away your time on a bus ride.

In many parts of the world, thumbing can be as safe as traveling on a bus or by yourself. If it’s your first time, then be sure to hitchhike with a friend as it can ease your mind, increase your security, and feel safer.

Be sure to learn the cultural norms before embarking on a hitchhike: learn whether the drivers expect to be tipped… or if they do it for karma points.

Bellmen know everything – Hotel tip

by Gadling Staff on

The best way to divide and conquer a hotel is to over-tip the bellmen, then pepper them with questions.

In my experience, the bellmen are the eyes and ears of a hotel: they have access to the premium deals and insights that make a hotel run. Furthermore, the average bellman is a male aged 18 to 25; they can suggest the best places in town for partying or point you to their city’s secret dives.

Use a pill box for jewelry – Packing tip

by Gadling Staff on

Here’s a way to pack your smallest, but most expensive, items without losing them or space in your suitcase: find a typical pill box and place your precious metals in there. Anything from rings to necklaces will fit.

Typically, pill boxes are about five inches long, one inch wide, and a quarter inch deep — small enough to be stuffed, despite how much is in your suitcase.

As an added bonus, you could line up the jewelry in the respective days you want to wear them. Now you’re ready to go!

Ditch the wheelie-bags and grab a pack – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Plan on enjoying the cobbled streets of Barcelona? Taking the metro around Paris? Then ditch that wheeled suitcase and pack in an interior frame backpack or a large bag with shoulder straps.

Wheelie-bags are great in the airport or for wheeling from the car up the paved drive to the hotel, but not if you’re exploring less accessible destinations. Their wheels catch in cobblestones and brick, they overturn on sidewalk curbs, and they’re hard to maneuver in tight quarters.

Strap on your backpack and you’re ready to walk to the train station or take the metro.