Take pictures of your luggage as well as its contents prior to leaving the house. Store this photo as a file on your computer, and e-mail it to yourself.
You may also want to include a list of the items packed.
In case of lost or stolen luggage, you can retrieve this information from any internet point, and it may be helpful when reporting the loss — especially if you’ve lost something valuable.
[Photo: Flickr | dichohecho]
It’s a good idea when you’re trying a new ethnic restaurant or in a foreign country to observe the other diners on how to use condiments or how they eat the food.
For example, when dining in a Japanese restaurant for the first time, I had the awkward experience of being served what looked like “burrito.” I poked it with my chopsticks, curious. Luckily, before I tried to take a bite out of it, I saw a fellow patron, open his “burrito” and wash his hands with what turned out to be a hot, wet towel!
[Photo: Flickr | pointnshoot]
Next time you want to mail a postcard, skip the hotel concierge and mail it off the same way the locals do: at the post office.
Travelers to international countries stick to their comfort zones more than they realize, and having to perform a routine task in a foreign land is a great way to shake things up. How much is a stamp? Which line do you stand in? How can you convey to the clerk what you need?
The post office presents a unique yet universal challenge — and a great chance for people-watching!
[Photo: Flickr | infomatique]
Though it may seem appealing to sleep through those long waits on the tarmac, avoid the temptation to take a sleep aid until you’re up in the air.
You may miss important announcements, or, worse yet, you may be asked to disembark and wait for a later plane.
If you plan to take a sleep aid, be sure to take a seat where you are less likely to block in other passengers, like a window seat or a middle seat. Your fellow passengers don’t want to climb over your dead weight in the middle of the night.
[Photo: Flickr | mirjoran]
Ever worry that you might have an unwelcome visitor during the night in your hotel room? While most hotels have a deadbolt or a chain lock which can be engaged only from the interior of a hotel room, many cheap accommodations — especially some found overseas — offer less protection for their guests.
To deal with this, I carry a small rubber wedge that is normally used to hold doors open with me. Before I go to bed, I wedge it between the door and the floor. It’s inexpensive, easy to pack, and gives me a little peace of mind when patronizing less-than-glamorous lodgings.
[Photo: Flickr | General Wesc]