Unconventional travel tips to ensure a great vacation

by Gadling Staff on

You know the basics: Don’t forget your I.D., pack your 3-1-1 bags, always bring a spare set of clothes, and make sure to charge your cell phone before setting off on your adventure. But how about trying something a little different? Here are some not-so-typical things that can make a vacation fun

Don’t book a hotel before venturing off to your destination. Take a chance and go to your destination without pre-booking your hotel room. The fun of not knowing where you are going to stay heightens the excitement of the trip. Not only will you be able to see the hotel up-close-and-personal but you might be lucky enough to find a hotel at a cheap rate.

Forget the web. Spontaneity helps keep the fun in relationships, so why not be spontaneous when it come to your vacation activities? Forget researching the web before you go. Get there and explore — you will have the insider’s guide as you explore your surroundings and check with the locals to find the destination’s hidden treasures.

Become your own tour guide. Take a walk around town with others and see what you see. Talk to locals about the town’s history; you are more likely to find secrets and additional information from them than with a tour guide.Cash out. Budgets are extremely important but splurging on something worthwhile can add to the fun of vacationing. You worked hard to be able to go on vacation, so why not treat yourself while you’re there? Whether it is a five-course meal at a high-end restaurant, a pricey souvenir that you are sure to never forget, or VIP seating at the hottest local club, you are sure to have a blast breaking the bank.

Re-introduce yourself to entertainment. Leave the electronics at home. You do not want to be distracted by portable DVD players and iPhones when you are visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time, or climbing Mt. Washington. Re-introduce yourself to entertainment from before it was electronic (i.e., nature, reading, walks and sunsets.)

Pack only what you need. Over-packing can actually save you in the long run. Imagine not having your sneakers on a vacation to the beach. You want to visit the boardwalk and ride the rides, but all you brought were a pair of flip-flops. Nothing brings your mood down like not being able to do what you want to do because you packed lightly.

Antoinette Francis is a Seed.com writer.

Best travel tips from real travelers

by Willy Volk on

Have you checked out Gadling’s 100% reader-generated feature, “100 words or less.” In “100 words or less,” YOU — the expert traveler — get to share your expert travel tips with Gadling and all our readers. Know a sure-fire way to score a cheap hotel room? Confident you know a trick to get an airline upgrade? Share it with us!

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite tips below. Enjoy.

Hotel tips
If you often leave personal items in hotel rooms, remind yourself by writing it down — but write it on a mirror with a dry erase marker instead of on a piece of paper you could easily overlook.

Today’s tech-savvy world requires a lot of equipment to stay “plugged-in.” Cell phones, laptops, and MP3 players all require power cords to recharge. Since these items don’t need to be plugged in all the time, it’s easy to forget your power cords when checking out of a hotel. Increase your chances of recovery by writing your name and contact information on a piece of masking tape and securing the tape to your power cord.

If you’re concerned about the cleanliness of your pillow, the inside of your shirt is probably cleaner (or at least more acceptable) to lie on than a suspect pillowcase. Simply turn the shirt inside-out, slide it over your pillow, and you’re good to go… to sleep.

Sleep better with these other hotel tips.


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Cruise trip tips

Packing a dry erase board and markers and attaching to your cabin door accomplishes several things, including helping you to identify your room and providing an easy way for your family to communicate their whereabouts.
Take an insulated travel mug on your next cruise and it may become your favorite accessory.

If you’re cruising as part of a big group of family and friends, it’s a lot of fun to divide into teams for a scavenger hunt. Items for the hunt can be dares, found objects, and fact-finding missions.

Get a key chain necklace and put your room key on it. Wear this around your neck at all times to avoid losing it or having it stolen.

Whenever we go on a cruise, my husband and I always plan to snorkel on at least one island. On our first cruise, we went on a shore excursion that provided the snorkel, but then we got smart.

Most cruise ships today are multi-deck mini-cities carrying as many as 5,000 passengers. And, unless you’re traveling alone, you may find yourself separated from your traveling party at some point during your cruise. How to stay connected? Give each member of your group a two-way radio, all programmed to the same frequency to help keep you organized and in touch.

Visit our other cruise trip tips.


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Road trip tips

To keep maps and directions safe during a trip, laminate them. For around $30, a home laminating machine will seal standard letter size pages. (Copy and print stores have the capability to laminate larger maps for a minimal fee.) Alternatively, you can use contact paper to cover paper maps. In addition to being more durable, laminated maps offer the advantage of allowing you to draw your route on the map and easily wipe it off later, if you change your mind.

To avoid hours of boredom, plan a “scenic scavenger hunt.” It’s easy. Just write down a list of 100 things you might see along the way, like landmarks, buses or bridges. The first person to complete the list wins.

Before embarking on a road trip, map out two different routes — a slower, scenic route and a shorter, faster (less scenic) route.

Motor through more road trip tips.

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Dining out on vacation tips
When traveling to a foreign city, you can usually find the cheapest and best-tasting food by looking for menus that are written entirely in that city’s native language.

You’ve spent so much money on just getting to Hawaii or Florida, why pay more to sit inside a restaurant? Weather permitting, you should be outside on the grass! Or on the sand. Or at a picnic table.

Before you go out of the country, make a few wallet-sized cards that list what you can and can’t eat in the native language(s) of the country you’re visiting.

Devour more dining out on vacation tips.


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Souvenir tips
T-shirts have always been my favorite travel souvenir. Many of them were sized for an eight year old and most were dreadfully stained, but I could hardly get rid of them. They were my mementos! Instead of tossing them, I cut out all the images and logos and made a travel quilt.

A great take-home and space-saving souvenir for wine lovers are corks from bottles you’ve enjoyed while traveling.

When you find yourself not knowing exactly where you’re going, ask a local to draw directions for you. Keep a store of interesting napkins or papers and a pen on hand to take advantage of the opportunity of being lost. Asking for directions might also lead you to start some great conversations and to gain a deeper insight into the locale you’re visiting.

Save some of these souvenir tips for later.

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Airplane tips
During your next flight, be considerate of the passenger in front of you. When settling down into — or, getting out of — your seat, don’t grab the seat in front of you for leverage.

Sick of hearing about a stranger’s dysfunctional family or odd medical conditions? Avoid conversations all-together by doing a simple thing: wear headphones. They don’t even need to be plugged in.

Your seats are reserved. There’s no circulating air until the plane takes off, and even if you’re the first person on the plane, you’re going to be hot, you’re going to have to move, and you’re going to get elbowed — and maybe get luggage dropped on you. Also, if you’re not the first person to board, you’re going to spend 20 minutes slowly creeping down the crowded walkway. So… stay out in the relative open space of the terminal waiting area until the gate agents make the final boarding call.

Take off with these other airplane tips.

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Traveling with kids tips
Buy at least one disposable camera for each child on the trip. These are inexpensive and will keep your child entertained for a long time. Tell each child that they should take pictures of things on the trip that they find interesting.

The front passenger is always the navigator when I’m traveling with my family or a group. However, I discovered that you can turn your children into junior navigators while helping them learn geography at the same time. It helps eliminate them from asking, “Are we there yet?”

Rather than lug boxes of baby necessities around, consider ordering supplies online — diapers, food, etc. — and shipping them to your destination. You’ll have more room in your car; there’ll be less to pack and unpack; and your neck won’t be so sore from hauling boxes in and out of the house.

Grow up with these other traveling with kids tips.

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Packing for travel tips
Contact lens cases with screw-on lids make great travel accessories. When you want to take small quantities of hair gel, sculpting wax, eye make-up remover, an essential oil, Aloe Vera, or under-eye cream, you can’t beat contact lens cases. They’re small. They don’t leak. They can hold one week’s worth of lotion or gel in each little section.

When traveling over the holidays with gifts, never pre-wrap! Wrapped items may need to be inspected by the TSA, and that could mean they’ll be unwrapped by security before you even get to your destination.

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.

Store these additional packing tips.

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International travel tips
Guidebooks are all well and good, but they rarely take you off the beaten path. Before arriving in an unfamiliar place, pick an unusual food to track down in your destination; it’s even better if you can find the same food in multiple countries.

Always carry a small calculator when you travel internationally. It will save the day when you are trying to figure out how much things cost in “real” money.

When traveling abroad, get at least a small amount of foreign currency for tips and other unexpected cash expenses before leaving the airport or crossing the border.

Explore the unknown with these other international travel tips.

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To submit your own tips, sign up for a free account at Seed, filter the assignment list by the category “travel” and look for assignment requests with the words “100 words or less.” (And yes: if your tip is published, you will be paid!)

[Photos: Flickr | Fly for Fun; StrudelMonkey; StrudelMonkey]

Briggs & Riley luggage executives offer their travel packing tips

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week, our very own Heather Poole was interviewed by the New York Times asking for her packing tips, and this week, we’ve got some tips from the team of executives behind popular luggage brand Briggs & Riley. There are some pretty handy tips in the list, and as always, it shows that everyone has their own method of packing.

What about you? Got any tips you’d like to share with us? Leave them in the comments section below! With enough tips, we may feature you in an upcoming article with reader submitted packing tips.Richard Krulik (CEO, Briggs & Riley)

Bans bulk and sticks with a central color scheme

Be careful not to over fold, it’s what bulks things up, taking up unnecessary space. I spread things out as widely as I can, laying my slacks on the bottom of the luggage with the “legs” hanging over the sides. I pack on top of the slacks and then fold the part that’s hanging outside back in – it makes a nice gentle fold instead of a hard crease in the legs. It saves space and prevents wrinkles at the same time. With sweaters, I take thin cashmere instead of cable knit. I’ll limit the variation of colors to bring only two pairs of black shoes, which I alternate wearing.


Carole Schnall (VP Administration, Briggs & Riley)

Her clothing arrives in perfect shape every time

My clothes always arrive in perfect shape and wrinkle free – I start by folding neatly like they do in a department store, and I put plastic in between each item. I use either dry cleaner plastic or polyethylene bags which you can buy at Home Depot or Wal-Mart. I use them over and over again. I roll my underwear into my shoes and take each shoe and put it into a supermarket plastic bag and tie them up to avoid dirt, which then get placed along the edges of my bag.

Jim Lahren (VP Marketing, Briggs and Riley)

High tech app junkie

Before I pack, I check the weather for where I am going. In fact, there are many great travel apps that I use for weather forecasts and to consolidate my travel itineraries. Think about what you are going to need on that business trip. Split items among your laptop bag and luggage to save space and be prepared in case your checked luggage is delayed. I like to pack my socks and important items in my shoes to save space. As soon as I get to the hotel room I steam my shirts and pants in the shower. This gives them a clean, fresh appearance.

Chris Delgado (VP Sales, Briggs & Riley)

If the shoe fits…stuff your jacket

My packing strategy starts with “working around the shoes” and looking at what coordinates with a single pair of dress shoes. I make sure to select light weight materials and ones that don’t wrinkle. I confess to wearing workout clothes more than once. I fold slacks on the bottom and build from there, with the largest and heaviest items on the bottom. Socks and smaller garments get stuffed around the edges. I use shirts on my own hangers and use the hanging section in our Baseline or Transcend bags – then hang them up right when I arrive at my accommodation.

I love travelling with a jacket – I stuff the pockets with accessories, power cords and anything I can get in. The jacket goes through the security belt, and I don’t need to remove the electronics from my bag. No bling or big belt buckles are a cardinal rule. I’ve learned the system of what seats typically board first and aim to be one of the first to board to get good overhead space. I keep my briefcase under my seat, and am very careful to not overstuff it or take too much so that it absolutely fits under the seat. If you are going to overstuff, pick a bag that is softer like BRX or Transcend for the extra space.


Georgene Rada (VP Product Development and Design, Briggs & Riley)

Says 40% of what she originally lays out, gets scrapped as a “non-essential item”

I really do have a no- over packing philosophy, even though we make some very large bags to fit it all. I lay out everything in advance that I want to bring on a given trip, and then I look, think and cut out 40% of the stuff that isn’t essential at the last minute. I design my outfits around pieces that can work in multiple outfits and no one is really surprised when the designer from New York is wearing all black.

I make sure to have the right accent colors and in general, I stick to thin and lightweight clothing, wearing the bulkiest items while traveling to cut back on space. For toiletry items, I stick to travel-size and sample-size everything. I don’t know what I’d do without my specially designated “travel shoes” because they are easy to slip on and off at security, they are lightweight, and versatile.

Mike Scully (VP of Operations, Briggs & Riley)

Packs light with just enough

I’m a one bag; carry on kind of guy, though I recently converted to a rolling bag for the first time. It’s made me neater, perhaps because I now fold and am more conscious of space.

Organizing and compartmentalizing keeps my packing to a minimum. I pack neatly, stacking and laying items, putting socks in shoes to use all available space and separate shoes from clothing. A minimalistic and bare essential type of packer, I allow myself only one extra pair of pants and only one shirt for each day while I’m away. For shoes, unless I plan to hit the gym or beach, I stick to what’s on my feet; what can I say, I travel light. I get everything I need in, and I don’t mind an iron, that’s what they’re there for. I’m always glad I packed as lightly as possible.

Peter Mack (Director of Procurement, Briggs & Riley)

Layers like he’s heading to Alaska

The last time I traveled to Asia I swapped my old bag for a new one, downsizing from 24″ to a 22″ and got all my stuff in! The four straps on the side allow you to cinch down the bag and compress everything. Since most people tend to overstuff their carry on, they bulge out and then it’s not a carry on anymore. The straps saved me – any additional space is pulled right in.

I don’t carry that much – I prefer to do laundry on the road rather than carrying more or heavier luggage. When I have side-trips on a trip, I stay at one main hotel and leave my bag there for day trips, only taking exactly what I need for the smaller overnights. I roll because its wrinkle free – it really works. I’ve rolled sport coats starting inside out with the lining on the outside, place sleeves on inside, and start at the top by the collar and roll down to the bottom. The result: one fold line only, right down the back. I nest one shoe inside the other – flip them so they’re face to face or top to top with the openings on alternate sides. I always travel with a lot of layers on – a couple of smaller jackets and a sweater instead of a larger jacket which won’t fit into one suitcase and then I shed my layers on board.

Michael Siemank (Controller, Briggs & Riley)

Is not at all ashamed about over packing

I have a tendency to over pack. On a recent weekend trip, my adult kids got away with an overnighter, Transcend 22″, while I took a rolling duffle. I don’t care about the cost, I prefer having my stuff. I hate the hassle of trying to make sure to get on the plane early to get my carry on in the overhead bin. I hate that stress. Folding properly is the key to packing; as is planning ahead. I lay stuff out on the bed and take inventory. If I need it, it comes, if not, it stays.

Since Jet Blue is first bag free – I make a deal with my wife to stay under the 50 lb. limit – my wife is usually touching the edge, so we’ll switch things from bag to bag. If I have to pay, I pay, though I’m not thrilled about the new rules. I think it’s criminal that airlines are trying to dictate what I can bring with me. And Spirit…forget about it.

Andy Radcliffe (IT Director, Briggs & Riley)

Steals space from his kids

When traveling with my whole family, I make sure each member, including my two kids, has a regulation carry-on. I spread the same amount of clothing across all four bags instead of the two grown-up bags.

To save space, I rely on packing cubes, which segregate different types of clothing and create a mini-suitcase inside your suitcase. In recent years I’ve started packing less clothing with the thought that I can wash clothes on vacation, while staying at condos or rentals. I always make sure my clothing is wrinkle-free material and unpack immediately upon arrival.

Galley Gossip: Crew luggage, rolling vs folding & lifting heavy bags

by Heather Poole on

I just read the New York Times article about your packing advice for travelers. What is the brand and model of the carry-on luggage that you used in the slideshow? – Michelle

The bag featured in the article is a Travelpro 22″ flight crew series 3. My company also provides airline personnel with an 18″ rollaboard. For whatever reason neither one of the bags are featured on Travelpro’s website, but they do offer something similar – a 20″ and 22″ expandable rollaboard under the Crew 7 Series. If you’re looking to buy a new suticase, my advice is to play it safe and go with the smaller one. While I like my 22″ suiter and use it whenever I’m taking long trips, commuting to work for a week straight, or on vacation with another family member using only one bag, I prefer the smaller 18″ suitcase for the majority of my travel.

Savvy travelers know how to pack light. I do this by planning outfits around two pairs of shoes. While the suiter works well when I need it, it’s too big and bulky for shorter trips. Fully packed it doesn’t always fit inside overhead bins on smaller, older aircraft – at least that’s what I’ve been told. Though it does fit just fine on a 767. As for the 737, I’d been warned repeatedly by coworkers it wouldn’t fit, but I was able to get it inside both a regular and reconfigured overhead bin. That said, I didn’t have anything packed inside the suiter section of the bag. Who knows, maybe I got lucky. Maybe my colleagues pack too much. All I know is I got it inside the bin without a struggle and didn’t have to check it.

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Rolling is definitely better than folding, but I find that clothes which don’t need to be folded at all are better off packed flat. I usually pack everything flat except for pants and heavy shirts and sweaters. I make sure I’m wearing my heaviest clothing on the plane. Even thin shirts are packed more efficiently by lying flat and folding the sleeves over, alternating them north and south so the folded parts don’t bulk up. Of course, the rolling method is more convenient once you get there if you are going to be living out of your bag rather than operating from a base. Pulling out clothes packed flat is a pain – Ray

I, too, prefer folding my clothes to rolling on shorter trips because I have less clothing to pack. To avoid wrinkles, I lay uniform items flat in the bag, ends of the dress, pants, or blazer hanging out on one side. Then I’ll place folded items on top. When I’m done, I flip what was hanging out of the bag on top of the folded items. To give you a better idea of what I’m talking about check out photos 9-11 in The New York Times slideshow.

By using the rolling method I’m able to pack more inside my bag. This is why I always roll my clothes on longer trips. And just like you said, Ray, it is easier to get in and out of a bag when clothes have been rolled without creating a mess. As for avoiding wrinkles, make sure to roll your clothing really tight, pulling out the sides and then smoothing the material every three rolls. Or just pack clothes that don’t wrinkle easily. That’s what I do. Certain fabrics are your friend. Think cashmere and jersey. If I do end up with wrinkles, I’ll hang my clothes in the bathroom while I take a hot shower. If that doesn’t work, I’ll call down for an iron. Most hotels have them.

How much did your suitcase weigh when you had finished packing? Can you lift it into the overhead rack by yourself? Thanks. I look forward to reading your blog. – Nancy

I didn’t actually weigh the bag on a scale, but I can tell you this, Nancy, it was heavy, very very heavy! And yes, I could lift it by myself into the overhead bin. Though I’m not sure if anyone else could. For the record, I would never bring on board a bag I couldn’t lift on my own. Why should anyone other than myself be responsible for what I’ve packed? If for whatever reason I can’t lift my bag (like back when I was pregnant or when I broke my toe and wound up on crutches), I check it. Which brings me to a little pet peeve of mine – Flight attendant pet peeve #3: You want me to do what!

How to lift a heavy bag into an overhead bin:

1. Bend at the knee, using leg muscles not back muscles

2. Keep the bag close to your body, distributing the weight of the bag evenly on both sides.

3. Avoid twisting. Pivot with the feet instead

4. If possible, place bag flat on a seat back and then lift the bag using both hands into the bin.

Your bag looked big. It’s worth noting that International airlines have very restrictive weight limits for carry-ons – they range from 13 to 22 pounds – far less than the more liberal weights allowed in North America. – Steve

This is true. International carriers are a lot more strict with what passengers bring on board. But I’ve been pretty lucky in terms of traveling with my 22″ suiter overseas. Last year I visited Italy – Venice, Positano and Rome – with a bag just as full as it was on the slideshow, if not more so, and I was allowed to roll it on board both Ryan Air and Air One without a hassle. My husband takes it to London twice a year and he’s never had a problem either.

A miracle in a carry on – but no underwear? – Marie

I can not tell you how many people, complete strangers, have emailed me about my underwear! Or lack thereof. Even my own mother had something to say. Here’s the deal. I wear it. I pack it. I just didn’t want the entire world seeing it! I felt weird enough rolling a nightie, let alone my skivvies! Underwear is small and easy to pack so just throw it in and be done with it.

Five tricks to get the most out of your travel wardrobe – without compromising style

by Annie Scott on

If you pack smart, you can pack less. That can save you money — you can take a smaller bag and not have to check it — and give you more space for souvenirs and the free toiletries provided to you. Even Donald Trump steals the slippers from his hotels. Win, win, win.

Still, I am not one to condone wearing the same thing every day in the interest of saving space. On the other end of the spectrum, you don’t have to pack a totally different outfit for every day you’re going to be gone (or two, if you’re planning on dressing up for dinners). There is a happy medium. Here are Five tricks to get the most out of your travel wardrobe while still being impeccably well-dressed.

1. Pick a color scheme and stick with it.
If everything you pack matches, you can pack less. If you have two pairs of pants or pants and a skirt, two shirts and two jackets or sweaters that all go together reasonably well, that’s 2^3 outfits (eight). That’s right. Math.

2. Basic clothes, eye-catching accessories.
You can get away with wearing those basics twice if the eye-catching part of your ensemble is the tie or scarf (or statement jewelry). And you can fit a lot of ties and scarves in a suitcase.3. You only need three pairs of shoes. Seriously.
While having lots and lots of shoes to choose from is nice, when you’re traveling, you need to focus on smaller, lighter accessories or your bag is going to be overweight. You only need one pair of good dress shoes (bring the ones you like so much you don’t mind wearing them over and over), a pair of good walking shoes and, if there’s a beach involved, a pair of flip flops. That’s all. Don’t kid yourself.

4. Alternate wisely.
Part of the trick to not looking like you’re wearing the same thing every day is to not wear the same top or dress two days in a row (that’s the most noticeable part of the outfit). And, if you have a particularly fabulous dress or shirt or a crazy pair of jeans, you can only wear it once, so plan ahead. Also, don’t ever try to dress down a print the day after you wore it to dinner. Go back to a basic.

5. You have to unpack.
When you get to your destination, to get the most out of your travel wardrobe, you have to take all the stuff out of the suitcase. Hang it up, put it in drawers. If you don’t do this, not only will your clothes look like they just came out of a suitcase (seriously, you can’t hide it), but you’ll forget what’s in there. You need to unpack it to be able to see it all properly.

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