What is your best travel tip that most people don’t know? It could be anything that saves you money, improves your experience, or helps you stay safe while traveling. A post on a popular travel forum asked the members for their best yet not widely known travel tips, and we picked some of the top responses for you.
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1. Not All Help Is Good Help
Knowing the right people to ask for help and opinions can make a huge difference. This is especially important if you are traveling as it can help you save money.
The most upvoted comment on the thread offered this advice, “If you’re asking for an opinion, don’t ask someone being paid to provide it. Want to know where the best meal near your hotel is? The cleaner isn’t getting a kickback from the nearest steakhouse, but the concierge probably is. Want to know the easiest way to get to the airport? The front desk clerk will tell you to hire the preferred hotel transfer, but the barman will probably tell you what train to catch for 1/20th of the price.”
Save yourself money and ask someone not getting a commission to recommend a service to you.
2. Smile, Shake It Off, Carry On
Keeping your cool, especially during travel mishaps, can be difficult. However, throwing tantrums and being aggressive does not just work. It will only make things worse for you.
One commenter who has succeeded with this little tactic said, “Always act stupid and cheerful. A cop stops you in a foreign country? Stupid and cheerful. Never be belligerent. A border guard says your papers aren’t in order? Stupid and cheerful. The airline says you are too late to board? Stupid and cheerful.
Being cheerful always works better than being aggressive. And it transcends culture. It’s far harder to punish someone if they claim ignorance and smile.”
3. The Magic of Great Company: Choose Wisely, Travel Joyfully
Your travel buddies will either make your trip worthwhile or destroy it altogether. Choose them wisely. One comment reflecting this idea said, “Who you go with is way more important than where you go. I’ve had bad vacations because I went with the wrong people!”
Another added, “Went on a trip with my buddy; I wanted to do some sightseeing. He only wanted to get drunk at the clubs and hit on girls.”
Make sure your travel goals align, or it won’t matter where you go on vacation…you’re not going to enjoy it!
4. Learn How to Be off the Grid While on the Go
Traveling to a new country can mean being offline until you return to your hotel room or get a Wi-Fi connection. Maneuvering a new city without an internet connection would undoubtedly be difficult unless you prepare for such offline moments. One user with a solution to this said, “Download the entire city map on google maps for offline use.”
Another added, “Same with the local language on Google translate.”
5. Maximize on the Early Bird’s Advantage
We get it, it is vacation time, and you should relax and sleep in. But to have the best of popular sceneries and tourist traps, you need to get up early.
One commenter said, “You can wake up before dawn and get fantastic golden hour pics when the city is empty, then go back for breakfast and a nap before heading out for lunch.
“The best city for this is Rome. No one is around, and you can get wide shots of Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and the Colosseum that would never happen during the day, and the lighting is better,” added another user.
6. Lost Luggage? No Worries! Always Have a Toiletries Rescue Pack!
Always have a backup for when your airline loses or delays your luggage. It can happen anytime, and it may take days to find it. It is even worse to lose your luggage if you are traveling with your kids. This is why you should always be ready for such incidents.
One commenter said, “Keep a small toiletry bag in your carry-on luggage. You never know when your checked luggage will disappear.”
Another user added, “I do this for another reason – being able to freshen myself up a bit during a layover or whatever always makes me feel better. I always feel groggy after a few hours on a plane, so being able to clean my face and brush my teeth helps me perk up if I’m going to spend the whole day traveling.”
7. Budget-Friendly Skies: How to Save Big on Your Flight Expenses
Searching for flights in incognito mode has always been controversial as many people would swear by it, and other travel experts and companies would insist that it does not work at all.
But there is a new trick in town when it comes to landing cheaper flights. The responder who brought this up said, “Try searching for flights in the airline’s original language. I once saved $700 booking tickets in Peru using Spanish rather than English.”
8. Flight Cancellation Action Plan: Escalate Your Response for Swift Solutions
What do you do when your flight is canceled at the last minute? One user suggested skipping agents, who will most likely toss you around. They said, “Don’t stand in line to talk to an agent when flights get canceled. Call the airline.”
Another user suggested, “Do everything you can. Get in line, call the airline on your headphones, then get onto the airline’s app. Doesn’t matter which one wins the race.”
9. Get Beyond the Tourist Traps and Discover a City’s Hidden Gems!
If you don’t want to eat at the popular tourist spots, you need to use some tact to find the best eateries in town.
It can be difficult if you are not a local, but one user had such an exciting suggestion. They said, “Whenever I travel, I go to the subreddit for the city I’m traveling to and search for a “best food in the city” thread. Never let me down before. I’ve found some amazing hidden gems that way.”
10. Avoid Getting Ripped off When Converting Money
Knowing where to exchange currencies and how to do it can save you tons of money.
One commenter said, “Never use the money exchange at an airport. The rates are abominable.
Just google the closest bank or exchange store near you. It usually has much better rates than those at an airport.”
And while doing the exchange, “Always decline the ATM’s conversion! Always “Determine conversion later.” It might look like you’re about to cancel the transaction! Don’t worry!! You can always try again if you click the wrong button! If the ATM doesn’t allow the choice, find another one! Always decline any conversion prompt on a foreign ATM because your home bank will do the conversion automatically at a better rate.”
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