Wanderluster Tips

What’s YOUR hot travel tip for women that you’d like to share with other Wanderlusters? To be included on this page, send your tip to:
beth at WanderlustAndLipstick dot com

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For stores in Barcelona that accept credit cards, they require a valid driver’s license or other photo ID with every purchase, no matter how small. - Avril from Connecticut

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AAA recommended I take an International Driving License (which they will provide for $6.00 + 2 photographs.) for my trip to Spain. This is essential if you are stopped by Spanish police for any driving infraction, even minor infractions. Otherwise you can be fined on the spot. It turns out that this is not sufficient on its own - also take your regular driver’s license, especially if renting a car. - Avril from Connecticut

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Rather than carrying a large flashlight, I buy a small light that doubles as a key ring. It’s just bright enough to read by or to see my key when I’m trying to insert it into a door but small enough that it doesn’t take up a lot of room. Brandy C. from Atlanta

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When I travel to an offbeat destination, such as Mali, I register with the U.S. State Department. If there is an emergency within the country (such as a civil war), they will know that I’m in the country. Caroline K. from Idaho

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Before I start buying souvenirs, I familiarize myself with what items are banned for export. Ivory and some exotic woods cannot be removed from a country and souvenirs could be confiscated from you at customs. Jen R. from Austin

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Even though an International Drivers License is not required in many countries, it doesn’t hurt to have one since they are printed in multiple languages. They’re cheap and easy to get quickly from AAA. Petra L. from North Carolina

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When you use your debit card in an ATM, always use a machine (when available) that allows you to swipe the card rather than inserting it. You never know when it might get stuck. Jude K. - Bicycle mechanic at REI

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To calculate exchange rates, I create a grid using a piece of paper and base the rates by a factor of ten. I can then easily glance at approximately what the cost is in U.S. dollars. What I do is make two horizontal rows and about 15 vertical lines through those rows. On the top row I write USD of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60…then on the bottom row I write the equivalent corresponding foreign dollar amount. Jude K. - Bicycle mechanic at REI

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While there is no charge for using sites like couchsurfing.com or for the lodging itself, be the sort of guest who doesn’t drain the host’s financial resources. Invite the host to dinner or make dinner yourself one night for the host. You may also want to reimburse your host for any household items you’ve consumed. Remember, it’s not an all expenses paid vacation. In some countries people may not accept something in return but you can be sure that most will be grateful that you offered. Kathleen J. - Couchsurfing host in California

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I carry my money in three different places on my body.

1. What I anticipate using for that day’s needs I have in my wallet, which I have in my waist pouch.

2. A larger amount which I might need if I see something I wish to purchase, is in a small zippered pouch which has a two inch leash and a clip. The leash I loop around my bra strap and fasten with the clip, then tuck the pouch in my bra. My credit card and ATM card are also in here. Handy but concealed.

3. The remainder of my travel funds, airline tickets and, if not needed during the day, my passport, are in my waist safe. The existance of this safe should never need to be revealed to anyone.

Jo C. - Tour Guide
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Few things will ruin a trip as surely as having one’s passport and money stolen. Keep these absolute valuables safe by consistently keeping them in a neck pouch or money belt, hidden safely under your clothes. It’s well worth the modest expense ($10-25) and slight discomfort. There’s a variety of types; I prefer the silk ones, which are thin, comfortable, dry overnight, and have a removable plastic insert for moisture protection. Keep your daily “allowance” for meals, tickets, and small souvenirs in an accessible wallet while your really important things tucked safely away. - Misch at Wide World Books & Maps

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Also for the safety conscious:
PacSafe makes a variety of handbags, day bags, and accessories for the safety-conscious traveler, and I’m impressed by this year’s designs. The bags feature cut-proof steel cable in the shoulder straps and slash-proof mesh panels, plus clip-able zippers and assorted other safety features. The styles range from sporty utility to sleek urban, with a variety of sizes to match. Whether you’re meandering a Bangladeshi market or off the cruise ship in St. Thomas for the day, there are excellent choices. - Misch at Wide World Books & Maps

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To capture the immediacy of your travel experience, send postcards to yourself from the road. When you receive the cards in the mail after you return home, you will instantly recall the most compelling moments of your journeys. Remembering these “moments” helps extend the life of your wanderings and become the genesis of your unique travel writings for future articles and memoirs. When you think about it, why should your friends and family be the only ones to read about your first-hand, I-was-there, you-can’t-imagine, I’m-so-glad-I-did-this experience? – Nancy Mueller with Speaking of Culture

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Before I travel somewhere I like to talk to as many locals as possible to recommend restaurants that I shouldn’t miss. If I don’t know anyone in the city I will email bloggers or editors of websites or food writers to get good tips. Everyone loves to share their opinion and a first hand recommendation always beats what you can find roaming the internet or in some guide book. Not only does it guarantee me a good meal once I get to the city, it also gives me something to get excited about before I even get on the plane. - Amanda Kludt at Gridskipper

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Don’t be too structured. You should allow some time just to wander around, enjoy a leisurely lunch. You do have to plan an itinerary, or you can just waste a lot of time, but it doesn’t have to be written in stone! Allow yourself the opportunity to be spontaneous. - Karen Bryan Europe a la Carte

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When thinking about travel accommodation, do not overlook the value and great aspects of staying in a hostel. Otherwise known as backpacking, hostels provide a great way to meet new people, get up-to-date, first-hand information on the locale, and share travel tips and ideas with each other. Don’t be misled into thinking that hostels are only for the younger folk. I have been staying at hostels on and off for the past 18 years, and have seen people from every walk of life and every age represented. Nowadays it’s easy to check out any hostel and make your bookings online. For example, look at Hostel World, Hostels.com or Hostel Bookers. And, hey! It’s fun to relive your childhood and sleep in a bunk bed again! - Kristen Gill, blogger on Wanderlust and Lipstick.

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Want to come home with some fabulous souvenirs and some cash in your pocket? One thing we’ve found to be unique and affordable the world ’round is street art. If you select things that are created on paper (or create your own), you’ve also eliminated a ton of extra weight and aggravation with lugging. How do you get these things home in one piece? We suggest the traveler’s equivalent of a poster tube.

While the regular cardboard version would never stand up to inclement weather, it’s also very aggravating to have to hang on to. We picked up two different sizes of sealable, hard plastic art tubes with carrying straps that could be hooked onto our backpacks. We’ve also seen the metal versions as well. But these were much less expensive. They were both under 5 USD a piece at an office supply store in Lima, Peru. Picking them up in the United States might be a bit more expensive. However, if you are trying to pack light and control the cash flow on your trip, we highly recommend including at least one of these on your packing list. - Myscha at TrekHound

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Earplugs. Don’t leave home with out them. They dull the noise on the plane, the sound of your cabin mate snoring on the night train from Rome, the incredible racket from the market outside your hotel room when you’re trying to siesta in Lahore (good lord, what are you doing in Lahore?), they make all kinds of noisy badness go away. Get them at the hardware store and get the highest rated kind. They’re tiny and they will make you a much happier person to be around in the morning after you’ve had to stay in that unfortunate pensione by the bus station. - Pam Mandel, blogger NerdsEyeView and BlogHer Travel.

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Do you have business cards? A luggage shop (in China) will laminate them into a very nice luggage tag. Mine are in both English and Chinese and I put them on everything, even my book bag. Chinese people on the buses crane their necks to find out about the “foreigner” and I have had some good conversations which started that way. - Pam K.

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My best travel tip is Yes, you can do it. I know so many people of a certain age who go on tours or cruises, not because they particularly like tours, but because they are intimidated about traveling on their own. So many people say, but aren’t you afraid to drive over there? It’s OK! Make your own plans, see what you want to see, explore! - Susan Sears publisher of Quel Objet.

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I travel with a small book bag on my back for a day bag. I don’t really like to lock my bag when I am out and about on day trips, so I use a keyring to discourage random (intentional or unintentional) opening of my bag. Just take an inch or inch and a half regular keyring and slip it on to one of the zipper pulls. When you want your bag to be more secure, thread the second zipper pull on to the ring and “presto”, no instant access to your bag, yet it is easy for you to open when you get to where you are going. This also works for soft luggage in this age when you are not allowed to lock your luggage at the security check in. - Pam K.

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No need to carry hand washing soap for clothes in China. Most hotels provide shampoo and it does a great job as a “detergent” for your hand wash. It cuts grease, foams up, smells good and the price is right! I always carry my own shampoo because I am fussy about what goes on my hair, but not how I wash my undies. - Pam K.

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(Travelers abroad find that their hosts are quick to feed them and make sure that they are well fed throughout a visit. Ethel Mae, staying with friends in Greece found this out the hard way.)

In addition to “No, thank you”, add these to your list of phrases to learn before you go to Greece:
“I ate earlier.”
“I ate before.”
“I ate at …. o’clock”
“I’m not hungry now.”
“Perhaps later.”

Ethel Mae Ingalls blogs about Greece

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