Read Customs Paperwork and Be Honest! Many countries will have you fill out paperwork when you enter the country to state that you are not bringing in something that could be a threat to their country. Most of this focuses on environmental factors, but it also usually includes things like explosives and large amounts of…
I know I reference this trip a lot, but it was my first major introduction to international travel, and it was the benchmark for a lot of my experiences since then. I was recently re-reading my blog from that trip, which can be found here (password summit), and found my summary of the trip and…
For Part 1 of the Airlines series as well as a description of each criteria, CLICK HERE. Southwest Southwest is a bit of a hybrid between a standard airline and a budget airline. Their fares are often low, especially on high-demand routes, but they are comparable to the standard airlines on many routes. Southwest has the…
Given how much I travel, I obviously have an opinion on airlines. I have my favorite, I have the ones I prefer, and I have the ones I avoid. My reasons are often very personal and don’t apply to every traveler so knowing what your highest priorities are and finding an airline that best matches…
Obviously, I travel a lot. That means I spend a lot of time in airports. When I first started this job I hated airports as much as the next person, but the more I traveled the more I got used to them and figured out some of the tricks that make them more tolerable. 1….
The “$20 Trick” has spread around the internet as the best way to get a nearly free upgrade at any hotel. Popularized by the book“Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality” by Jacob Tomsky, this idea has spread like wildfire and has resulted in an unrealistic expectation of nearly free…
If you’ve ever planned a vacation, you know that the information and choices you have can be overwhelming. Some people know precisely what they want and can confidently buy those things themselves. Others use travel agents to curate custom packages. Many others piece things together and rely on online reviews to find the best excursions,…
I will always be the first to admit it: I am terrible at public transportation. I grew up in a small city that had almost no public transportation, and what was available only covered small areas of town. My experience with public transit was virtually non-existent until a trip to Boston in 2013 where I…
5 Things I’ll Never Travel Without Power Strip I don’t mean just any power strip, of course. There are power strips made specifically for travel. I’ve had mine for over two years and it’s the single most important item in my travel kit. Many newer hotels are putting outlets on the nightstands or in the…
I hate this question. Everyone in the industry hates this question. We’ve all created our canned answer that we regurgitate every time a guest asks but it’s a bit of a hollow response. Unfortunately, this attitude towards the question comes from traveling so much. It’s easy to forget that others don’t get to travel as…