Travel Tips    

Some time ago, I solicited travel tips from San Diego Psychological Association members. Here are some of their responses.

 

Make copies of your passport, credit cards, and medical information. Leave the same information with someone at home. Consider getting trip cancellation insurance. It isn’t that expensive and may save you a lot of money in case of an accident or illness.

 

In the third world, countries consider leaving behind some of your clothes. In countries like Nepal, trekking porters and Sherpas don’t have access to clothes Americans wear and are very appreciative of such gifts.

 

A hiker’s headlamp is one of those handy items whether in camp or a poorly lighted hotel room. New models are lightweight and cost about $25.00. 

 

Makeup gear lists so that you don’t reinvent the wheel every time you take a trip. Check off needed items, and you won’t be sorry later. Consider packing clothes in inexpensive sweater bags. Your duffel or suitcase will pack better, and see-through bags will quickly guide you to items.

 

Prepare yourself to spend some money on mistakes and rip-offs. Unless you have traveled many times to a country, you’ll make some errors that will cost you money. Locals also may cheat you out of some money. Sometimes, such events are unavoidable, and I try to see such small losses as part of foreign travel expenses.

 

Be a fair tipper. The service personnel needs the money, and the staff appreciates gratuities. I once told a headwaiter in Italy that he looked like Frank Sinatra Jr. He said, “ If I were Frank Sinatra Jr., I wouldn’t be working here.” There are pragmatic reasons for generosity as well. Financial goodwill probably brings you better service in many settings, and it well may protect you against lousy service and intentional wrongdoing by others.  The fate of your trip can often lie in the hands of total strangers.

 

Try not to do “see” too much. Though it can be very tempting to travel through nine countries in three days, it doesn’t always work out. It may be better to go to fewer places and spend more time there. It is easy to rationalize the “see it all approach” with thoughts like, “ I won’t be back any time soon,” or even, “ I’ll never be back.”  I am probably one of the few people who spent three weeks in Peru and didn’t go to Machu Pichu.