These are some travel tips and insights you wish you knew. These tips are relevant if you are going on long or short trips and want to save some money in the long run.
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There is always a cheap local bus from the airport to the city.
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The person that gets least pissed off when something goes wrong often wins in the long run.
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You will pay more than the locals. Accept it. Don’t get mad and ruin everyone’s day.
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Have travel insurance and ensure you use it whenever possible.
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For long-term traveling get a credit card with no extra fees on foreign bank withdrawals.
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Never arrive in a new city in the middle of the night without having a guaranteed place to stay.
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Other travellers may act like selfish or arrogant. Get over it.
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Always have your printed airline tickets and hotel reservation ready when visiting embassies.
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Always double-check to ascertain that the taxi takes you to the right airport and terminal.
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If local officials don’t know how to do their job and make you work extra, don’t get offended.
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In the summer, use Aloe Vera for sunburns and always travel with a hat.
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Avoid the use of money belts.
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Use coins to scrape cards, don’t use your nails.
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Always keep a flashlight with you. A phone isn’t a flashlight.
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If something unexpected happens, try to get the locals to help you. Follow your instincts.
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Avoid buying bulky souvenirs.
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If you reserve something and need to pay beforehand, ask for a receipt.
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Negotiate the price before entering a taxi.
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Always buy local SIM cards with adequate data, ask locals for the best one. Keep your residence country SIM safe. You will need it for bank transactions.
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Traveling with a big towel is overrated.
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Duct-tape can fix almost everything. Roll some around a short pencil.
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At your destination, find out if tap water is drinkable, and if it is not, don’t brush your teeth or rinse with it.
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Turn auto-updates off from all your devices.
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Google translate app offline is amazing.
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Use Maps.me for offline maps. Better than Google maps.
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Get to the departing city at least one day before your flight.
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It’s okay to be scared and confused but people are nice and will help if you just ask.
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Learn Spanish if you plan to travel long and far within South America. Most people do not speak English.
