Travel tips I have learned (Part 2)
Here is the next installment of favorite travel tips (Part 2)
6. Prescriptions-E-mail yourself a separate list of your prescriptions in case you lose or forget your medication. Also, never put your prescription medication in checked luggage. If the airline loses your checked luggage, you lose your medication.
7. Glasses-If you wear glasses, my doctor suggests to always keep a copy of your optical prescription with you, because if you are in a foreign country and need glasses or contacts, the prescriptions are universal in language and can easily be understood. Or, simply carry an extra pair.
8. Vaccinations-I log all my vaccinations on the yellow universal shot card record that you can get from your doctor. How many people can really remember when they got their last yellow fever or tetanus shot? I keep the shot record at home in a secure place and carry a copy of it with my passport.
9. Light up the way-I always carry a small, high intensity flashlight in case I am traveling to countries with frequent power outages. Amazing, the number of times I have needed this. Nothing worse than being in an unfamiliar place in the dark. I also carry it in my backpack if I am going to be out at night.
All the hard-core travelers I have met consider a small flashlight an absolute nececessity.
10. Compass-Take a small compass with you. Can’t tell you the number of times I have come up out of a subway or arrived in a strange city and immediately used my compass to get my bearings
Stay tuned-more travel tips coming!
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
To read about my other travels click here or http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/mytravels/
Comments? Please post below or email me at ssb11@prodigy.net
Travel tips I have learned through the years (Part 1)
Travel tips I have learned through the years-Part 1
Every time I travel, I try to learn new things I can use that will make my journeys less stressful. Some I have come up with myself, but mostly I have learned from others along the way. So, I thought it only fair that I in turn, pass them on to you as well.
I am going to post (5) five new tips each week. The blogs will be a running list and I expect this subject to be good for 5-6 weeks. Make sure you check it each week.
If you want to be e-mailed when I update my blog,you can click “subscribe” above. If you have any ideas, please feel free to make your comments, so we can all benefit. You can also e-mail me at ssb11@prodigy.net
Here is my ever changing list:
1. Passport-I always carry a couple of extra copies of my passport in a separate place when I travel. When I am on the streets, I always leave my original in my room in a safe place and carry only a copy with me for ID purposes. If you have to replace your passport it’s easier if you already have a copy. Some people scan their passport into their computer and e-mail it to themselves.
2. Credit Cards-You want to e-mail yourself the numbers of your credit cards (along with 1-800 #’s) in case you lose them.
3. Credit Card notification-I always call my credit card companies before leaving the U.S. to alert them I will be making charges in other countries. You don’t want to experience a security cancellation on your card while you are traveling. I have heard horror stories about people being abroad and having their credit cards cancelled because of the security software many companies use.
Many credit card companies are now charging “foreign transaction fees” when making charges abroad. These include paying for hotels that are not in the Continental U.S. or Alaska or Hawaii. These charges often times apply even if they are made in USD. It recently happened to me when I bought a COPA airline ticket on the internet and paid a hotel bill at the Marriott in Panama City, Panama where the USD is the official currency. I was socked with a 3% surcharge fee!
4. Splitting up the dinero-I always split up my cash and credit cards into two/three different places. Never carry all your cash with you. Keep the majority in a safe place. Some people will carry a ATM card that is specifically linked to a separate “special vacation account” with only a limited amount of money in it. Also, most banks have a daily limit on the amount of cash that can be taken out of your account.
5. Security wallet-For security purposes, I have found the security wallet that attaches to your belt with two loops and fits down the inside of your pants seems to work best. Here is the link for it:
http://www.eaglecreek.com/accessories/security_id/UnderCover-Hidden-Pocket-40024/
Next-Stay tuned for new travel tips each week. If you want to send me some new ones, you can e-mail me at ssb11@prodigy.net and I will batch them together and post them at the end (unless I have already posted in within my own blog)
See my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
To read about my other travels click here or http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/mytravels/
Comments? Please post below or email me at ssb11@prodigy.net
Travel Tips-Coming Soon
I have only one more blog on Mexico and then I will start a blog for a few weeks on travel tips I have learned along the way. I plan to start those on Feb. 20. In the meantime, stay tuned for the last installment on Chiapas, Mexico posting this week, Feb. 13.
Thanks
Steve Barrymore
