Travel Tips

1. Always bring tissues on plane trips. No matter how healthy you feel, your nose will inevitably run on the plane. It’s some sort of traveling phenomenon that I cannot explain. Just trust me and bring some Kleenex.
2. Don’t forget a scented travel candle. I always bring a travel candle with me on every trip. My friends think this is very high maintenance of me and totally unnecessary, but I have stayed in some nosedive hotels, and you never know how places are going to smell, especially in Europe. Plus, candles are awesome and relaxing at the end of a long day of walking and sightseeing.

3. Do not choose to watch Cold Mountain on a flight. I was bawling and the person sitting next to me had to ask me if I was okay. Kind of embarrassing. (Great movie though.) For fun, I’d recommend watching movies that take place in the country you’re going to (Elizabeth or Sweeney Todd, for example, were good ones for my last trip) and make sure you make some good playlists on your iPod. My London Mix was perfect.

4. Look both ways when crossing the street. I know this sounds stupid because we learned it in kindergarten, but being aware of your surroundings in foreign countries, or anywhere, is major. And getting hurt is the one thing that will ruin your vacation. If your luggage gets lost, your hotel is crappy, you lose your passport, someone steals your money, you miss your flight…whatever. All those things are major hassles but can be fixed, and will also be funny stories in the future. But if you get hit by a car, it’s over. Just be smart.
5. Flexibility is key. Travel hiccups are a part of everyone’s vacation and you have to be able to roll with the punches. Did our free ice cream sundae voucher work at the Hard Rock Café? No. Were there major delays on the Picadilly line during one of our most densely-planned days? Of course. Did I spend more money than I anticipated? You bet. Was my credit card declined for no reason at the British Museum and is my credit card company going to pay for the 21 pound (That’s $42 American bucks, by the way…) phone call I had to make to sort things out? Get real. But will I let any of that taint the best week ever? No way!