Tips for travelling

Most people aren’t born savvy travelers. It’s something that only comes with on-the-road experience. In the beginning, you make a lot of mistakes. Travel savviness is a process born of missed buses, foolish behavior, cultural unawareness, and countless tiny errors. Then, one day, you begin to seamlessly move through airports and integrate yourself into new cultures like a fish to water.

I want to help speed up the process and help you avoid my mistakes (and I often make a lot of them), so I put together this giant list of 61 travel tips that cover everything under the sun to help you reach your full travel ninja potential:

Always pack a towel. It’s the key to successful galactic hitchhiking and plain common sense. You never know when you will need it, whether it’s at the beach, on a picnic, or just to dry off.

Buy a small backpack/suitcase. It will force you to pack light and avoid carrying too much stuff.

Pack light. It’s OK to wear the same t-shirt a few days in a row. Take half the clothes you think you will need…you won’t need the rest of it.

But take extra socks. You’ll lose a bunch of laundry gremlins so packing extra will come in handy.

Take an extra bank card and credit card with you. Disasters happen. It’s always good to have a backup in case you get robbed or lose a card. You don’t want to be stuck somewhere new without access to your funds.

Make sure to use no-fee bank cards. Don’t give banks your hard-earned money. Keep that for yourself and spend it on your travels

When you check in to the hotel, don’t be afraid to ask for an upgrade.They have a lot of flexibility, and it can’t hurt to ask.

Libraries, Starbucks, and most cafes have free WIFI if you’re staying someplace that charges you to connect.

Lunchtime is the best time to visit historical sites. The sites empty out and you’ll have fewer crowds to fight.

Never pack something that you haven’t worn before. Otherwise, you’ll find your new shoes too uncomfortable, your new jacket too flimsy, your new underwear too wedgie-prone.