You know that feeling when you learn something new and you just wish that someone had told you that before? Well I do! I first started traveling about 10 years ago and I’ve learned so much in these years, both from experience and tips I got along the way. So here are my top 21 travel tips, which will hopefully make your travel life a little bit easier!
Travel tips for Money
Travel hack #1: Open a free international bank account with Transferwise or Revolut (for long-term or frequent travel)
With Transferwise and Revolut (Europe only) you can open an online, international bank account in minutes. I used Transferwise a lot to transfer money between foreign bank accounts. As I’ve been very happy with them, I chose to open an account here. They offer a bunch off benefits, like cheap exchange rates, free (limited) ATM withdrawals, and bank details for several currencies. Opening an account is completely free and super easy! Definitely check them out if you’re going to travel for a longer time and across different countries.
Use this link to register and the 1st transfer (up to 500 EUR or equivalent) you’ll transfer will be completely free.
Travel hack #2: Withdraw money from bank-ATMs and don’t accept exchange ‘offers’
Independent ATMs, serving several different banks but not actually part of one of them (e.g. Euronet in Europe, Banco24 in Brazil) will normally charge you for withdrawing your money and offer a bad exchange rate. Avoid them when possible. It’s better to withdraw from an ATM from a bank. Some banks might still charge you, but in most countries it’s possible to find a bank that doesn’t. Just try a couple till you find a free one. In my country guides I’ve also mentioned the ATMs that were free or the cheapest for me. If an ATM wants to ‘offer’ you an exchange at the moment of withdrawing, don’t accept. This is often a bad exchange rate compared to the official one. It’s meant to ‘protect’ you in case the exchange rate changes between withdrawing and the money leaving your bank.
Bonus tip: When paying by card at a store, you will sometimes be asked in which currency you want to pay. Same thing applies: pay with the local currency as paying in your own just means a guaranteed bad rate.
Travel hack #3: Have at least two different cards, from two different banks
Always travel with at least two cards, especially when traveling alone. You don’t want to be stuck without money abroad if something happens to your bank card/your card is not accepted. It happened to me after my bank blocked my debit card. I used it at an ATM which was later reported for fraud, so they blocked it for safety reasons. I did have my credit card with me, but I didn’t remember the pin as I only ever used it to pay online. Luckily I did manage to take out an advance at the post office in the end and retrieve my pin. It was very complicated and stressful though, so lesson learned. I now always have a couple of cards (of which I remember the pin) on me since then.
To play it really save, have two banks (e.g. both Transferwise and Revolut, or your home bank with one of them). This way you’re also covered for problems with a bank itself.
Travel hack #4: If not using an international bank, let your bank know you’re going abroad
International banks are especially for international use, so they won’t be surprised if you’re using your card abroad. If you’re with a traditional bank however, let them know you’re going to travel and where to. Sometimes they freak out and block your card if they see transactions they might find risky. It’s great they take these measures in general, but you don’t want to find yourself with a blocked card abroad. If it does happen, it should be fairly easy to give them a call and sort everything out. It’s still better to avoid this from happening though.
Travel hack #5: Have a few dollars in cash to exchange
It’s always handy to have a few dollars on you. Sometimes cards might not work, or they might be problems with ATMs. USD are widely accepted so it’s good to have a few of them with you in cash, just in case. I’ve had all kinds of difficulties along the way. The bank has blocked my card, my other card was not accepted everywhere and I’ve come across ATMs that were empty or closed due to political unrest. Besides this, there are also remote places that don’t have ATMs. USD might be accepted however, or there could be an exchange office if you forget to take out cash beforehand.
Bonus tip: As a last resort, you might be able to send money via Western Union to be picked up in cash. This is an expensive alternative though, so only use them if nothing else works.
Travel hack #6: Have a way to recover your accesses to your online banking
A lot of banks have a 2FA (two-factor authentication) in place with a text that gets send to your phone, unless using their app. But what if your phone gets lost/stolen with the sim you need, or this one is not active anymore? You’d be left without access to your app or 2FA. It happened to me in Buenos Aires. Luckily I had checked with my Dutch bank before leaving and they provided me with an option in case this would happen. I did not do this with my Czech bank however, as I was meant to close that one once I had received my last salary. I was unable to access online banking and therefore to touch the money I had on my savings account while traveling.
Travel tips for Transport
Travel hack #7: Onward travel evidence
When entering by air, some countries (or airlines) want to see some kind of proof that you’re leaving the country within the time frame you’re given. Most countries will let you enter as a tourist for 3 months, so they will want to see proof of onward travel within these 3 months. This usually needs to be a plane ticket but bus tickets are sometimes accepted as well. Thing is that most of us backpackers don’t have fixed plans. Not when it comes to routes and certainly not when it comes to dates. There are 2 ways to go around this:
1. Buy a refundable ticket
Some airlines and agencies sell tickets which you can cancel for free within 24 hours. Depending on the length of your flight, you can buy the ticket just before arriving on the airport and cancel as soon as you arrive. One agency that offers this and has a good reputation is Expedia.
- – Pro: in the end it doesn’t cost you anything.
- – Con: You need to have the money for the ticket available at the time of buying and make sure to cancel within 24 hours.
2. Buy a ‘fake’ ticket
There are agencies that sell ‘fake’ tickets, which aren’t really fake. This basically works the same as buying a refundable ticket, but the agency will just take care of everything for you. It’s more like renting a real ticket, rather than buying a fake one. One with a good reputation is Best onward ticket
- – Pro: No headaches, no need to cancel and wait on a refund and no high initial cost
- – Con: Unlike buying a refundable ticket it does cost money
Travel hack: #8: Use skyscanner to search for flights
Skyscanner gives you a great overview of flights. I always use them, at least for an initial search. Not only do they give you a great overview, they don’t work with cookies that automatically increase prices like a lot of agencies and airlines do. To be extra sure, you can use Skyscanner in an incognito-window in your browser (if not using the app). I haven’t seen any weird price-increases though when looking for flights and keeping track. On the contrary. You can set up a price alert which will inform you when prices increase or decrease.
Travel hack #9: Book flights directly with airlines if possible
Even though I love Skyscanner to search for flights, I prefer to book directly with the airlines. Even if Skyscanner shows cheaper offers with agencies. This in order to avoid dealing with a middle man. If an agency is not a LOT cheaper, it’s not worth the hassle for me. When booking directly with the airline it is very easy to know who to turn to in case of a problem. Airlines can also help you a lot better when everything is registered in their system. Agencies are just another person to talk to, adding more rules and regulations and making it less clear who is responsible for what in case of a problem.
Bonus tip: An exception is when traveling while there are still Corona-restrictions in place. An agency will have more routes available then airlines, so if you would need to change route due to Corona-restrictions, this could be easier with an agency. This really is the only benefit I can think of though (other than price of course).
Travel tips for Packing
Travel hack #10: A dual sim phone is very handy
If you happen to be looking into a new phone, consider a dual sim. This way you can get a local sim and still keep your own to receive text messages for 2FA for example. You can keep your Whatsapp number the same even when you change sim, but it’s still handy to have your sim with you. It’s not something I would recommend buying a new phone for, but if you’re looking anyway, a dual sim comes in handy.
Bonus tip: If you’re looking to buy a new phone before heading off on a longer trip, don’t buy anything too flashy/expensive. Accidents can always happen, especially when travelling, and (unfortunately) sometimes things get stolen.
Travel hack #11: Bring copies of your passport
It’s always handy to have a copy or two with you. In Argentina for example, you will be asked to show your passport when paying by card. It’s good to bring a copy with you as that will do in most cases. A picture on your phone is also possible, but I prefer to have a copy at hand anyway. Some overland borders might require you to leave a copy of your passport as well when crossing. When taking out cash at Western Union, they’re likely to ask you for a copy as well.
Travel hack #12: Spread cash and cards
Just in case, don’t keep all your important belongings in one place. If something happens to one bag (stolen/lost/forgotten/etc.) you won’t lose everything at once. Keep copies of your passport away from your passport as well for the same reason.
Travel hack #13: Organize your bag
Trust me, this is going to save you a lot of frustrations when moving between accommodations. You wouldn’t be the first one to book an extra night just because you can’t be arsed to pack your bag. The first thing that might come in to your mind might be plastic bags. If you’re planning on staying in dorms however, please don’t. They make a lot of noise, so you won’t make any friends if you need something from your bag late at night or early in the morning.
Vacuum bags are a better choice. They make less noise, last longer and your stuff will take up less space. Some bags require a vacuum cleaner to take out the air, but there are travel bags as well which you just roll. Do bear in mind that these bags only help you save space, not weight. So take care packing your bag.
Pack the stuff you don’t currently need in the bag(s) and just leave the stuff you do need loose on the top, or in another bag. There are special packing cubes and bag organizers on the market as well. They are good if you don’t want to fall into the weight-trap of vacuum bags or are looking for something a little more stylish/that’s not plastic.h
Bonus-tip: This one mainly applies to the girls. Get some travel size toiletry bottles to put in your toiletry bag and keep the big bottles in your backpack. That way you have all you need handy and don’t need to go to the shower with your arms full of bottles or with a big bag.
Bonus tips for on the road
Travel hack 14: Download offline maps
These are a lifesaver! Download at least the maps of your next 2 destinations (you know, in case you forget to download the next one) and mark your accommodation as soon as you book. This way you’ll at least know where to go in case you don’t have internet and you can see if it’s walking distance or how long a taxi ride would be. The most widely used map is Maps.me, which I use a lot.
Another one I love, especially for hiking, is a Czech app called mapy.cz. I find their hiking trails generally easier to read and they seem to be more accurate in a lot of places as well. This is mainly the case in Europe, but in Argentine Patagonia I also found them very helpful. The thing Maps.me has over Mapy.cz is that people can add comments. As it is so widely used, you’ll find handy marks like a bus stop marked as ‘Micros to Torotoro’ in Bolivia for example. So, download Maps.me in any case and if you’re planning on hiking, download mapy.cz as well if you can.
Travel hack #15: Check the exchange rate before entering a new country
One of the most common scams is currency exchange. I usually take out money from ATMs rather than exchanging cash, but you’ll likely have a little cash left when crossing a border. It’s also always good to have some local cash to be able to take transport to your accommodation at least. There are a lot of places that will offer a bad exchange rate and rates vary greatly among exchange offices. The easiest target: sleepy tourists that just hopped off an international night bus.
When crossing the border between Ecuador and Peru I forgot to check the rate beforehand. As it was very early in the morning and needed to take a taxi to the another terminal, so the taxi driver took me to an exchange office. I had no idea what the rate was so I just went with it and it turned out that I paid 2-3 times more for the change that I should have. I did only change what I needed to pay for the busses but still, lesson learned.
A handy page/app to check the exchange rate is XE
Travel hack #16: Ask a local for prices in countries that tend to charge tourists more
I used this tactic everywhere in South East Asia when taking a taxi or a tuk-tuk. I normally ask the people at reception of the accommodation how much I should be paying. They would usually give me the local price and what I should be able to get it down to as a tourist. This is generally a few coins more, but generally less than half the drivers would usually try to charge me. This also worked very well in parts of Latin America. In case of busses, just ask a few companies and you’ll like get a range of prices.
Travel hack #17: Use Booking, Hostelworld or Agoda to search for accommodation
The easiest way to compare accommodation is with a platform. Booking is the biggest of them all and the most complete. Hostelworld is specialized in hostels (as the name suggests), but tends to be a little more expensive than Booking. It’s also not as widely used everywhere. In South America for example, you’ll find a lot more hostels on Booking than on Hostelworld. When looking for a social hostel, I do prefer to check the reviews on Hostelworld. They give a better idea of atmosphere. Agoda is very similar to Booking (it’s part of Booking) and sometimes offers cheaper prices and has an option for monthly stays, which could be interesting for digital nomads for example.
Booking directly with accommodation can sometimes be cheaper, but generally prices are the same. Not every accommodation has their own website to make reservations, but often google will have a phone number available if you wish to give them a call.
Travel hack #18: Keep track of you trip and share with friends with Polarsteps
Polarsteps is a great app and website to track your trip. You can put cities/towns on the map with dates, add a little text and photo’s. This is not only a great way to keep track for yourself, but also to let your friends and family back home travel with you a little bit.
Travel hack #19: Use Skype credit for making phonecalls to fixed lines
While there are plenty of apps out there to call friends and family over the internet, you might need to call a fixed line at some point. I’ve had to call my bank many times to resolve issues for example. It also makes my grandpa’s day when I just give him a random call from the other side of the world. Skype credit is super cheap. You’ll just pay a few cents per minute and you can top up with as little as 5 USD. It’s always handy to have a little credit available here.
General travel tips
Travel hack #20: Be prepared in case things go wrong
I know I already mentioned this a lot in other advice, but better save than sorry so I just wanted to stress this again. Of course you should take precautions to stay as save as possible and take care with your belongings. Something can always happen though, so it’s best to know what to do in case something does go wrong. Calling my bank before leaving to ask what to do if my phone with sim gets stolen saved my ass when my phone did get stolen and again when the next one broke. Luckily I haven’t had anything else stolen, but I’ve met a few people who had their hand luggage stolen on buses and someone who had everything stolen with a scam.
So keep some cash on your body together with you passport and don’t put everything in one place. Bring that extra card with you, get a travel insurance and back up those passwords safely in a cloud which you can access on another computer. Make a back-up of your photos on a cloud as well, you don’t want to lose everything in case your camera/laptop/hard drive gets stolen. And do look into a good travel insurance. It might be annoying to pay for something every month that you might not be using, but again, better save than sorry.
Travel hack #21: Just enjoy the ride
And last but not least, just enjoy the ride. It’s easy to plan a trip filled with sights to see and things to do, but don’t forget to enjoy the journey itself as well. Mix a little with the locals to get to learn more about the country and the culture and don’t plan everything ahead to stay flexible. You’ll get plenty of tips along the way about places you might have never heard of that have now made it on to your bucket list. Or maybe you made some new friends you want to tag along with for a little while.
It’s not just the sights that make your trip, it’s the whole experience. In my experience, and what I many other travelers I spoke to agree with this, it’s better to see a little less and really get to see and enjoy it rather than trying to squeeze in as much as possible in a short time and merely scratch the surface of it. This is especially applicable for longer trips.
So don’t get too caught up ticking things of a list and rushing through cities or countries to fit everything in. Take a little time to really take everything in, experience it and to rest as well. And don’t get mad at yourself if you’re just tired and want to watch Netflix for a night or an afternoon. Everyone needs a little time off and recharge some energy every once in a while.
And that’s it, those are my top travel tips. Thanks for reading and I hope they’ll come in handy :).
As we all know, traveling is a little more complicated at the moment. So if you’re looking for Covid-related travel advice, do check out this article.