Take a hack, leave a hack.
- When you make a photocopy of your passport as a backup make sure to take a picture of the stamp/sticker immigration puts on your passport with your phone and email it to yourself as a second backup. When you're stopped by police they want to know when your VISA is valid thru, not just see the first page of your passport.
- Exchange cash at ATMs with a good debit card that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee and reimburses foreign ATM fees. Charles Schwab is good if you're an American.
- Split up your cash, debit cards, physical passport, and copy of passport with one set on you and another somewhere else like your backpack or hotel. If you lose one or get robbed you still have a backup.
- When you pay for things online use a virtual debit card that expires after one use with a predefined limit. This prevents overcharging, bullshit fees, scammers trying to charge you again months after you've left the country, etc.
- Those shower caps some hotels give are good for storing a spare pair of shoes or sandals to keep your backpack clean.
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Appreciate the effort OP. Thanks for not making yet another whiny blogpost.
if you ever signed up for alipay before you can use this to exchange money at a rate above Googles official exchange rate and with no fees. Find a Chinese supermarket and exchange with the shopkeeper there. Good in thirdie Asian and African nations.
>post sponsored by the CCP
I wish they would pay me anon. 🙁
I'd also recommend bringing a second phone as a backup with eSIM capabilities. eSIM isn't a hard requirement but it'll make your life a whole lot easier when you can just buy a phone plan online instead of trying to find a physical SIM wherever you are
That's a cool idea. I definitely struggle especially if the sim is shit like in philippines where I visited area where my sim card didn't work.
I need to actually slim down my bag if I want it carry-on. Sometimes they flag it for its weight.
Just to add this. Put all your bank apps on the second phone as well.
If your wallet and phone get stolen, you need to get shit cancelled and stopped ASAP.. Lots of banks now use app based 2FA for validating identity. If you no longer have access to an app, things take a lot longer and become more complicated.
I've read horror stories about people having their accounts drained during delays caused by banks needing either a card or app.
That's why you don't use banks who have shitty customer service. My bank connects me with a human within seconds,and has its own verification procedures. No minimum balances either, so I can keep only a couple hundred available to the card if I like.
is there a site that lists every countries best carriers? not some corpo sponsored homosexualry, but sourced by real people
Prepaid Data SIM Wiki is pretty good but sometimes slightly outdated.
>north korea has 3 options
thanks Son
Always ALWAYS take less shit with you than you think you need
This. Everything you bring should fit within the size/weight limits of low cost Asian and European airlines. Once you have you bag packed take everything out and lay it on the floor. If you don't actually need it get rid of it. Some "just-in-case" items like a copy of important documents or an extra pair of socks makes sense, but most of the things people put in that category are stupid. Carrying shit around is the least fun part of any trip.
Simply planning to do your own laundry can save you a whole piece of luggage
This, also I keep a bar of soap (inside the box) in my dirty laundry bag to stop everything from smelling bad. If possible, put your dirty laundry in a separate compartment in your travel bag.
Just water and cards...maybe a sleeping bag, idk how European countries are about gorilla camping
ok then, what do you bring for respectively a 3 days/1week/2 weeks trip?
Download offline maps, even if you are hiking. I once got lost in the woods without service but thankfully I was able to use my offline map to bring me back to the trail.
Also, if hiking, make sure your phone is full GPS, not GPRS which relies on you being in range of multiple phone masts.
Offline map as a backup is a must. In Colombia, with every street consecutively numbered, GPS is unnecessary. Other countries are not so easy.
bring alcohol in travel bottles in your carry-on so you can drink on the cheap in the terminal (though you'll miss out on banal airport bar banter).
15 hour flight means you can start off trashed and end sober. Pretty sweet.
bump because I like. I just signed up for a wise virtual card. they have 0 foreign transaction fees
If you clogged your hotel room's toilet, there is no plunger, and you're too embarrassed to ask the hotel staff for help, do this:
>pour some liquid soap, shampoo, bodywash, etc. into the toilet bowl
>get some hot water (from the bathroom sink, shower, coffee maker, etc.)
>pour it into the toilet bowl
>toilet should eventually unclog (you'll know when you see/hear it)
Do I even want to knkw?
It's not as nightmarish as you think. I was just staying in one of those "lel we don't flush our toilet paper" countries.
To follow up on this - don't add boiling water straight from a kettle, let it cool a little. You crack the ceramic if the temperature changes too quickly.
Damn, I should have clicked on the replies to that post before I did that. Now I’m fricked. Can you cover up the cracks with tooth paste?
This fricking moronic. Call the hotel staff like a normal person and have housekeeping fix it. Why are you living life in FEAR of what other people think?
Airbnbs are not cheaper than hotels, in fact they're more expensive than hotels for stays of 2-3 days.
No need to buy sim cards these days. Unless you really want a phone number. Just get an eSim with data with the airalo app, you install the sim card straight to your phone.
>Airbnbs are not cheaper than hotels
Outside the israelitenited States they are.
There is a need to buy SIM cards if you don't have an eSim slot. Which is what was explained already. Thank you for the useless contribution.
>they're more expensive than hotels for stays of 2-3 days
oh yeah this actually may be true, I usually stay for a length that I get a certain discount
Learn how to drive manual transmission if you haven't already.
>manual vehicles are usually cheaper to rent than automatic vehicles outside of North America
>only about 18% of Americans know how to drive manual, so if you're road-tripping in the US, a manual vehicle is less likely to be stolen
In any country where the police are legally allowed to demand my passport, I will carry it and not a copy.
Any plasticbag can store shoes. Better to keep your dirty shoes on your feet in the street, and your nice shoes wrapped in your bag.
Good idea to leave a spare bank card hidden in your backpack. I rarely leave cash unattended unless I am headed out for nightlife
moron
He literally got arrested in the first attempt and caught everytime
You don't actually need to use your hotel cardkey to activate the electricity in your room. You can use literally any card, even a folded piece of paper.
I always end up asking for three total keye just because of this, I'll have to try it out next time.
where the frick is it like this at?
Maybe it's more of a Europe & Asia thing. I seldom travel in other continents, so I have no idea what the norm is like in their hotels.
Anyway, in most of the hotels I've been to, there's usually a card slot on the wall, often next to the door. The idea is to get rid of any ambiguity when you leave your room.
>did I turn the lights/TV off?
>do I have my key?
>where is my key?
You can be 100% sure that everything is turned off by pulling the key out of the slot. You can be 100% sure that you have your key since you just pulled it out.
As for why some people might want to leave the power on while they're outside, these are some common reasons:
>they have electronics that need charging
>they want the air conditioner or heater on so the room is at a comfortable temperature when they come back
damn really? I always do airbnbs, so ive never seen this in my travels to SEA and Japan. Why do most people do hotels? It always seems way cheaper to do airbnbs and I like them because you can have laundry in your room and never have to interact with anyone. Its also nice to order grab/uber right to your door.
it's not cheaper and there are lot of scams, usually you can't even see the exact locations
what prevents you from ordering taxi to the hotel?
I meant like food to the airbnb door. You dont get scammed if you book with superhosts and its almost always been cheaper for me outside of the us
by scams I mean room isn't the same as advertised
in SEA decent hotels are $30 or less in many cities and you won't get airbnbs cheaper like that with the same quality
Or it just doesn't exists.
If it's too good to be true, then most likely it isn't.
Check reviews. And if there isn't any, Google the photos. Scammers tend to just copy what they find.
it doesn't alway work, some hotels have chips in the card to prevent this trick
Pro tip if you are ever looking to save money on trains. works like a charm
>hiding in the toilet instead of blatantly committing ticket fraud
What an amateur.
You just chill in the smoking room, lol. I did that once when I missed the Shinkansen so I took the next one. I paid for it fair and square, but the Japanese are autistic about it.
Seconding this, I got chlamydia from fully condom protected whoring.
Before any morons start with the
>HURR BUT BRO JUST TAKE ELEPHANT ANTIBIOTICS BRO IT'S SO EASY BRO JUST SHIT YOUR PANTS FOR ONE WEEK BRO
Frick off with your pozz cope, STDs are a literal pain in the dick and any sensible person would rather avoid that.
Memorize your passport number, drivers license number and the phone number of an emergency contact
Get a passport holder that has a slot for an AirTag (or whatever the equivalent is for Androids, I'm not poor so IDK). Keep all travel documents including boarding passes, customs forms etc. in the passport holder UNTIL THE END OF YOUR TRIP. Sometimes you'll toss a boarding pass stub after your flight arrives and then the hotel will want to see it for some random reason.
Invest in a good pair of headphones with ANC. If they're battery powered like AirPods Pro, get a second pair so you always have a fresh charge available.
Always fly First or Business class as the seats are roomier, the service is better, you get meals and a bed etc. While it doesn't guarantee better passenger behavior around you, you'll at least have more distance from them.
Don't mess around with budget hotels. You can't put a price tag on a good night's sleep and good meals. Stick with your favorite brand from the US... I like JW Marriott.
Renting a car is best like 99% of the time, you'll see parts of the country that aren't available to the herds of tourists on public transit. Hire a private driver if you need to. But don't just go sit in an urban center with a million other people, drive out into the country and explore.
>Just be rich bro
he's not rich, he's a larping poor
the most expensive phone i've bought is still the piece of shit 1lb of titanium red for $1800+ almost a decade ago, and the only reason i'm using ibabby shit now is because i dont want to spend for nicer sony xperias i know i will break, also apple is the lesser evil between google
Terrible advice
The Active Noise Cancelling is fricking amazing, but I had to trade the pros for the normal AirPods because it always makes me anxious thinking someone is talking to me
>then the hotel will want to see it for some random reason.
Hotels never ask to see the stub of your boarding pass.
>I googled a bunch of try hard tips I've never used because im actually poor and have never traveled before but I want to make myself feel good by pretending online
see
odd, because I could have sworn I flew First to London and stayed in the St. Regis last month, but you make a compelling argument otherwise 😉
sure you did, kid
You sure as frick didnt homo
t. trust fund dipshit who has never actually done any real traveling
Car is the worst way to travel 9/10 times. Train is best for actually meeting people and experiencing the countryside.
>Car is the worst way to travel 9/10 times. Train is best for actually meeting people and experiencing the countryside.
Kek
Sure, enjoy experiencing the countryside through a window and getting to visit tourist shops at the stops along the way
"Want to check out this other town?"
"Ooh, we can't, this train doesn't go there..."
So authentic!
California is the only state in the US that has an actually cool train experience that goes through pretty country. Every else, there's either no trains, or they go through the worst and ugliest part of the city and then through a million miles of cornfields and random trailer parks. Even the Amtrak line that goes through Arizona, which is scenic, I think passes through there at night.
And that's a good thing.
There is very little demand for interstate passenger rail in the US. Everybody has a car, and gas is cheap. Or you can buy a plane ticket and be there in a fraction of the time.
There is absolutely no case, outside the feverish imaginations of Redditors, for using trillions of dollars of taxpayer money to build more interstate rail in the US.
Pleb thinking.
The purpose of a train is not to get you there fast. It's to give you a comfy space where you stretch out, enjoy the scenery, and do some work while you travel. Planes and cars can't compare.
Also you just walk on like a 1950s aristocrat, no TSA bullshit. Carry a gun if you want, no one will check.
>- Those shower caps some hotels give are good for storing a spare pair of shoes or sandals to keep your backpack clean.
i rarely see these in america, and thats where i need them for exactly this reason, dirty work footwear
- The first thing you should do on arriving is buying SIM cards.
- Depending on where you go, RFID-blocking wallets are necessary. Best options are the passport bags thag you can put the passport and other stuff, those generally block NFC and RFID.
- Always learn about the paying methods that are bring used on where you are going to and if possible load some money on that before your arrival. Sometimes credit or debit card is not most common options.
- Whenever you can, bring hotel soap and shampoo with you...because it's good
- I always like to travel with advise from locals and the best way to get in touch with them its up to you to find out. If the country you're going to uses SMS stick to it, if the other country uses WhatsApp also stick to it.
This is why I refuse to frick hookers. They are disgusting. At least bawds have some standards.
Staying at a hostel? Invest in a pocket lantern. Pic related is on the expensive end but it always comes in handy. I'm using it right now as I type this.
I hope that's a very warm light.
I'm sick of people shining their bright ass cold lights in everyone's faces when we're trying to sleep because they refuse to get off their phone and allow their eyes to adjust to the dark.
It has a warm candlelight mode, yes. On top of rgb mode. Like I said, expensive but it comes in handy.
I never go on a trip without a portable bidet. It saved my ass after eating some questionable night market food.
I brought it with me to Japan but didn't use it since all the toilets in the rooms I was at had bidets EXCEPT one. The one time it could've come in handy, I didn't have it with me since I left my luggage in a storage locker for a day trip and thought I wouldn't need it. Only convinced me more to keep carrying it even in places where bidets are common, just-in-case.
Mobile Passport Control app
Don't want to spend money/or long wait times for global entry. Download the MPC app for free. Saves you allot of time coming back to the states going through border and customs.
If you've ever came back from an international trip and had to wait hours in line, you'll be appreciative of this app. Spend just as little time as the global entry folk. I've never been in line more than 5 people deep using it.
>bring a pen with you
>bring hand tissues
>bring sanitizing wipes
>dress in layers
>bring more than one pair of shoes and change them everyday to air them out
>bring a bag to store dirty clothes
>things you don't need unless you are being dropped into the wilderness are hygiene products because you can buy them all anywhere you go so save on space and weight aka toothpaste shampoo soap
>have some local currency in cash before you leave
this is super autistic and I look like an butthole, but I bring rubber gloves with me so I can eat "finger foods" without getting shit all over my hands
You should join up with the Pick Pocket autist and stuff your pockets full of disposable gloves so that anybody who pick pockets you will be disappointed.
I useually take condoms out of the pack and put loton in them and write a name and a DOB and DOD, lol, useually freaks them out....NEVER put things in Back Pockets, ALWAYS put things in front pockets, or better yet, front zipper pockets.
In many parts of Asia, they'll even give you gloves so you can eat finger foods. In Korea, they even have three-finger gloves that cover the fingers that you mostly use for eating.
At least I understand there's shame in clogging a toilet, you filthy Black person. I certainly don't fear what you think, because you're not even human.
damn that's based. I even use them at home because you'll wash your hands for 5 minutes and they'll still smell like whatever bullshit you were eating. I dont know how people can eat finger foods in public. Even more insane is fricking India where they just get a handful of slop. Everything in that shithole must have food residue on it
Get a bunch of AirTags or Samsung SmartTags or whatever is compatible with your phone. Have one in every bag. Also have one in your secondary wallet where you only have local cash.
you need to be 18 or older to post here
Another from me; go prepared for really shitty coversion rates. Whether you exchange cash or spend with card. For that you can get a crypto card like wirex or cymi
If you ever for any reason end up at a shitty resort or festival and are given a wristband that pisses you off and brands you like cattle, you can easily make it removable.
Turn on the tap water to as hot as you can handle and stick your hand in. Keep it there for a few minutes and start gently stretching the wristband. The heat will make the plastic expand and it'll slip off undamaged eventually.
Another hostel protip, invest in a microfiber bath towel. Far better than any towel you'll get at a hostel, if at all. Absorbs way more than it looks like it would, dries very quickly.
For $20 you can buy this thing on Amazon and it comes with a smaller face towel in case you're somewhere where bathroom hand drying isn't a thing, and it includes a case for both. The only downside is you gotta wash it yourself, but if you're already at a hostel just throw it in with your laundry.
With microfibre there’s no point taking a massive towel. Just take the hand towel to dry yourself and wring it out when it gets full of water.
I'm not taking a damp towel with me when I go out for exploring
Here's a good hack that you need to get in on before it gets widespread (it's already catching on unfortunately):
Travel in winter and book your tickets ahead online.
Unless you're travelling for a specific summer festival or something there's absolutely no reason to go during peak tourist season.
Everything is cheaper from hotels to tourist sites to food and there's way less tourists. I went on a 3 month Eurotrip and the only lines I ever had to wait in was for the Colosseum and The Louvre for about 5 minutes (prebooking). I walked straight into the Vatican Museums.
>but it's cold!
So put on more clothes? Plus you warm up while walking. I'd rather be layered up and cosy in a couple jackets than be in a singlet and shorts suffering from heatstroke. I was in the mediterranean from December - January and the weather was beautiful. Mid to low 20s.
Keep in mind this was me going to these places in the middle of the day. No rushing to places at 5am to be first in line or having to run around the museum at 7pm because it closes in an hour.
In the US, you usually have to enter a ZIP code when you're trying to pay for gas at the pump. If you're a Canadian doing a road trip in the US, just take the numbers from your postal code, then add two zeroes. So if your postal code is M5V 3L9, then just enter "53900" as your makeshift ZIP code.
Does this only work for Canadian postal codes or for any country?
They always made me go to pay in advance when I entered my padded code.
I just did a quick cursory search, and here's what I found:
>UK cards work the same way. Input the numbers, ignore the letters, and fill the rest with zeroes.
>Swedish and German cards should just work as-is, since their postal codes are 5-digit numbers, just like US ZIP codes.
>Australian postal codes are 4-digit numbers, so adding a zero at the end is supposed to work.
The general gist appears to be, if your postal code contains less than 5 numbers, you can just put the numbers in, ignore the letters, and add any zeroes to fill in the rest.
I have no idea what would happen if you're from a country with more than five numbers in postal codes, or if such a code system exists.
Thanks for looking it up, I guess Japanese cards with 7 digit postal codes will use a truncated format then.