I have done a lot of traveling over the years—72 countries (according to Brittanica’s list) and 42 states. During my first big trip (for one year with my backpack in the South Pacific), I learned a lot and earned my stripes!  Times have changed since that post-university graduation year of 1984, especially with technology, so many of the tips I would have given back then are now obsolete.

This leads me to Tip #1: Do NOT, I repeat DO NOT buy an eSIM for your phone at your destination airport! For that matter, save yourself a lot of stress and purchase it at home before you leave! I witnessed a big problem firsthand on our Turkiye trip. Some members of our tour group purchased an eSIM at the airport upon arrival and it didn’t work with their phone, which they didn’t learn until later. They were also unable to get a refund.

My recommendation? I have an unlocked cell phone I use for travel and purchase a global eSIM from home through Airalo. I purchased the $89 one that is valid for 365 days and includes 20 GB of data, 200 minutes of phone, and 200 SMS texts. They also sell just data eSIMs, so make sure you click on the “Data/Calls/Texts” tab on the site if you want all three. For a discount, use referral code ELAINE7474.

There are Airalo eSIM options that are less expensive, but the valid period is shorter and they include less. Since we travel a lot internationally throughout the year, the 365-day eSIM works best for me, and I have not had any problems with it at all.

Tip #2: Do you use the safe in your hotel room? Have you ever forgotten something in that safe? On a previous trip, a fellow traveler forgot their passport in the safe and didn’t realize it until the bus had driven off. To avoid the same mistake, leave one shoe in the safe of the pair you will be wearing when you check out. I doubt you will leave the hotel wearing one shoe!

Tip #3: Check with your bank to see if it has a partner bank at your destination. I use an ATM card from Bank of America, and using their partner banks saved me $11 per transaction during my last trip.

Tip #4: If you are traveling with a spouse, you should each carry an ATM card and credit card in case one doesn’t work for some reason. We only own two credit cards, and we each carry a different one in case there is a problem.  I have also adjusted my bank and credit card settings to notify me by e-mail following every single transaction, no matter the amount, so I will know if either one has been compromised.

Tip #5: In a computer document, type a list of passwords, insert images of your scanned passport, wallet contents, and include any other important information you may need.  Make sure to PASSWORD PROTECT that document! Now, email or text it to yourself with a phony title. If you need to write down the password, DO NOT include what that password is for. Just put it on a piece of paper and put it somewhere safe.

Tip #6: Bruce and I hate wearing those travel waist belts, so I use a small Travelon security backpack that has straps that can’t easily be cut with a knife. It also includes locking zippers and other security features. My travel wallet (with security features) has a chain that I clip to the loop inside my pack. In crowds, I wear the pack in front of me.

Tip #7: Before packing cubes were invented, I used Ziploc bags for clothes and sucked the air out before zipping shut.  This kept my clothes organized and easy to repack in my backpack.  Compression cubes are so much easier now! Still, I always pack empty Ziploc bags for unfinished snacks purchased along the way, chocolate bars (which I ALWAYS buy), anything that could cause a messy disaster in my suitcase, and for handwash, as detailed in my next tip.

Tip #8: Pack light, and then handwash your clothes when needed. If the sink (or bidet) in your hotel doesn’t have a stopper, place your handwash in a large Ziploc along with detergent and water, zip shut, shake, and rinse. For a larger load, I either use the plastic laundry bag the hotel provided, or if it has holes, I use the plastic grocery bags I always stick in my suitcase.  Load it up with your laundry, soap and water, twist shut, shake, and rinse.  Forget to bring laundry sheets or detergent from home?  Use the hotel’s bath gel.  After doing your handwash and squeezing the water out, roll them up in a towel (which will absorb the excess water) and your clothes will dry quicker. 

Tip #9: In the morning when the room cleaning carts are in the hotel hallway, grab an extra towel and return the wet ones from your handwash.

Tip #10: Bring a couple of inflatable hangers for the t-shirts or blouses you wash.  They pack light, and clothes dry quicker.  They also come in handy if the hotel shorts you on hangers.

Tip #11: Pack an empty small spray bottle (I use one left from travel size hairspray) in your suitcase. If your clothes are wrinkled upon arrival, fill the bottle with water, hang your clothes up in the bathroom, and spray them.  Shake each one out with a vigorous snap, hang it back up, and your wrinkles will be gone when the water is dry.  (Yes, I carefully roll my clothes and even lay a dry cleaning bag in between the folds, but I still get some wrinkles!)

Tip #12: Spread a thin layer of Vaseline on your feet in any place susceptible to getting blisters.  This has worked every time for me, even after long hikes!

Tip #13: Traveling to a third-world country?  Toilet paper may not be available in public bathrooms.  Grab a roll from your hotel bathroom, stick it in that extra Ziploc bag you brought, and drop it in your backpack.  You will thank me later, and so will the others in the bathroom line you share it with!

Tip #14: Hotels in some countries do not provide facial tissue, or, if they do, it is very thin and scratchy.  The tissue in travel Kleenex packs is also not top-quality, so before you leave home, go ahead, splurge, and buy a box of the softest, cushiest tissue you can find.  Take it out of the box and fold them into Ziploc Snack Bags.  Drop one bag in your backpack and as many back-ups as you think you may need in your suitcase.  If you don’t get sick or have allergies, keep the unused bags in your suitcase for next time. (For that matter, keep all your travel stuff in your suitcase for your next trip.) If you do get sick, again, you will thank me.  You’re welcome.  Note: If you are fortunate to come across a hotel during your travels with cushy Kleenex, refill your bags.

Tip #15: Do you use a white noise machine at home?  Leave it there and download a free app on your phone.  I use Sleep Sounds.

Tip #16: Bring a few laundry clips or clothes pins for all sorts of uses.  I like to sleep in a dark room, so if the drapes won’t close well, I clip them shut.  They also come in handy for unfinished snacks, if your Ziploc bags are already in use elsewhere.  Another use is to clip together brochures and maps you collect along the way.

Happy travels!