9 Must-Know Tips for Your Next Trip or Vacation

09 Mar 2025 #misc

I’m far from collecting enough passport stamps for a world tour.

But, I’ve traveled abroad more than once. Thanks to coding, I saved enough to visit Spain and France before the pandemic. It was my final exam after studying French for a couple of years.

Here are 9 tips I’ve learned from those travels:

1. Always pack a jacket: Last time I was on vacation I visited a tropical country. Of course, I only packed shorts and swimsuits. But once I was thousands of feet in the air and inside a pressurized cabin, I was freezing.

2. Pack underwear and cleaning essentials in your handbag: In case, your baggage is lost or delayed. Better safe than sorry.

3. Visit your favorite destination first: For my travel to France, Paris was the last city I visited. By the time I got there, I didn’t have the energy to walk for hours and visit museums. I missed a lot of must-see places. And I didn’t truly enjoy the ones I visited. I was tired. Next time, I’m visiting my favorite destinations first.

4. Schedule a free day to wander around, sit in a park, go to a cafe, or simply do nothing. Often, we travel to rest and unplug but we end up exhausted from hours of walking, connecting flights, and museums.

5. Start with a walking tour: Often, they’re free. Or you can leave a tip at the end of the tour. And you have the chance to ask your tour guide for places to eat and hang around where locals go.

6. Bring eye masks and earplugs. Perfect for sleeping on planes or trains…And hostels can get loud sometimes.

7. If you’re crossing the Atlantic, from America to Europe, start your flight in the evening: This lets you get some sleep on the plane and arrive at your destination with daylight. It reduces the jet lag.

8. Wear pants that don’t need a belt and shoes without laces. It will save you a lot of time at security controls.

9. Keep your passport in your bag and only take it out at security checkpoints. Often there’s some stigma associated with our country of origin. I bet the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Colombia isn’t Encanto, just like Coco when you think of Mexico—both Disney movies. Keeping your passport in plain sight invites extra scrutiny from security personnel walking around airports.