The 5 travel tips you can't do without
BY QUEEN OF JET LAGS
Look, she is the empress of Instagram with the coolest outfits and the most beautiful photos, but she is also Queen of Jet Lags the one who spends most of the year traveling to other places. The designated person to give us all the travel tips you can't do without, want, and will.
First things first, we all want to continuously update our friends with the fabulous moments you experience during your trip and stay in touch with them and your family while you travel. Believe me, I have had to deal with such a sky-high phone bill that you can assume from me that it is a good idea to purchase a data bundle for abroad. It may cost a bit, but that's nothing compared to the bill that will otherwise land on your doormat. Additionally, Starbucks is your best friend because there is always free wifi available there. Even if you are standing outside, you can often receive it. Tip for when you don't feel like coffee.
Update your phone with a new folder full of good travel apps. My favorites are: Airbnb, Uber, Google Maps (search your route when you have a wifi connection, the app saves it so you can use it offline), Yelp (an app that tells you everything you are looking for; from gas station to snack bar) and Booking.com.
Believe it or not, there are plenty of places where you can still pay cash in a very old-school way. So make sure you always have cash on hand. But definitely not too much with the increased risk of pickpockets in big cities. It is also the case that sometimes extra fees are charged if you want to pay with a Maestro card or Mastercard, so it's better to pay cash. And it's always handy if you want to give someone a tip.
If you don't have just one place to stay, make sure to pack the items you need most often at the top of your suitcase. Packing a suitcase is an art in itself. Through all my travels, I have gotten quite good at this and I have even written an article about it on my own website that you here can read.
Taxi drivers have a knack for taking tourists for a ride by, for example, taking a longer route than necessary. So always make sure to check what the fastest route is before you get into a taxi. I always screenshot the address of the hotel or apartment where I am staying and the route there, so I still know the way back, even if I don't have wifi. And this way you can correct the taxi driver if he takes a detour.
