Top Travel Secrets Revealed!
Did you realize that when you research a senior trip – looking into the right modes of senior transportation, senior travel deals, etc. – you are looking into many of the same things that travel writers look into?
As a retiree you might be thinking of working something to supplement your retirement income. What could be more amazing then getting paid to travel and write on places you experience on senior trips as a travel writer?
The funny thing is that when you are going on your senior vacation you are dealing with the same frustrations and joys as travel writers do: remembering to bring medications, travel packages, purchasing senior travel insurance, finding the best travel deals, paying the baggage fees.
Because travel writers are just like any other traveler, they put together a list of top travel secrets they’ve encountered that they want to share with fellow travelers!
IndependentTraveler.com asked 35 writers and bloggers to share their wisdom from life on the road (in the air, on a boat…) and these are the top pieces of senior travel advice they came up with:
- “Trying to get into a sold-out hotel? Find out when cancellation penalties set in for the date you want to arrive, then call the property on the morning of that day. You can scoop up rooms made available by people who’ve just canceled.” — Wendy Perrin, Perrin Post
- “You should always carry a copy of your passport when you travel, but more important is keeping that copy safe. In the event your bags are lost or stolen, what are you going to do if your passport is in the bag? Keep a copy of your passport in the sole of your shoe. — Melanie Nayer, MelanieNayer.com
- “Always pack zip-lock bags. They are ideal for packing things tighter, separating wet from dry and managing small items like batteries.” — JoAnna Haugen, Kaleidoscopic Wandering
- “Connect with locals living in your destination via Facebook, Twitter or blogs, and make a point to meet them for coffee or even couch surf with some of them. You’ll find yourself getting deeper under the skin of the country, and understanding a bit more about local culture and lifestyle than you usually would.” — Nellie Huang, Wild Junket
- “Question charges like resort fees or valet parking at hotels. Often they will be removed from your bill if you question them at check-out.” — Kathy A. McDonald, Eastside Eye
- “You’ll always get more in-depth information in the guidebook with the narrowest scope. If you’re going to Rome, the Rome book will be better than the Italy book, and that will be better than the Europe book. Consider bringing only one or two travel guides and photocopying pages out of the rest, which you can toss when you move on to the next destination or head home.” — Erica Silverstein, Cruise Critic
- “Saving money on a rental car has to be the most mundane and least thrilling secret I could offer, but there’s nothing dull about saving a dozen to a few hundred dollars every time you travel.” — Ed Hewitt, Traveler’s Ed
- “Before you start your trip, take a photo of your luggage. Put yourself into the pic, standing next to the bag. (This will give a good idea of the bag’s size.) Keep the shot in your camera, and also print out a copy. When your bag goes missing, hand over the copy (or show the in-cam shot) to the baggage folks at the airport. This can really help with finding your luggage. I did this on a recent trip to Kiev and the baggage folks there thought this was a dandy idea.” — Susan Farlow, FarWriter
- “Divide each person’s belongings amongst all luggages – that way no one is SOL if one bag is lost.” — Corinne McDermott, Have Baby Will Travel
- “Book your accommodations directly on the hotel’s own Web site. Join the hotel’s mailing list and reward program. You’ll get the guaranteed lowest rates without booking fees and burdensome cancellation polices.” — Pamela Jones, Travel Site Critic
- “Book your flight on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Most of the airlines roll out their online sales in the beginning of the work week — especially the domestic discount.” — Caroline Costello, IndependentTraveler.com
- “Do away with bringing loads of money on European trips and simply pack your debit card. ATM machines are all over the place in major cities and work the same way as they do here in America.” — Andrew Hickey, The Brooklyn Nomad
- “When we look back on a trip, our lasting memories are rarely of the many famous attractions we’ve visited or the places we’ve rushed through to snap a picture of that well-known monument. We are far more likely to remember that uncomfortable and scary journey across the mountains or the strangers we met in the one-horse town who became our good friends. So take the time to get to know the little places you visit and don’t worry if you don’t get to every place in the guidebook. We’ve learned this the hard way, and our itineraries now contain less than half of the stops that they did several years ago.” — Andy Jarosz, 501 Places
- “Low-cost airlines aren’t always the cheapest. The ticket price may appear to be a bargain, but take a minute to tally the additional expenses. These include items such as booking fees, check-in baggage fees, advance seat reservation fees, and food and drinks on board.” — Keith Jenkins, Velvet Escape
- “Never forget that it’s your vacation and there’s no wrong way to do it. There’s no such thing as a must-see attraction. If you want to travel all the way to Paris and order room service, that’s your business. Do what feels fun to you.” — Jamie Pearson, Travel Savvy Mom
