Thursday 13 ~ Expert Travel Tips
For this weeks Thursday Thirteen I interviewed a friend of mine. She has been a travel agent for as long as I’ve known her, she works for Travel Professionals International. I wanted to know what her top 13 travel tips were, so she shared them with me and now I’m going to share them with you. I hyperlinked it up (with all the Canadian companies I like) and added my opinions here and there! 
#1. Photocopy your passports, make 2 copies, take 1 with you & leave 1 at home with someone that has access to fax machine. In case they are lost or stolen, it is so much easier to replace.
#2. Sun screen for those hot spots, start with a 30 or higher. (Based on my – Shan’s – experience, I’d recommend a sun burn salve for those “just in case” moments!)
#3. Tie a colored ribbon on luggage, so much easier to identify, or buy purple like I did. (I totally agree!! I even posted about loosing my bags a couple months ago)
#4. Spend a few days there in the sun before booking day trips/excursions, if not you could burn badly ruining your holiday right off the bat. (I have a not so funny story about this… a couple we met while on our honeymoon… where on their honeymoon, 2nd day there… they were burnt to a crisp and had to spend the remainder of their honeymoon in their room, one on the couch and one in the bed. Burnt like lobsters! Not the way to spend your honeymoon!!)
#5. Take your own soap for the shower if you have sensitive skin.
#6. Book a stopover hotel prior to your trip if during the winter months, it’s not worth taking the chance. (You only need to spend one night on the floor of the airport to know THIS IS GOOD ADVICE!)
#7. ALWAYS purchase travel insurance. (Couldn’t say it better myself!!)
#8. Take along a bottle of after sun Aloe Vera gel, you will thank me later! Your skin will drink it up!
#9. Drink bottled water when away.
#10. Pack your carry-on in such a way that if it was lost or stolen, you could survive a few days. Create a few outfits out of a few items & be sure to have a swimsuit & wrap in there.
#11. Remember to take your own snacks when traveling to the Islands, they can be very expensive there.
#12. Take along a scented candle or 2 for your room, they are great for the high humidity & your room with smell awesome. (Not to mention… ROMANTIC! I was going to hyperlink the company I worked for when I met my hubby but I wanted to highlight all things Canadian…)
#13. Have a great time and make certain to relax; holidays are not holidays if you come home exhausted. (CAN I GET AN AMEN?!!)
#14. And… because Sherry did this for me out of the kindness of her heart… here’s her email if you need a holiday!! swatkinson@tpi.ca
Thanks Sherry!! I really appreciate it!
Get the Thursday 13 code here if you want to participate on your own blog!
Great list! I have never thought about taking photocopies of passports, but that is a great tip!
Happy TT!
Comment by Tracie — January 28, 2010 @ 12:22 pm
#1 is such a great idea! Think I could also upload it to my email where I could call it down if I have internet access?
Comment by Alice Audrey — January 28, 2010 @ 1:34 pm
question? when flying with a 4 month old I realize you don’t have to purchase a seat but what if u need to bring a pack n play and car seat for at your destination how does this work??
Comment by alicia — January 28, 2010 @ 1:50 pm
I’m sorry she will be 7 months old by the time we do take the trip if we take one.
Comment by alicia — January 28, 2010 @ 1:51 pm
Great list! I’ve been caught wishing I’d done a lot of these in past trips.
Comment by Calico Crazy — January 28, 2010 @ 2:10 pm
Hi Alicia,
I have a lot of experience with flying with infants. Each of my kids flew 3 or 4 times before their 2nd birthday. Most flights were over 5 hours long…
You will need to check with your airline to see what their policy is regarding extra luggage and if they will charge you or not. I used to be able to travel with a stroller, car seat and playpen with no problem, the larger items were checked in with my suitcases.
The stroller, you can keep until you board, the flight attendents will take it from you at the door to the plane and most airlines will deliever it to the door when you reach your destination. Only one airport/airline didn’t do that and it made for a difficult journey to the baggage claim area! 3 kids under 4 yrs old and me all to myself!!
I hope that helped! Feel free to ask me any more questions you may have.
Comment by Travel Queen — January 28, 2010 @ 4:30 pm
I tie a yellow ribbon. I’m afraid of bringing some stuff because I’ve lost some liquids in the wrong size bottles more than once.
Comment by colleen — January 28, 2010 @ 8:43 pm
I do most of the things you listed down. This is very timely since I’m traveling next week. Thanks so much for the reminders
Great list that I’d share with my friends 
Happy Thursday!
Comment by MommyBa — January 28, 2010 @ 9:08 pm
aye aye captain
Common hence Over-Rated
Comment by adesi — January 29, 2010 @ 2:50 am
This is a great list, I’ve probably needed to use all the tips except for losing my passport! For any who do not normally travel, if you use these tips, you will really make your trip more pleasant!
Comment by Marilyn — January 29, 2010 @ 7:37 am
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