Gateway!

My top travel tips and lessons learned from the last few years.

• Always pack a hat. In the winter, a knit hat will keep you warm and take up little room. In the summer, a brimmed hat will keep the sun off your face. In either case, it will save you when your straightening iron doesn’t work in the trapezoidal electrical socket you found in your hotel room.

• Wherever you are, wherever you are going, bring snacks.

• Packing for a trip is infinitely easier when you’ve just done laundry.

• Bring a travel first aid kit with the following: ibuprofen (or other pain killer), decongestant, bandages, hydrocortizone cream. You will not believe how often it will come in handy.

• Going somewhere with clean drinking water? Pack a reusable water bottle that clips on to your bag. Bonus points if it’s collapsible.

• You will never wear that second dressy outfit, so stop packing it. Most trips, you won’t even wear the first dressy outfit (but you should still pack that one).

• Bags with wheels are amazing. That backpack might seem more agile, but have you ever seen someone trek across an airport with one of those on their back? Nimble does not come to mind. Sciatica, yes. But not nimble.

• Don’t forget your camera charger. You will go through that battery in a second, esp. when your friends insist on flipping through all of the photos that you just took in order to relive something that happened 5 minutes ago.

• Don’t pack clothes that require ironing. Hell, don’t buy clothes that require ironing.Never pack something that you haven’t worn before. Otherwise you’ll find your new shoes too uncomfortable, your new jacket too flimsy, your new underwear too wedgie-prone.

• Call your credit card company before you leave and put a travel alert on your card. While you’re at it, jot down their international customer service number.

• Make photocopies of your passport and leave one with friends and another tucked into your bag. Or, better yet, scan your passport and email a copy to yourself.

• Wear sunscreen anytime you will be outside, regardless of the temperature or weather

• And, most importantly: never, EVER leave any valuables in your vehicle. I don’t care if it’s safely hidden in the trunk. I don’t care if you’re parked in the safest part of town. Don’t do it. It’s not worth the risk.