Travel Tips

Over the years we’ve traveled over 220,000 miles and we’ve picked up a few tips along the way. Here are a few of our favorites:

When driving, always carry a paper map. You never know when all those fancy electronics will fail you. (We use Rand McNally’s 11×17 Road Atlas.)
Travel for free whenever you can. Maximize credit card points and frequent flyer points as much as possible. We’ll provide more details in future blogs.
Use an app like Gas Buddy to get the best deals on gas prices. You never know when the gas is 10 cents cheaper just around the corner!
Use your technology! We always have our laptops, iPads and iPhones along with us. We use our iPhones almost constantly to make hotel reservations, research historical sites and keep in contact with everyone back home. We only use our laptops and iPads when we have free WiFi.
Do your research. Typically, we don’t eat, sleep or visit anywhere without first reading reviews on TripAdvisor. That may make us sound overcautious but it also saves us from bad meals and sleepless nights. Of course, there are times we “just do it” and we’ve had some great times doing so, but most of the time… (We also give back by writing reviews on virtually everything we do.)

Dream big – think of where you want to go and make a list. Don’t be limited by your current budget or situation. I started dreaming of visiting Versailles when I was in 4th grade. It took me almost 40 years to make that dream come true!
Travel every year. Don’t wait till you retire, get started traveling now! The practice will do you good!
Pack for one week. No matter how long you’re going to be gone you only need a week’s worth of clothing. Laundry facilities are all over the world. Use them.
Plan and save for travel. Set aside separate funds that are dedicated to your future travel.
Be frugal and extend your travel dollar. We make every effort to travel cheaply or even for free. We’ll share some tips in our blog to show you how we do it.
Do your research so you won’t be surprised when you get there. We’ll also post some of our favorite travel websites that we use when we do our research.
Be flexible. Travel is always subject to change. Seldom do plans work out perfectly and you need to be ready to adapt. You’ll have a lot more fun that way.