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Galley Gossip: 10 Smart travel tips from women around the world
When it comes to preparing for a trip, flight attendants are experts. We travel light with just a rollaboard and a tote bag. Rolling instead of folding leaves clothes wrinkle free. Outfits are coordinated around footwear; a comfy kick-around pair for exploring the city by day and something dressy for dinner and a show at night. Undies, socks and bikinis, whatever can be wadded up, are housed inside shoes. No space goes unused. To make things simple, pack black and be done with it. So what if we wear the same outfit over and over, that's what accessories are for! Scarves and jewelry can completely change boring black into something fab. Whatever gets left behind becomes the perfect excuse to go shopping for something new! Or how about getting to know the locals at a Laundromat. What better place to read a guide book or ask around for a great place to eat? Flight attendants aren't the only experts. My last Galley Gossip post, The Best Women's Travel Writing 2010 - book giveaway, brought in quite a few interesting travel tips from smart women travelers around the world. Here is a list of my top 10 favorite tips...
10 SMART TRAVEL TIPS FROM WOMEN
1. My mom always says bring your swimsuit and one easy outfit in your carry on so you won't lose a vacation day if checked bags are lost - Lindsay
2. If you are traveling with someone else, pack a few things in their luggage and a few of their things in your luggage. Then, if God forbid, one of you loses your luggage, you will still have some things to wear. - Leslie
3. Bring your children with you on trips. They get to experience the world in a new and exciting way. You will teach them to have a love for both travel and adventure, and you'll get to see them learning about the world and new places. It's almost like experiencing things again yourself for the first time. What is more beautiful than that? - Michelle
4. Throw out any leftover shampoo, hand lotion etc when going home. This leaves room for souvenirs that you haven't shipped home. - Judy
5. When I travel alone I wear a fake engagement ring and wedding band on my ring finger. It helps keep away unwanted attention. - Jen
6. Be spontaneous. When you're spontaneous, sometimes great things happen, and sometimes not so good things happen, but if you've got a good sense of humor the bad times can leave the best (funniest) memories. - Susan
7. Don't stress! Besides doing some research before you go about what is available (i.e., sailing, snorkeling, hiking tours, etc.) go without much of an agenda at all, except to have FUN! - Julia
8. Make an effort to go somewhere every other month. Even if it's a 2-3 hour road trip away from home. Work gets monotonous and I need to get a dose of the "travel bug" every now and then to keep things interesting. - Marena
9. Pack an amazing convertible dress like the American Apparel Cotton Jersey Bandeau Dress - $43 . It's space-saving magic - Gina
10. I email myself AND my mother a copy of my passport, my itinerary, and the international phone numbers for my credit cards. If I can't get online, I know I can call my mum should anything get stolen. - Morgan
[Photos courtesy of Madaboutasia and Julie70]
4. Throw out any leftover shampoo, hand lotion etc when going home. This leaves room for souvenirs that you haven't shipped home. - Judy
5. When I travel alone I wear a fake engagement ring and wedding band on my ring finger. It helps keep away unwanted attention. - Jen
6. Be spontaneous. When you're spontaneous, sometimes great things happen, and sometimes not so good things happen, but if you've got a good sense of humor the bad times can leave the best (funniest) memories. - Susan
7. Don't stress! Besides doing some research before you go about what is available (i.e., sailing, snorkeling, hiking tours, etc.) go without much of an agenda at all, except to have FUN! - Julia
8. Make an effort to go somewhere every other month. Even if it's a 2-3 hour road trip away from home. Work gets monotonous and I need to get a dose of the "travel bug" every now and then to keep things interesting. - Marena
9. Pack an amazing convertible dress like the American Apparel Cotton Jersey Bandeau Dress - $43 . It's space-saving magic - Gina
10. I email myself AND my mother a copy of my passport, my itinerary, and the international phone numbers for my credit cards. If I can't get online, I know I can call my mum should anything get stolen. - Morgan
[Photos courtesy of Madaboutasia and Julie70]
Gallery: Laviators: The best of the best
Filed under: Airlines, Galley Gossip, Women's Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sara Apr 2nd 2010 10:41AM
Re #5 - can we PLEASE retire this one?
A. Anyone who wants to hurt you probably isn't going to be deterred by the notion that you are married.
B. Anyone who is genuinely making a pass at you would probably be easy to shoot down with a verbal "I'm married, sorry". Which is free, and you can't leave it behind in a hotel room!
C. A lot of places don't have the wedding ring tradition, so wearing one is going to be pretty much meaningless there. Especially since you most often see this piece of "advice" trotted out to women traveling in the developing world - not only is it xenophobic, it's not even going to mean anything!
flyboy Apr 2nd 2010 12:30PM
I have been travelling for 24 years as a flight attendant. The notion of wearing a fake wedding ring and engagement ring is ridiculous. If anything, it WILL get you unwanted attention especially from the thieves. They are trained to spot jewellery, electronics etc... at the tourist spots.
That being said, number 1 is an absolute rule to live by.
May I add another rule:
Dress like the locals when possible. I have seen so many tourists who insist on wearing the Hawaiian shirt or wearing the baseball cap of their favourite NFL team. This is a beacon, again, for the thieves that hang around tourist resorts.
Sara Apr 2nd 2010 10:43AM
Oh, and #8 is BRILLIANT! I'm going to have to live by that one.
Ed Apr 4th 2010 7:14AM
Lots of great tips and advice.
http://www.europeantravelsecrets.com
Ketzel Apr 4th 2010 10:51AM
Number 9 is kind of pointless, also, aside from shilling for American Apparel. No matter how you twist it around you, all you have is one casual outfit that looks cute on teenagers and silly on anyone over the age of 18.
Wandering Roman Apr 4th 2010 11:55AM
Sending all your information to a relative and/or friend is a good idea, since they can probably get everything done faster than you can in case all your personal information gets stolen.
The again wearing a wedding and engagement ring is totally stupid. Everyone knows that a married woman traveling alone is a lot "easier" than a single woman.
jana Apr 4th 2010 12:09PM
I don't take short trips, and the trip I'm currently in the midst of has required clothes for snow, rain, cold weather, and hot weather, as well as professional and casual attire, so I have A LOT of luggage. Before you buy your airline ticket, check with EACH AND EVERY LEG to see what the luggage requirements are. From the US to the UK, I paid an extra $60. From the UK to Austria, I paid an extra $56. From Austria to Cairo, I paid an extra 600 EUROS!!! I looked the clerk in the eye and said, "Yes, you got me good this time, but never again." (Austrian Air code sharing with Egypt Air)
frank96 Apr 4th 2010 7:39PM
I found this site many years ago. It's very resourceful for the traveler: http://www.johnnyjet.com/home.asp
FOR WOMAN ONLY: http://www.johnnyjet.com/Women-Travelers.html
In fact, they have a section just for women and packing: http://journeywoman.com/PackingTips/PackingTipsindex.htm
enjoy, ladies!
Evelyn Apr 5th 2010 1:45PM
#10 I try not to email important documents. Some things like passport numbers are for your eyes only. Why not simply photocopy the first page of your passport and give it to your mom or a friend. It's safer that way.
Evelyn, editor of http://www.journeywoman.com
Rosie Apr 5th 2010 11:45PM
Interesting guide, thank u!
I think women should avoid the crowds if they do not want to be picked pocket. In Vietnam, there are so many cases like that.
For Vietnam visa, check out this site http://www.vietnamvisaonline.net
Mike Apr 6th 2010 12:26PM
Mostly good tips. My wife's a Monday through Friday business traveler and her number one tip is to learn to pack efficiently and never check your bags. She can comfortably live out of her carry on for several weeks and it never gets lost thus eliminating tips #1 and #2.
#5 is laughable at best. Putting on jewelery to reduce attention? Not on this planet. Every serious traveler I know does the opposite to reduce unwanted attention. Unless the tip meant to wear something less flashy. In that case the same serious travelers I mentioned do indeed do that. My wife has a very plain, inexpensive wedding band that she wears to some locales so nothing happens to her "official" one. Most places outside the USA her finger goes naked though. The exercise of finding a lost valuable far from home is not something she wants to go through.
Ron Apr 6th 2010 10:24PM
OMG! I love #8, it's so true! I fly across country once a month, even if I have no reason to, I pick a city and GO! Sometimes it's just for one night. It's a fun way to get away, and I always seem to have the most interesting experiences on those trips.
Danielle "Miss Journey" May 19th 2010 11:41AM
These are great tips. Re: #1 Depending on the length of the trip, I try to pack everything into a carry on so I do not have to worry about lost luggage or waiting at baggage claim.