Travel Tips - by Nathan McNeill
Table of Contents
This page is a collection of personal travel tips that I have developed after much experience as a backpacker traveler.
1. Money. Do not carry all of your cash in one place. Divide it up. I usually carry money in three places and I only keep enough money in my pants pocket for the day. I keep one stash of cash in a Ziploc bag in a special pocket inside my backpack that is against my back. This pocket was originally designed for a hydration bladder. The reason I keep the money in this special pocket against my back is that if someone slashes open my pack the money will not fall out with the other contents of the pack. Keeping paper money in a Ziploc bag will protect it from moisture. Nylon packs are not always as waterproof as one would hope.
I typically do not carry a wallet while traveling because a bulging pocket is a temptation for thieves. I once had my wallet nabbed while riding a bus in China. I only lost the equivalent of $15 because I had only my money for that day inside the wallet. The rest of my money was safely stowed elsewhere. I usually carry some money in a special pouch pinned inside my pants. I have two different pouches that I use for this purpose. The small one pictured below can only hold folded bills and can be tied shut with the drawstring. This pouch can easily be pinned inside a pants pocket.
The pouch below is larger and it was originally designed to hang around ones neck. I used it this way for a while, but it was obvious that I was wearing something under my shirt, so I cut off the neck string and began pinning it inside my pants. If placed correctly no one can see that I am wearing the thing. This pouch is large enough to accommodate my passport and money inside a Ziploc bag.
Here is another anecdote to illustrate the importance of dividing up your money. I was once robbed while traveling in Kenya. The men who robbed me asked for all of my money (I only had about $5 worth of Kenyan Schillings in my pocket); however, I only gave them the money from one of the pouches inside my pants. Although I lost a significant amount of money I didn’t lose everything as the men weren’t interested in searching inside my pants. I walked away from the situation with the money that was stashed inside the second pouch inside my pants. At that time I was traveling with large sums of money because I felt that it was important to carry enough cash to buy a return ticket home. Today credit cards are widely accepted in many parts of the world and ATMs can be found in most major cities. So, carrying large sums of money is no longer a necessity.
One more note of caution. I used to carry valuables such as my passport and extra cash in my camera case. This is a very foolish thing to do as a camera case is something that is very easy to set down and forget and is also something that a thief would like to get their hands on. I once lost my camera bag in Mexico; fortunately, I had wised up and had started keeping my film and valuables elsewhere. I only lost my camera.
2. Documents and credit cards. Make at least two photocopies of all your cards (credit cards, ATM cards, drivers license, etc.) and important documents such as your passport and visa. Place one set of copies in a safe place inside your baggage and give the other set of copies to one of your traveling companions to keep for the duration of the trip. This way are are likely to have copies available should you lose your original documents and cards. These copies will help in the process of obtaining replacements. Again, you should keep passport and travel documents in a Ziploc bag to protect them from moisture.
Before you leave on your trip you should call your credit card companies and let them know where you will be traveling. Many credit card companies will temporarily disable your card if they detect major changes in the way that your card is being used. Several years ago I moved to Canada and was living off of my credit card until I could set up a Canadian bank account. On my second day in the country my card suddenly stopped working. A quick call to the credit card company resolved the problem and I was able to use my card again. This is really more of an inconvenience than a serious problem, but a quick call to your credit card companies before you leave will mean that you do not have to deal with this hassle while you are traveling. You should also check to make sure the PIN on your ATM card will work in the country that you are visiting. In some countries a PIN must have more than four digits.
3. Pack light. Usually there is nothing you will need that you cannot buy at your destination. And besides, shopping and buying things is one of the pleasures of traveling as it gives you a chance to interact with local people. I also tend to ship souvenirs and unneeded items home rather than carry them around with me as I travel. I figure that the added cost of shipping is worth the reduced weight inside my pack. Below is a photo of all of the things I packed for a two month trip to China and India in which I was planning on doing some cycle touring. I once met a young Korean fellow who was traveling around China with a shoulder bag the size of a textbook. In his bag he had nothing more than a light jacket and bottle of beer!
4. Finding your way. When you check into a hotel, hostel, or dormitory grab a card from the front desk with the hotel’s name, address, and phone number on it. Keep this card with you at all times. This card will help you find your way back to where you are staying. I once met a retired American gentleman who had spent two months traveling around China by himself. He didn’t speak any Chinese and so the hotel card was essential for finding his way back to his hotel. He could hand it to a taxi driver and they would take him home. One day he forgot to take a card and as a consequence spent six hours trying to find his hotel!
5. Communication. I usually take along a prepaid phone card with toll free access numbers for the countries that I am visiting. This may not be of such importance today as your cell phone may work in all of the placing you will be visiting. Alternatively, a cell phone can often be purchased or rented in the country you are visiting for a very reasonable cost.
6. Sanitation. I typically carry tissues and hand sanitizer (or sanitary wipes) with me to keep my hands and face clean. These items can usually be purchased at your destination. When traveling, I find myself touching hand rails, bus and subway rails, and door handles that have been touched by many other people. I seem to be rather susceptible to unfamiliar bacteria and viruses and on more than one occasion have returned from an extended travel abroad with pneumonia or a nasty strain of the flu.