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Last active June 9, 2019 20:09
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Traveling Tips
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traveling-tips.md

Travelin Tips

This is a quick set of tips I am writing for a friend.

Levels of planning

  1. You can plan every city, hotel/hostel, and activity for your trip.
  2. You can just pick a date to leave and and date to come back and decide everything on the go.
  3. (my fav) Pick the cities, one or two main things I want to see at each city and where I want to stay (hotel/hostel)

Where do I like staying?

I usually like hostels. Particularly, a hostels that has a bar as well.
(unless I need some me time - then I stay at a hotel)
I like that because I can just go to the bar and start meeting people.
These people can give me tips about where to go and I can even tag along with plans they have made for the next day.
Towards the end of my stay, new people will have arrived and they will be joining you for the plans you have made.
You make really good friends that have a similar traveling-exploring mindset.

What do I pack?

I am a big fan of packing as little as possible.
Most hostels have a laundry room and if they don't, there is always the sink and/or some laundry place somewhere.
Which brings me to what kind of clothes do I take.

Clothes, Shoes, etc

  • Shirts (2-3): Dark colors that can dry quickly.
  • Pants (1-2): Dark jeans - you will more likely never wash them.
  • Socks (5-7): You want to make sure you have enough socks.
  • Underwear (5-7): You want to make sure you always have clean underwear
  • Shoes (2): while one is cleaning/drying you are using the other one.
  • Flip Flops (1): Essential for showering and hanging out.
  • Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant.
  • Shoe Powder (1): if you are walking a lot - your shoe might smell and you might not ahve time to wash it (I usually forget this and I buy at the city)
  • Vaseline for your feet: Again, if you are walking a lot - you might get a blister - it can ruin your trip. Vaseline will help.

Backpack

Find something that is confortable. I like backpack. My friend always brings one of those 4 wheels suit case. Everyone makes fun of him because he is not really backpacking, but at the same time, he doesn't cary any weight on his shoulder and towards the end of a long trip - everyone is wishing they were traveling like him. I have yet to find something that is in the middle.
My strategy is, make the backpack light enough that you won't regret caring on your shoulders after a couple of weeks.

Daypack

One of my favorite things to bring is a daypack. I love those that when folded can fit in my pocket. This means I can put in my backpack and it won't take any space at all. When I get to the hostel, I take it out and put whatever I need for the day. Here is one of them: https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Summit-Ultra-Sil-Pack-20-Liter/dp/B0033ZMY1W

How do I plan my activities?

Free Walking Tour

My favorite thing to do when I get to the city is to do a free walking tour.
I usually look that up before I get to the city.
This gives me:

  • an overview of the city
  • meet new people
  • get tips of where to go

Touristy attraction

Why did I pick that city? There must be something you read somewhere about the place and that is why you are there.
Make sure you know when you can visit that place. After the walking tour, if it doesn't take you to that place, you can decide when to visit it.

Non-touristy

These are my favorite things to do in a city.
What are the things that most people don't know about this city.
What do locals recomend?
That is why you really get to know a place.
Ask your free walking tour guide about those things.

Other tips:

Silicon bracelet can have many uses. Here are some:

Looking back on your past travels feels so good.

So... take lots of pictures and 5 second videos.
You are a tourist, it is okay to take pictures of your food.
Why 5 second videos? With tons of pictures and short videos you can automatically create a short video of your day. Google Photos, iCloud and many other softwares can do those things for you:

You can also make a longer video too:

"Same" photo everywhere

This one is fun to look back at. I wish I started doing it earlier.
Pick a pose or thing you do and take a picture of that in every city/landmark you go to.

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