AirTag your bags, even carry ons because sometimes overhead bins are full and they force you to gate check. Looking for a lost bag sucks.

Don’t schedule 100% of your time, leave some free time to do whatever appeals to you.

Don’t always go for the touristy places/activities, try what the locals like.

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How to save money

Be flexible on date/time of the year/location to save travel costs.

It’s always more expensive to travel on a weekend. If you can book mid-week flights, you can save a lot of money. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually good travel days.

Also if you avoid traveling to your destination during the busy season you will likewise save money. Although, be careful as lots of things may be closed during the off season, so make sure you can do what you want when you’re there. I’ve found travel in early March and late September is enough on the edge of busy season to get cheaper prices while still having decent weather.

Finally, if you don’t have a set destination, you can just go where there are super cheap flights. I have trackers on destinations I’d like to go and book when it gets cheap enough to justify (I was able to go to NZ this year for half the price tickets normally are using this strategy).

Bring a small flashlight on trips and inspect the mattress seama before you get into any strange bed, you’ll be very grateful to never get bedbugs. It can happen to anyone anywhere and it’s a horror show.

Save money: be dynamic, have deal alert set and just go when the right deal comes.

How to pack: have a backpack ready to go, filled with your clothes for a week, any electronics you need, just throw in your laptop. Don’t worry about anything you can buy on arrival. Things you can get at 7-Eleven. Don’t bother packing those things. Ideally everything in your bag should have multiple uses: swim trunks can be used to shorts when you’re short on laundry. Try to get all of your devices to use the same charging cord USBC. Get a gallium arsenic charger. Get 2 m chords.

If you have trouble packing everything into a single backpack, you’re probably bringing too much for a spontaneous trip. Figure out what you can leave. Maybe you can do laundry more often, use the hotel laundry. Maybe you don’t need multiple pairs of shoes. You can rewear clothes multiple days.

Things to do: go out and meet people, talk to people, be friendly, ask questions, and genuinely listen to the answers. You can meet people on Facebook, or hello talk, or tinder. And just have those people show you the area. It’s a fun activity to meet people and do things.

Things you must bring: two phones, with all your important apps on both phones, Make sure you have a translator app on both phones. Arlo or Google fi for data sim cards. A lockable bag you can put important documents in. a satchel or purse or man purse. When you’re traveling in a new place it’s very helpful to be able to just store things in a satchel, including water sunscreen a hat, sunglasses.

• No matter where do you go, no matter for how long, pack only enough to have your main hand free all the time.
• Learn basic icebreaker words. Never underestimate these.
• If the deal sounds too good to be true, then it is.
• Have a few polite explanations to skip going straight to the local den of thieves, rapists, abductors and organ dealers. “I am sorry, but I have a serious case of anal cancer”, “thanks, but I’m here with my 6 brothers and they don’t want me to go anywhere without them” - they come in handy.
• Treat small hardships as sources of fun, instead of deal breakers. “Oh look, no towels, probably the monkey stole them!”
• Unless there’s real reason for that (you’re named Joey L) aim at “good enough” but not “extraordinary and expensive” stuff. Clothes, equipment, anything. Be ready to lose, break, exchange it.
• Water is life.
• Always negotiate the price before, not after.
• Don’t stuff your e-readers/smartphones with 1000s of books, movies, music. Select only a handful and live with the choice you made.
• Save some money and personal trinkets for the last day and buy/exchange them for small trinkets on the last day of your visit. The “last chance deal” is often damn sweet cheery on top of the cake that was your whole trip.
• Pockets. Preferably hard to open. Non optional.
• Try exotic dishes you’re not accustomed to only if you’re open to the possibility of diarrhea. If you’re ok with that, go forth!
• If you catch local disease, then usually local medicine > your medicine.
• If possible, stop every now and then. Close your eyes and listen to the place. The streets of NYC may surprise you with sounds as exotic as Cambodian jungle makes.

Off the top of my head:

• If possible, travel with a carry on, no checked bags. Saves a lot of time in airports and less likely losing it.
• Roll your clothes in your bag to maximize space.
• Bring a small bag/pouch for your passport, phone, keys, and wallet so you don’t have to dig through your carry on whenever you need them. You can also take it with you to the plane restroom so you don’t need to worry about someone stealing them while you’re gone.
• Save an offline map (google maps can do this, other apps can probably do too) so you dont have to worry about getting lost if you lose signal/data.
• Put your bag in front of you while sightseeing in tourist areas, in case of pickpockets.
• Always check the next day’s weather forecast to prepare accordingly.

• Choose train over plane whenever possible, especially in Europe
• If you have to take the plane, avoid luggage if you can, you’ll save a bunch of time (and money on some airlines too)
• https://rome2rio.com is a great website to find itineraries
• Bring an extra pair of socks and underwear
• Leave some free time and allow yourself to get lost in a city you’re visiting, it’s a great way to find new places off the beaten path
• Always have your water bottle handy

If you are a US citizen coming back from abroad and you don’t have global entry or any of those other paid services the MPC app is absolutely amazing. It only works at some airports but I just came back from Europe and I skipped right to the front of a line that was at least an hour long. No questions from the customs agent, no pictures, just a QR scan, a quick passport check, and I was out.