Those who read my travel blog (@travelpod.com) know that I've just been on a 5-week trip to Italy, London/UK, and New York. I scribbled some Rules For Future Travel while flying from London to New York. Personal preference, of course.
1. Only 1 flight per day. More than that is exhausting, and you can easily get derailed by connection problems.
2. If you want to be upgraded to Business or First Class using miles, make sure you get confirmed upgrades when you book. The wait list sounds promising, but it never seems to work out.
3. If you do waitlist for an upgrade, make sure it's not for a Friday. A United employee told me that's the worst day to try for it.
4.JetBlue offers more space in the first six rows for not much more money, and those seats are more roomy and comfortable than United's Economy Plus. You also get to board and get off first.
5. Take a minimum of 3 scarves.
6. Unless you're Michelle Obama, one skirt is enough. Black pants with multiple tops is best.
7. A note to I, myself, personally: black tops, though practical and a little more sophisticated (?), get boring. Bring some colored ones, too.
8. If you're going to Europe, get at least couple of plug adaptors to take with you for dual voltage appliances like hairdryers and heating pads. You'll also need them for computers, digital cameras, cell phones chargers, and MP3 players, all of which are built to accommodate multiple voltages but will need a plug adaptor in, say, Italy and England. And remember: an adaptor simply gives you a plug that will work. A transformer purports to transform the voltage from the lower US voltage to higher European. I have no experience with the latter and don't quite trust them.
9. Cruise ships, at least the Oceania ones, have US voltage, and don't require adaptors or transformers.
10. Cruise ships supply hair dryers, as do most hotels. The flat in London did not, and the dual voltage hairdryer I bought at Amazon fried my hair even on "low," because of the higher voltage. This is apparently common and a nuisance.
11. Do not try to take scissors on a cruise ship. Mine were confiscated and returned at the end of the trip.
12. A minicomputer is extremely useful on a trip, even at cruise line internet prices. You can check ahead on opening times for museums, make online reservations, and even check the weather. And, of course, blog. Indispensable. I have an H/P that fits into my purse.
13. If you have a fairly capacious carry-on, more of the duffel style, make sure it has wheels. Otherwise the trek down to airport gates can be really wearing.
14. Don't go for longer than a month, preferably for only three weeks. Again, personal preference/endurance level. Also, if you go for a month or less you avoid having to deal with first-of-the-month bills from overseas.
15. Focussing on a particular museum, park, garden, stately home, whatever, is far superior to running around trying to see everything. Believe me. I'm still recovering from a day in Florence.
16. Include a plastic serrated knife in your checked luggage. Comes in very handy for various, such as slicing lemon from Corfu for martini.
17. London is really not manageable for more than a week or so. Again personal preference. It is crowded and intense.
18. London hotels are insanely overpriced. Get a flat. We've used "A Place Like Home," agency for three London trips.
19. A travel alarm clock--mine is a Seiko--comes in very handy.
20. You can buy a cheap cell phone (no camera, no internet) in European countries, rather than have your US cell equipped with new SIM cards for various countries. We paid about $14 for an excellent "throwaway" cell phone in London, very handy. And it can be used on future trips there. If I ever travel again.
21. Take small packages of Kleenex. England, for example, supplies none in the hotel rooms or rental properties that we've stayed in, and I had a cold.
22. Get some foreign currency before you leave. I ordered some pounds and euros online with the Bank of America and picked them up a few days later at my local branch. If possible, get some smaller denomination notes or coins for tipping cab drivers and others who help when you first arrive, before you have a chance to get to an ATM.
23. And finally, vis a vis the cut-lemon-for-martini, you CAN take your own alcohol on a cruise ship, but it must be in checked luggage. Jerry took a bottle of vodka in a plastic bag and wrapped clothes around it. No problem. And drinks on cruise liners are exorbitantly priced. Alcohol from duty free shops is a deal AND can be shipped around.
I welcome comments and additions!
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