travelling tips

Travelling Tips

Lots of folks will likely be traveling this weekend.
41. Free Parking
More and more cruise ships leave from drive up ports, which save you money on airfare but can cost you in parking. Plan on arriving the day before your departure always a good idea in case youre delayed, because the ships wont wait for you and spend one night at a hotel that lets you park your car in its lot free for the duration of your trip. This is a common deal in port cities, more so in a tight economy. And if the hotel doesnt offer it as a published deal, ask.
42. Book Last Minute
Not long ago, the cruise industry announced that last minute discounts had disappeared and that the best prices would always be booked four or more months in advance. Thats hardly the case today. Not only are last minute offers often cheaper than advanced bookings, but there are also tons of vacancies nowadays. Orbitz has even dedicated an entire Web page where cruises are discounted at the last minute by up to 75%.
43. Tip Generously
The best way to get good service is to tip beforehand thats especially true on cruise ships, where youre guaranteed to interact closely with the same staff members. So tip $20 to your cabin steward upon boarding its awkward but it works. Youll still probably have to pay a service charge at the end of the cruise; as with all fees, ask about it in advance.
44. Car Rental Clubs
Hotel loyalty programs are worth joining because you get perks, but car rental clubs are essential. Loyalty program membership often means you dont have to wait in insane lines, fill out annoying forms or get relentlessly up sold.
45. Advance Tix
Always check attractions websites to see if you can buy tickets in advance you may have to pay a $1 or $2 per ticket fee, but that sure beats standing in line. Timed entry is even better, because it means you avoid both the ticket buying line and the admission line, if there is one.
46. Souvenir Shopping
Finding souvenirs that were actually made at your destination is getting harder and harder (unless youre visiting China). When youre traveling abroad, get off the tourist track and look for unusual items in places like supermarkets, hardware stores, stationery shops and so on. Not only will the merchandise have unique character, but it will also be stuff that locals really use. And even if the product itself isnt so different from whats available back home, the packaging will be loaded with charm.
47. Bypass the Concierge
When youre asking around for sightseeing or dining advice, avoid hotel staffers. Theyre often on the take. (In fact, many hotels license out their concierge operations to companies that get commissions on bookings for certain attractions and restaurants.) Instead, find establishments shops, caf?s, restaurants, galleries that match your taste, and ask the folks there.
48. Call Home for Pennies
If you need to make a single quick call home, just use your cell phone. Most of them work overseas nowadays, and while you may be overcharged, you avoid the hassle of phone cards. (E mail is obviously the cheapest option, but sometimes you need to hear someones voice.) If youre planning on dialing internationally multiple times or for long periods, try Skype, a phone service that works via the Internet. You can call other ?Skype users for free, and connecting to a landline or cell phone costs pennies per minute. Click here for answers to all your ?Skype questions, and here to download the ?Skype app to your iPhone.
49. Maximize Your iPhone
Before you go buying a mess of travel gear for your next big trip, take a closer look at your iPhone. Its a multipurpose guide

1. Before you leave home, e mail yourself your itinerary, as well as all confirmation e mails for hotel, attraction, rental car and other bookings.
2. Use the GPS and the ?Google Maps app to find your way around.
3. Take photos of anything you might be held accountable for (such as a torn carpet in a hotel room or a dent on a rental car) so you have proof it was there before you, as well as information such as parking levels and trail maps.
4. Text message home instead of calling, or download the free ?Facebook and Twitter apps.
5. Add your destinations weather to the weather app. Download the ?Weather Channels free app, which has far more detailed forecasts than the one that comes preloaded on the iPhone.
6. Download audiobooks to listen to on your iPod. At Librivox.org, you can even get public domain works for free.
7. The iPhones clock function allows you to have other time zones at your fingertips. And the alarm clock is far more reliable than a hotel wake up call.
8. See if your destinations newspaper has a free app, and download it to stay abreast of local news.
9. Check out the app store for other travel apps, like ?Lonely Planets travel guides, KICKMap for subway maps or OpenTable for restaurant reviews and reservations. Currency Exchange Rates can convert local prices. And iLINGUA has foreign language phrasebooks (with audio pronunciations and photos you can point at if words fail).
10. Download games not just cutting edge ones but also old favorites like Yahtzee, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit for when you just cant bear to read your book anymore.