The GoStrayCat Holy Grail of Travel Tips:

Make sure someone NOT TRAVELING WITH YOU has a copy of your itinerary so if something should go wrong, people know where to start looking for you.  I cannot stress this enough.  Also make sure you check in with this person periodically while you’re traveling and make sure they are aware of any changes in your plan.

Other Important Travel Tips:

Before you go…

Before you leave on your journey, make a couple of color copies of your passport.  Once you arrive at your destination, if you are staying in a hotel, leave your original passport in the hotel safe and carry a color copy with you when you are out.  You don’t want to lose your passport in a foreign country…and always know where the closest embassy is to your location.

Travel tips for carrying money

Always carry some local currency on your person, but don’t keep it all in the same place.  Keep some money in your wallet, and If you are right-handed keep a small amount of money in a pocket you can reach easily with that hand (and vice versa for those who are left-handed), and keep larger bills in a different pocket (or in several different pockets).  That way, in the unlikely event you are robbed, you increase the odds of still having some cash left afterward.  You can quickly pull out the bills with your right (or left) hand and hope that satisfies the thief before forking-over your wallet.

Travel tips for personal safety

Increase your general awareness. Talking on the phone or texting while you are walking distract you and make you an easy target.  Take away the advantage of surprise by being alert and paying attention to your surroundings.  Try to always look self-confident, and no matter the situation you may find yourself in, try to stay calm.  Remaining calm will help you think clearly and take action.

Travel tip:  carry an UZI tactical pen

I recommend always having a tactical pen on hand.  There are plenty of pens to choose from, but my favorite is the UZI tactical pen.  They are widely available, and not very expensive.  Not sure how to use one?  They did a short demonstration video (less than 5 minutes) you can watch here.  I have the UZI Number 2 pen.  It is an actual working pen, but should you ever need to defend yourself, it increases the force of your blows and can break glass.  Some models even collect DNA.  It’s very inexpensive for a self-defense weapon, and I have gone through airport security with them.  But you could always pack an extra one in your checked bag in case you encounter an over-zealous security officer that wants to confiscate it. They also make great gifts.

Single female travelers may feel safer when traveling after some self defense instruction.  When considering martial arts disciplines, I suggest Krav Maga.  This is an Israeli close-combat system of self-defense that incorporates your instinctual reactions and natural body movements into an effective response to a life-threatening situation.  Proficiency comes very quickly, and the effort is well worth it.

Your travel outfit…

Travel tip:  get pockets galore with the Chloe Glow!  Available in several colors.

Let’s talk about what to wear on a plane.  Make sure your outfit is comfortable and not constricting. I usually travel between cold and hot climates, so my go-to travel pants are zip-off cargoes.  They have plenty of pockets to carry just about everything, and they easily convert in seconds.  Many a fellow traveler has envied me getting off the plane into tropical island weather in my shorts while they were sweating in jeans.  Well worth the investment!

A simple black zippered Lycra-spandex workout jacket over a short sleeve tech top usually does the trick for the upper body. You can also layer a heavier jacket over this if need be without feeling like the Stay-puff marshmallow man.  But sometimes I like to roll with the ScotteVest Chloe Glow hoodie.  It’s one of my favorites – and it has 15 pockets!  It’s also great for everyday use, especially when you don’t feel like carrying a purse.  I extensively reviewed this jacket on my travel gear page.

Now let’s get to packing…

One of my most clever travel tips involves the ordinary shower cap.  Use shower caps to keep your shoes separate from your clothes.  You can find them at the local dollar store in 3-packs.  They weigh nothing, and you won’t feel bad about throwing them out later.  Also, roll your clothes to save space and cut down on the wrinkles.

I also like compression bags.  These are basically huge Ziploc bags that you place your folded clothes in.  Then you zip them closed and roll the air out of them through the vents at one end.  You can fit a lot more in your luggage this way.  Soft-sided luggage caught in the rain may leave some of your clothes inside a bit damp or wet.  Compression bags can prevent this.  And if something should spill inside your luggage during travel – like that bottle of shampoo – there is a protective barrier so you don’t have to launder everything when you arrive at your destination.

Speaking of Ziploc bags, bring some extras with you.  They are useful for taking that extra omelet sandwich you made at the breakfast buffet with you to eat later.  (This is also a good way to keep your costs down if you are working within a budget.)  You can also keep things dry in your pockets if you have to head out into a monsoon without foul weather gear.  They work well as organizing tools in your luggage, for bringing home that pink sand from Bermuda.  Heck you can use them for just about anything.

How about some travel tips to prevent that leaky shampoo bottle?  Take the top off and cover it with cellophane wrap, then put the cap back on.  This should prevent any mishaps, but you should also put the whole bottle in a plastic bag as a back-up measure…just in case.

Don’t forget to pack your back-up pair of prescription glasses, or extra contact lenses.  It can be difficult to replace these things quickly, and not seeing clearly is a bummer.

The purse…

Travel tips sometimes overlook the special needs of female travelers.  Most of our clothes don’t have lots of pockets to carry things in, so we must carry a purse.  My favorite travel purse is a baggallini everywhere bag, available in several color options.

Kat and her Baggalini in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

The hardware is very sturdy; the strap strong and adjustable. It is big enough to carry everything I need.  Travel documents, ID, that workout jacket I wore on the plane, and even that omelet sandwich all fit neatly inside with room to spare.  It has separate, secure outside pockets that lend themselves to a cell phone or camera, and inside sleeves for credit cards and pens to keep them at your fingertips.  But my favorite feature by far, is the luggage handle sleeve.  This is a magnetic-close pouch on the back side of the bag that unzips at the bottom.  You can then just slide it right over the handle of your rolling luggage.  All this and it cleans easily, too.  But whatever bag or purse you choose, make sure to wear it across your body instead of just over your shoulder or held by the handles.

When hunger strikes…

Often when I’m traveling I get so engrossed in exploring that I lose track of time…and before you know it, my stomach is audibly rumbling and churning.  Passers-by glance at me sideways and little kids get frightened.  It’s moments like these when I pull a Clif Bar out of that Baggallini and tame the beast.  Clif Bars are great!  They are tasty energy bars that come in a variety of flavors.  (My favorite is Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch, with Sierra Trail mix in second, and the bronze finisher:  Oatmeal Raisin Walnut.)

These chewy bars are dense – it takes a while to devour one.  But afterward, you are completely satisfied.  Made with organic ingredients and running around 250 calories each, Clif Bars do the job.  They travel well and are great when you are on the go and don’t have a healthy meal option available.  Clif Bar has branched out in their product line since I was first handed one at a 5K race centuries ago.  They now offer Clif Minis – about 100 calories a piece – and Clif Gels.  Nut butter filled bars are a new addition that sounds intriguing, and I really like the Clif Organic Trail Mix bars – all the flavors!

When staying at an all-inclusive…

When you check in, you will be issued a wristband.  Depending on the resort, these wristbands can be a simple plastic band, a very distinctive wooden engraved block tied together with thick colored rope and cinched at the ends, or anything in between.  If you plan to leave the resort for any reason, try to find a way to cover up that wristband, especially if you choose to stay at a higher-end resort.  You can wear a watch over it – or maybe a wide bangle bracelet if you are a woman, wear long sleeves if climate permits…anything to make it difficult to see.  One of the least-known travel tips:  this wristband is a big neon sign for the local population.  If you pay attention, you’ll see that they look for it.  Believe me they can tell the bands apart easily, and they target people accordingly.

If they see you are staying at the Paradisus resort in Playa del Carmen, México, for example, the prices for you go up and the room for negotiation goes down.  A 10 minute cab ride will cost you double what it costs people without that wristband.  If you haggle with someone at a shop for that perfect souvenir, the negotiated price for you will be higher because of the wristband.  It also identifies you as a more desirable (lucrative) target to rob.  So be wary, and if you can – cover the wristband!