8 Fabulous Travel Tips

1.Ignore Expiration Dates Make sure you save all travel website specials regardless of their expiration dates. When you want to take advantage of the special, just call the hotel or sales director. Many times you'll get the deal even if it isn't officially available. That's because companies are always trying to fill rooms and tours no matter what the time of year.2. Carry On Toothpaste & Shampoo Buy Eco-DenT Tooth Powder and Burt's Shampoo Bars at Whole Foods. 3.Ginger Candy Stops Motion Sickness Just about any kind of ginger candy will prevent motion sickness on the road, on a plane or at sea. 4. Avoid booking hotel rooms online Hotel managers hate guests who book rooms through website booking engines. Because after the internet takes it's cut,the hotel barely makes any money. So if you book directly with the hotel chain, you always get better service. Contact the hotel directly and ask for the best price. When you book directly, many hotels will even give you AAA or AARP discounts even if you're not a member! 5. Be pleasant when lodging complaints with the front desk If you're staying at a hotel, and you have a legitimate complaint, raise your concern in a pleasant manner. Hotel staffers stick together, and if you're rude and nasty, the front desk clerk will make a note of it in the logbook. So if you insult one employee, don't expect good treatment from another employee. When it comes to hotel front desk complaints, you'll get a lot farther with honey than vinegar. 6. Record credit card phone numbers Put all your credit card phone numbers with the last 4 numbers of your account,on a piece of paper. Then tape it to inside of your luggage. If your wallet is lost or stolen on a trip, you can call all the credit card companies to put a fraud alert on your account and get new cards issued. 7. Buy a three-legged folding chair When you are touring public places, carry a ultra light and strong folding chair for long-winded impromtu talks by tour operators. A folding chair also comes in handy when touring large museums with no rest seating,waiting in long airport lines, and outdoor, bring your own chair, concerts. A product called the "packseat" weighs just 26 ounces and holds up to 300 pounds. It fits in a case 15" x 4" and you can sew on cheap, wide guitar strap handle to make it easy to carry over your shoulder. It's under $25 and available at www.magellans.com 8. Ask An Rx Where To Eat If you're in a foreign city and don't know where to eat, ask a pharmacist. Most of them speak English and they can recommend a "safe" and "clean" place to eat. This comes in handy especially when visiting 3rd world or developing countries.