101 Tips, Tricks and Hacks to be an Expert Traveler - Rapid Travel Chai

101 Tips, Tricks & Hacks
to be an Expert Traveler
Chicago Seminars 2016
Stefan Krasowski
Rapid Travel Chai

Who am I?
I lived in China for 8 years
I work in international business
I plan obsessively
I travel fast
I come back exhausted
My wife is the opposite
©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved

My Dream Trip
My Wife’s

Where have I traveled?
184/193 UN countries
274/325 Travelers’ Century Club countries

Let’s Dive In!

Practical Stuff

1. Get a Schwab Debit Card

2. Carry Crisp Small Denomination Cash

3. Use a Real Bank ATM at Airports,
Maybe Up in Departures

4. Travelex is Always the Worst Deal

5. Discover Card in China and Japan

Tips

6. Photocopy Guidebook Pages

7. Carry Certificate of Vaccination

8. Know Medication Generic Names

9. The Purell Guy Gets Sick First

10. Annual Multi-Trip Travel Health Insurance

11. Get Passport Card for Backup ID

12. Carry Hard Copies

13. Carry Elite Cards

14. Use Intl/Other Language Help Lines

15. Use Low Balance Gift Cards on Priceline

Tech

16. Get T-Mobile Before Your Trip

17. Always Use a VPN

18. Amex Platinum Boingo is Useful

19. Don’t Go App-Happy,
Many are Junk or Distractions

20. Google Translate App Offline

Gear

21. My Daypack is a Local Shopping Bag

22. Merrell Jungle Moc Leather Travel Shoe

23. Have an Umbrella for Rain & Sun

24. Carry A Swimmer’s Chamois Towel

25. Convertible Luggage is Bad at Both

Visas

26. Embassies Often Don’t List Visa on Arrival

27. Look for e-Visas

28. US Citizens Need a Visa to Australia

Wings

29. Wikipedia for Airlines and Airports

30. Know Which Airport and Which Terminal

31. Connect Where You Want to be Stranded

32. SkyScanner for Hard to Ticket Airlines

33. China Domestic Flights at ctrip & eLong

34. India Domestic Flights at expedia.in

35. Check In as Early as Booking

36. Baggage Patrol Ignores Shopping Bags

37. Use (and Keep) Paper Boarding Passes

38. Priority Pass for Citi Prestige $50 AUs or
Chase Sapphire Reserve $75 AUs

39. Airplane Jet of Cold Air on Recliner

40. Read The Economist in First Class

41. Go to the Bathroom After Immigration

42. Addis Ababa not Nairobi

43. Virgin Atlantic Never Lets You Rest

44. Don’t Fly LIAT

Wheels

45. BJ’s or Costco Travel for Car Rentals

46. (Flexible) Prepay Car Rental to Avoid Fees

47. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards for One-Ways

48. The Avis/Budget Home Currency Scam

49. Don’t Use Dollar/Thrifty for Tolls

50. No Card Covers Rental Car Liability

51. Get Your Own Toll Pass or Pay Online

52. “What’s Here” for GPS Coordinates

53. Offline Maps from maps.me Not Google

54. Charter a Taxi Instead of a Guide

55. Use India’s Airport Prepaid Taxis

56. Get a Non-Ontario Rental in Toronto

57. You Need an IDP in Japan & South Korea

58. Cubans Hitchhike, So Rent a Car

59. SUV/Safari Tour Pay for Front Seat

60. Take Executivo Buses in South America

Beds

61. Booking.com for Local Hotels

62. Subtract 1 Star in Europe, Add 1 in Asia

63. Sort Out Airport Hotel Shuttle in Advance

Food

64. 1 Per Day Limit on Hotel Lounge Meals

65. Do You Check TripAdvisor for
Restaurants in Your Home Town?

66. Try Fruit: Durian, Mangosteen & Soursop

67. Eat 6 Times a Day in Hong Kong

68. Ginger Looks Like Potato in Chinese Food

69. Check the Sauce for Your Allergies

Miles and Points

70. Get Avios.com Account (UK Address)

71. Change Your FFN on Your Avios Ticket

72. Always Check Non-Alliance Partners
+

73. United Partners with Azul and
Avianca Brazil is Now in Star Alliance

74. Get Partner Airline Confirmation #s

75. Take the United Micronesia Island Hopper

76. Sri Lankan Colombo-Maldives Shuttle

77. Colonial Caribbean Hoppers

78. Use Choice Privileges for Preferred Hotels

79. Credit Card Point Tickets
Earn Miles and Status

80. Hotels Often Allow Points Transfers

81. Some Airlines Have Family Accounts

82. Always See if there is a Business Program

83. Mags for Miles is a Good Deal

84. Always Click Through to the Last Screen

85. Name Your Children After You

86. Sometimes Just Play Dumb

UK

87. Empty Your Bag at LHR Security

88. British Trains are Expensive and Confusing

89. They Will Love Your Brexit Jokes

Europe

90. In Europe, Down Arrow Means Forward

91. Don’t Use Rail Europe

92. Request Amenities at Check-in in Europe

93. Rick Steves for Sightseeing Hacks

94. Buy Europe Museum Tickets in Advance

95. Europeans are Accustomed to Fees

96. Europe Has Lots of Great Islands

Japan

97. Upgrade to JAL J-Class

98. An Airport Limousine is a Bus

99. Japan Rail Passes Save Language Hassle

100. Use 7 Bank or Japan Post for ATMs

101. Try Bath Houses in Japan/South Korea

One More Because it
Takes Two to Tango

102. Stay in a Japanese Love Hotel

But Wait, There’s Even More

10 Places to Go

1. Ancient Rome and Star Wars in Tunisia

2. Guernsey, Channel Islands

3. Thin Red Line in Solomon Islands

4. Palau and Peleliu

5. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

6. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

7. Bhutan

8. Turkmenistan

9. Iran

10. Madagascar

11. DR Congo

Facebook Group – Every Passport Stamp

Thank You
stefan@rapidtravelchai.com
@rapidtravelchai
rapidtravelchai.com

101 Tips, Tricks and Hacks to be an Expert Traveler - Rapid Travel Chai

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101 Tips, Tricks and Hacks to be an Expert Traveler - Rapid Travel Chai