Mono Lake, an ancient saline lake on the edge of the Sierra Nevada in California, is famous for unique limestone formations.
I keep a running list in a note on my phone about the random things that make my travels easier, cheaper and less stressful. I picked five of my favorite ones to share with you here. If you like this, let me know, and I’ll continue the series.
1. Rental Cars
When pricing rental cars, compare airport and city location rates. I saved $350 in Puerto Rico in November by renting from a location in a suburb of San Juan. Before the pandemic, the cheapest rental car rate I’d ever gotten was $17/day from the Oakland airport. While I prefer to book directly through a rental company, I find Hotwire* is the next best option when prices are high.
2. Free Flight Upgrades
After check-in has closed for a flight, I ask at the gate counter if there are any empty rows or empty aisle seats closer to the front of the plane. In the past year, I ended up with several free upgrades to main cabin extra and my own row on four flights! By asking at the gate counter, the agent can often waive the fee for the preferred seats, which is why I use this strategy.
3. Sim Cards
Buy a local SIM card instead of paying for an international plan for your phone. I have NEVER had a good experience with using my U.S. phone plan abroad. Not only is it expensive, it never works properly. (Seriously, Verizon, why can’t you get it together?!?) In January, I paid $10/month in Buenos Aires for a 15GB monthly plan. In Thailand, I paid $10/month for an unlimited plan. It’s always cheaper to buy sim cards and data plans outside the airport. TIP: If you’re going to the UK or Europe, I recommend Giffgaff because they’ll mail a SIM card to you in advance internationally. That way you just turn your phone on and it works! They have free roaming in Europe, but the roaming period is longer if you use the SIM in the UK first.
4. Luggage Carts
You can always find abandoned luggage carts by airport taxi and rideshare pickup areas. It is absurd that it’s $6 or MORE to rent a cart at U.S. airports when they are free in most other countries. I would run for political office solely on a platform to make airport luggage carts free. (In addition, I’d ban leaf blowers and injury lawyer billboards—I’d replace the billboards with photos of kitties, puppies and baby alpacas with a thought bubble that says “Drive safe!”)
5. A Word About Band-Aids
Always always always pack Band-Aids. It is literally impossible to find decent quality Band-Aids in certain countries. (That’s right, Chile, I’m talking about YOU!) Most of South America and Asia don’t do Band-Aids well.
Quick Update:
After three months abroad, I’ve been stateside for a month and laying low on social media because I’m swamped with work. I’ve been visiting my parents and building furniture with my dad. (He makes 18th century furniture for a living, and I wanted to build a bed!) I’ve got some more location guides in the works (Croatia, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Portugal, etc.) but haven’t had the time to finish them. I do this blog in my free time, and it takes at least three days straight to write a detailed location guide. I’ve got some exciting work travels in April and May so follow along on Instagram! I’ll do my best to get some new location guides up in the next few months. Just a reminder that I’m currently posting monthly.
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