Before leaving home on a far-flung trip, I research the local telephone numbers of my airlines, hotels and travel companies and store them in my phone. Even on the best regulated journeys, things tend to go wrong and when they do, having this information at your fingertips is invaluable.
Always put passports, wallets, credit cards, etc. back in exactly the same place in your hand baggage. This simple procedure is the best way not to lose them. I also take several photocopies of my passport and store them in a variety of locations.
Credit cards are all very well, but I never leave home without cash, usually $500 in small bills. Almost every hotel from Salzburg to Samarkand can exchange dollars. But $100 bills are virtually useless, as nearly everyone believes them to be forgeries. I also like to secure some local currency at an ATM at the airport when I arrive.
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Obviously people on medication need to carry a copy of the prescription. However, a prescription for eyeglasses can also be useful. If you need glasses to see the Tintorettos or the wildebeest, you’re not going to have much fun without them.
If you fly within the United States, you will generally have to connect through principal hub airports such as Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta. U.S. airlines frequently issue tickets with a 45-minute connection time. If you have checked baggage, this means it will invariably be left behind. Airlines really don’t try very hard these days, even for First Class passengers. Should you wish to remain united with your suitcase, a 90-minute connection is usually required. In my experience, airports in the West and Rockies such as Denver and Salt Lake City are particularly egregious in this respect. So if you want to stay in touch with your skis the next time you go to Aspen, Vail, Telluride or Sun Valley, be sure to allow plenty of time.
Read local newspapers on the web in advance. Many local English-language newspapers are surprisingly good. Not just the obvious ones such as The Sydney Morning Herald, the South China Morning Post and The Times of India, but also the Buenos Aires Herald, the Prague Post and others. They provide extremely useful insight into concerts, galleries and exhibitions, plus new restaurants and shops.
Everyone always plans to read a stack of books prior to a trip and then, somehow, in the frantic lead-up to an extended vacation, their good intentions go astray. This really is unfortunate, as over three decades, it has been my experience that preparatory reading is the most infallible way to enhance the pleasure of a journey. Try to find the time.
Many of the world’s iconic travel sights demand to be seen, but inevitably disappoint the traveler of romantic inclination. Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat are representative, being so overrun with tourists that they have lost much of their allure. One trick is to briefly pay homage and then go to somewhere less well-known where the ghosts still linger. For example, the most dramatic Mayan city is Tikal in Guatemala, but at around 9 a.m., the tour groups from Mexico begin to arrive. Fortunately, other Mayan sites nearby such as Yaxha are extremely evocative and virtually deserted.
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