16 useful travel tips....

So you want to travel... great!!! Once you have chosen the destination of your trip, determine where you will be going. Are you traveling to multiple locations (ie Seoul, Busan, Jeju or just Seoul)? Are there multiple airports? Do be careful and double check your destination airports and the hotels you book as there are places that has two such as in Japan : Haneda or Narita; Korea: Gimpo and Incheon  or even three airports such as in Kuala Lumpur : KLIA1, KLIA2 and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport; New York City: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark International Airport... 

Social network help -While you are planning your trip, don't forget the power and great help you can get from your social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Just ask in your status update: Does anyone know a good-value hotel in Japan? Coolest spots for dessert and coffee in Seoul? The best night market to visit in Bangkok? You'll be amazed at the number and variety of suggestions you can get.

Select your travel dates base on you plan to do. If you are traveling for a conference or business meeting, you should consider flying into town the day before to allow plenty of time for preparation and a little sightseeing. If vacationing, check out the weather during the dates you wish to travel. Philippines and the vicinity is rocked by hurricanes from July to November and this could spoil your vacation plans.

Compare flights online through Websites like Traveloka.com. Book your flight tickets early and grab your preferred seats. Pre-order your meals if you can or you might be disappointed as not all the food on the menu is available onboard unless you have pre-ordered before hand.  If you have frequent flyer miles you may have earned in the past which you can use, use it...

Compare hotel prices before choosing your hotel!! Don’t hotel stays seem to eat into your travel budgets? A few days stay in a hotel can easily set you back a few hundred ringgit, if not more. I enjoy staying in a nice hotel as much as anyone else, but when I’m on a budget, I have to make sure I have enough funds left after paying for my flight tickets and lodging to be able to enjoy my trip: have good meals, go sightseeing, and buy some souvenirs for my loved ones. For that I would highly recommend HotelsCombined , as I found that extremely helpful in comparing  best hotel prices around...

Check your travel documents and make sure your passport expiry and visa is all valid for travel. Do take photos  or scan your travel documents and email them to yourself. That way your travel documents copies won't go missing even in the case when your bags do. . Your travel documents should be packed in your carry-on luggage and made easily accessible. I like to keep my travel documents in my waist pouch when traveling

Make sure you know what activities you want to do for the duration of your stay. Research tourist attractions before arrival in travel guides, such as TripAdvisor or Lonely Planet

Travel light!!!! You do not need 1/2 the things you stuffed in your bag to travel anywhere. A good traveler is measured by how light he or she travels. Packing light is not just about saving time or money it helps people identify you. Too much luggage marks you as a typical tourist and easily marked by would be con artists who figure you’re helpless. Go casual, simple, and very light. Shoes are the big space hog, so limit yourself to two pairs (one which you are wearing, and another in the bag -don't forget that you can stuff socks or other small goods inside your shoes). Leave that toiletry bagbehind,  Ziploc bags are convenient and also a neccesity to get through airport security (bring spare ones also) . Remember, there are two kinds of tourists — those who pack light and those who wish they had, so which one are you.....?

Make morning time your activity time. Rise at sunrise to have the best attractions all to yourself while avoiding crowds. It’s also a magical time for photos due to soft diffused light, and usually easier to interact with locals. The weather is so much friendlier and your energy levels are also higher. Sketchy areas are less dangerous in the morning too. Honest hardworking people wake up early; touts, scammers, and criminals sleep in.

For some of us, vacations are time to splurge on eating.... That means fresh seafood by the ocean, amazing restaurants in great cities, unlimited buffets at the hotel. This is the stuff of great vacations and well, I guess if you like it, you shouldn't deny yourself these pleasures. However, limit yourself to one good meal a day. At other times, just visit a supermarket deli and get a sandwich or roast chicken to at a park. Get a slice of pizza or buns from a take-out shop and munch it as you walk along, people watching and window-shopping. Or buy those interesting pancakes or such from road side hawkers. I love going into 7-Elevens and other convenient stores to get some biscuits, snacks and bread to munch along the way when hungry.

Explore on foot. Just by getting out and walking can you truly get the feel for a place. Spend the first few hours at your vacation destination walking around the area. If you're in a city, pick a few restaurants to try to make your reservations in person. Locate the parks, museums and shopping areas.

Stash spare cash everywhere - Keep your wallet in your front pocket, especially a pocket that can be buttoned or zipped up so you will not be an easy target for pickpockets. I like those 'money belts'  that either hang inside your shirt or wrap around your waist (under your shirt). I also like traveling with pants or jackets with a lot of hidden pockets and I will normally stash money here and there and not put the whole load in one place. Some of recommended stash spots also include socks, under shoe inserts, a toiletry bag, around the frame of a backpack, even sewn behind a patch on your bag.

Pack a scarf or sarong - You will marvel that this simple piece of cotton cloth is a very useful travel accessories with many different practical applications. It’s ideal for sun protection, a top, a wraparound dress at the beach, a makeshift towel, a blanket in a cold place, carrying stuff around, and much more. I can’t tell you how many times a scarf or sarong has come in handy during my trips.

Take Lots Of Photos - You may only visit these places and meet these people once in your lifetime. Remember them forever with plenty of photos. Don’t worry about looking like a “tourist”. Great photos are the ultimate souvenir. They don’t cost anything, they’re easy to share with others, and they don’t take up space in your luggage. Just remember once you have your shot to get out from behind the lens and indulge in the scenery before you. And if you are an avid photographer like me you might like to travel with two cameras... one as a standby in case the other one's battery deplete or something goes wrong with the other. I cannot tell you it has happened to me twice, once when I lost DSLR memory card in Taipei and would have ended up with almost no pictures... and again another time, when my Sony RX100 camera decided to start acting funny in Beijing and how my spare standby Nikon Coolpix S33 camera help save the day and my memories...

The world is not quite as dangerous as the media makes it out to be. I remember being so worried heading over to Bangkok because of all the bombing and riots, but when I was there, it was all just so peaceful except for the curfew time.. Another friend was also worried about the bomb explosion in Hatyai and when she came back from her trip, she huffily said that the bomb site just looked like it got hit by fireworks!!! Just learn to be wary and keep an eye out for sketchy situations but don’t let that be the focus of your whole trip. Use your common sense and you’ll be fine. Most people are friendly, trustworthy, generous, and willing to help you out. Get in the habit of looking back when you get up to leave somewhere. It would be just the same here in sketchy places as well...

Remember to be kind to your body. Get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat properly, use sunscreen, and exercise often . When I travel, I usually am out from the break of dawn at around 6am or 6.30am and back at the hotel around 7.30pm or 8pm, unless I am with a group of people or familiar with the area, then I might be out later -if I have the energy, or else I will be in bed around 8.30pm or 10pm and up about 5am which works out to approximately 7 - 8 hours rest...

There is no reason not to travel. Many people make excuses why they can’t travel. It’s too expensive. They can’t get time off work. When solutions are suggested they still don’t take action.  Because they’re often hiding behind the true reason: they’re scared. Unfortunately most people who wait to travel the world never do.

You don’t need to sell all your worldly possessions. Just get out there more than you do now. Start with a weekend in a different state. Then maybe try a week in the country next door.

The new car, remodeling project, and iPhone can wait. If you truly want to travel more, you can make it happen. There's a whole new world waiting to be explored, so explore it while you still are able.

Here are some Apps you might like to check out while traveling....

iFlix: iFlix is an internet TV service with more content that you can poke a stick at. There are over tens of thousands of hours of content. iFlix stream top quality TV shows and movies over the Internet for a teeny tiny periodic access fee. You can watch those shows on any of 5 devices per membership. What I love most is that you even get to choose the devices you are watching on and you can actually download the shows to your device to watch when you are bored waiting for that flight, that train, or bus or have nothing to do in your hotel room and nothing interesting is on or understandable on TV. Download iFlix

Skype:  If you're planning on dialing internationally to keep in touch to your other half/ spouse/kids frequently or for long periods, try Skype, a phone service that works via the Internet. You can call other Skype users for free, and connecting to a landline or cell phone costs pennies per minute. Download Skype

WhatsApp: This is my personal choice and I have been using this to keep in touch with family and friends all these years when traveling or not...It is totally free to use and I have used it in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, China, etc...etc...to communicate and drop messages to loved ones and friends, send pictures or even location maps. It is also amazing when you are traveling in a group so you can locate each other easily. However, while traveling, you might like to set your WhatsApp status to "I am currently roaming abroad, will reply when I am on Wi-Fi". This way your friends will know why you are not answering right away. Download WhatsApp

Feel free to share more tips or useful Apps while traveling if you have with me and other readers below in the comment area...