Difference between revisions of "Travel Tips"
(Merged content from eekim.com) |
(Priceline.com bidding tips) |
||
| Line 66: | Line 66: | ||
Call to make reservations during regular office hours. I have had many poor experiences with evening staff who didn't know anything, gave me misinformation, or were generally rude and unhelpful. | Call to make reservations during regular office hours. I have had many poor experiences with evening staff who didn't know anything, gave me misinformation, or were generally rude and unhelpful. | ||
[http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/topic/2560/t/Hotel-FAQ.html BiddingForTravel.com] has advice on successful [http://www.priceline.com/ Priceline.com] bidding. | |||
=== Web Sites === | === Web Sites === | ||
Revision as of 13:41, 9 October 2010
Also see Road Trip Tips.
Must have items:
- Outlet Extender. Great for airports.
- Sink plug. For doing laundry in your hotel room.
Traveling Internationally
When traveling internationally, it's a good idea to register your trip with the State Department in case of emergency.
Currency exchange at Travelex (in the U.S. Bank building, next to the Castro Theater):
443 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA
415-552-3108
Electricity: "Staying Plugged in while Traveling."
International Cell Phones
Eight part series on international cell phones.
Telestial.com seems to be the most promising place for SIM cards and phone information. They also have a call-back service. Their prices seem good, and they seem reputable.
Hostelling International USA sells SIM cards and refurbished phones. The prices seem high, and the phones are very old.
Other possibilities:
I'm investigating the Siemens A70 unlocked GSM phone as a second phone for international travel. There seem to be some decent deals on eBay.
Transportation
RashmiSinha tweeted about Seat Guru, which helps you identify the most desirable seats on a plane.
Driving
In Canada, you need a Non-resident Inter-Provincial Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card, which you can get for free from your insurance company.
Cheap Fares
Start looking about two months before trip, when sales start appearing.
A good way to fly cheaper to continental Europe is to fly to London, then find cheap round trip fares to final destination. For fly/drive deals, see Auto Europe and go-today.com. Also, it can be cheaper to fly to JFK (NY) and then to European destination rather than flying direct from other states.
- http://cheapflights.co.uk/
- http://www.lupustravel.co.uk/
- http://www.airtourscancellations.co.uk/ (for extremely last minute flying)
Amsterdam is second to London in this regard.
- http://holidayspot.nl/ (in Dutch)
- http://travelbrokers.nl/ (in Dutch)
Icelandair offers free seven day stopovers in Iceland for anyone heading to or from continental Europe.
Underbid on Priceline 20 percent less than the lowest airfare you find.
John Breslin recommended RyanAir, a super cheap airline in Europe (based in Ireland).
Hotels
TripAdvisor has worldwide listings and user ratings. I used it to find a place to stay in Sedona for November 2005.
Call to make reservations during regular office hours. I have had many poor experiences with evening staff who didn't know anything, gave me misinformation, or were generally rude and unhelpful.
BiddingForTravel.com has advice on successful Priceline.com bidding.
