LUXURY SERVICE APARTMENT HOTELS IN TRICHY
5 Simple Tips for a Smoother Trip
Travel is full of
major decisions — like which country to visit, how much to spend, and when to stop waiting and finally
make that all-important airfare purchase. But beyond the big picture, it’s the
little things that can make a trip easier and less stressful. Following are 10
simple but clever tips to smooth the way on your next vacation.
1.
Park with your car nose out.
In the rush to catch
the parking lot bus, it’s easy to leave an interior light on; I’d guess that
more travelers I
know have had dead batteries at an airport than in any other situation.
If you return to your
car to find a dead battery, broken windows due to thievery or any other
potential problem, you’ll want your car to be parked nose out for easier access
to the battery, or for an easier hook-up to a tow truck.
2.
Leave time to get to economy lots.
As airports expand,
they need more parking spaces; those spaces are ever more frequently found in
parking lots that are off-airport in every respect but name.
You’ll also find that
these lots are often significantly lower-priced than other lots. As a result, they’re the
best place for economy-minded travelers, especially for longer trips where
you’re racking up several days’ worth of parking fees. Also, these are the last
lots to fill up; if you’re flying during peak travel periods, you may have no
choice but to use these distant lots.
I’ve found that buses
and monorails run regularly to these lots, but I invariably need up to 20 to 30
minutes more than I might in less remote parking lots. If you’re looking to
save money, or are traveling over a major holiday weekend, leave extra time to
get from the lot to the terminal.
- Pack essentials in your carry-on.
Recent stats indicate
that, on average, at least one bag on
every flight is lost or delayed. If there’s anything you can’t live
without, pack it in your carry-on. This is especially true of items that are
not easily or inexpensively replaced, such as running shoes or a lightweight
raincoat.
And you’ll get through
airport security faster if you pack your carry-on more efficiently. For
example, have your quart-size plastic bag with liquids and gels packed in an
outside pouch or right near the top of your bag so that you can easily pull it
out for screening. See Packing Tips and What Not to
Pack for more ideas.
4.
Know your hotel information.
If a) your baggage is
lost or delayed; b) you miss your connection and will be late checking in; or
c) you are going to a destination you’ve never visited before, you’ll want to
have complete contact informationfor your hotel on your person. Before you
leave home, print out the hotel’s name, address and phone number, and program
the latter into your cell phone. It’s also a good idea to print out a map of
the hotel’s neighborhood, whether for your own use or to show to a confused cab
driver.
5.
Take old currency with you.
Exchanging foreign
currency after you’ve returned home is a hassle, especially since almost no one
spends any time in an actual bank these days. Why else do so many travelers
have so much funny money lying around?
If you travel abroad
with any frequency, and have any stray foreign currency laying around, take it
with you the next time you cross international borders. Then, when you get some
local currency, you can exchange the money from any other country at the same
time.
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