Spent a couple of weeks traveling and had a few thoughts to share on how to best plan and enjoy traveling. Hope these are helpful!

  1. Get your destination’s equivalent of a Clipper Card. In Japan it’s called an IC Card. This will save you a ton of time and headache getting on and off trains + buses. Obviously more applicable when traveling in cities.
  2. Plan your transit ahead of time. I’m as much of a Google Maps addict as anyone, and as great as it is for getting around on a day to day basis, it’s smart to get a lay of the land for your longer trips, from hotel to hotel or airport to hotel, the times you’re carrying a suitcase you definitely want to know where you’re going ahead of time.
  3. Adjust to the time zone on the plane. As much as you can, you want to change your phone/watch to the local time of your destination on the plane, and act like you’re there. This can be the difference in being able to fall asleep when arriving in the evening at your destination and 2-4 days of jetlag.
  4. Templatize a packing list. I have one in Asana that I reuse for each trip. Great to not have to rebuild each trip.
  5. Pack lighter. Bring less than you think you need! I’m a light packing, carryon only person, and I’ve come back from three week trips wishing I’d brought less with me. You can always buy things that you find you need along the way, and I highly recommend doing laundry on the trip rather than bringing an extra week’s clothing.
  6. Lounges are amazing. If you have a credit card that gives you a Priority Pass – USE IT. Getting to the airport a couple hours early doesn’t feel so bad if there’s a lounge where you can eat and drink for free while relaxing.
  7. Key things to pack. Not including the obvious clothing items, here’s a short list of things to pack for an international trip
    • Eye Mask
    • Earplugs
    • Dayquil, Nyquil, Allergy Meds and Ibuprofen
    • A thin, but waterproof jacket with a hood
    • A collapsable duffel bag for souvenirs – we never check bags unless we buy a ton of crap, and this is great for that.
    • An HDMI cord – for Westworld addicts who want to be able to keep up while traveling and watch on a real TV
    • Power converter
  8. Key prep for a trip.
    • Call your credit and ATM cards to let them know of your plans so your cards work (and know which cards have free foreign transactions)
    • Put your mail on hold