10 Useful Tips I Learned On My RTW… The Hard Way!

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As I’ve stated many times, traveling is a growing and learning experience.  It is inevitable to make mistakes along the way and to learn from them.

For me, this Round the World has been a great learning tool in a personal level and for those travel logistics too. So, here are 10 useful tips I learned during these past 7 months of RTW travel.

1.  The US dollar is still king, even in this lousy economy

When crossing borders, make sure you have the full amount for visas and any other payments in US dollars.

There are a few borders (especially in Africa) that don’t accept their own currency as payment – only $USD. And, it doesn’t matter if you’re Australian traveling to Zambia… you might need $USD. Unfair, but true.

Otherwise, you’ll end up converting whatever currency you have at the border’s black market for outrageously ridiculous rates. That one hurt me a lot! Sigh…

2.  Always carry two credit/debit cards

This one I’ve also done for a while, but now I reinforce it. Always carry two credit/debit cards. Many banks, ATMs, or businesses don’t accept certain cards.  Or, maybe one of your card’s magnetic strip isn’t readable on that specific ATM/machine.

You don’t want to be left out on the streets without any money, right?

3.  Read the small prints of your Travel Insurance… it’s more important than you think

You might have read about my iPod situation at the Pyramids of Giza.

Well, after going through all the trouble of getting a police report with the shadiest police officers you’ll ever see, and trying to find an official translator to translate the police report from Arabic to English; my insurance company told me, “nope, you’re screwed… we don’t cover that”. I failed to notice that electronics are not covered.

So, find a good travel insurance policy and make sure you read every single small print and everything that’s covered and not.

4.  … and so is having a good first aid kit

This one I didn’t exactly learn on my RTW, but it is always useful. Once I fell from the Mayan pyramids of Copan Ruinas, cut open my knee, and had to cross to a different country to attend my wound (crossed from Honduras to Guatemala… bleeding the whole 7 hours bus ride).

All, mainly because I didn’t have one common, yet important item in my first aid kit – butterfly Band-Aids.

So, make sure you have a well-prepared travel first aid kit.

5.  Always have a light jacket easily accessible

There are places where the day and night temperature can vary decently, with the day being pretty hot and the night quite chilly. When taking a long bus/train ride, your jacket can be used as a nice pillow.

Also, why is it that overnight buses and trains are always freezing cold?!

6.  Always pack your rain jacket in an easily accessible pocket of your backpack

Can I tell you how many times it’s been sunny, and suddenly it starts pouring and my rain jacket is at the bottom of my backpack?  -_-

Lesson learned…

7.  When transiting long distances (train, bus, ferry) always have enough snacks and water for the duration of the ride.

I once took a 12 hours bus, from Kampala to Nairobi, that didn’t do a single snack/toilet stop.  Enough said…

8.  Avoid getting scammed by comparing prices with one or a few locals around you

When riding public transportation that doesn’t have a clearly marked fare (like chicken buses, matatus, dalla-dallas, and others), ask the locals on board how much they paid to have an idea of the fare.

Big mistake… asking the “fare collector” for the fare before you board (especially in Zanzibar!). He will overcharge you three times the real fare… just because you’re a foreigner, or a mzungu (white folk).

9.  Use your smartphone as an interactive map and GPS

If you have an iPod/iPhone or other smartphones, before leaving your hotel/hostel to explore the city, load the city map on your favorite Maps app (like Google Maps).

Zoom in to your current area and your areas of interest so you can have the best resolution and know which businesses are around and the public transportation available.

This will also help you navigate as you’ll always know your current location via GPS, even if you’re offline or on airplane mode.

10.  Take a business card (with the address) of your hotel/hostel once you check in

Following along the previous point but in a less technological way. Always take your hotel/hostel business card with you to help you find the way back by asking locals where it is, with the card as a written backup (especially if the address is written in the local language).

When in Jordan, I stayed at this hostel located on one of the main streets of downtown Amman. I got lost and found out that many people didn’t know where this hostel was (even when I asked two blocks away from it). And of course, there was the language barrier.

If no business card is available, find out which is the closest landmark and use it as a reference point.

So here you have it… learn from my mistakes!