I was recently asked this question and I thought of sharing it here in my blog…

What are the best ways to get local advice and recommendations when traveling?

When I talk to people about apps there seems to be a wide range that people use depending on what service they are looking for. Some of the most common apps are “yelp,” “Local,” “Goby,” “Wikihood,” “XE Currency,” and “Tripit.”

For web searches it seems to be more uniform. Almost all the time I get the response that they look up the location or tourist sights, restaurants, hotels, car rental locations, and peoples addresses on google search or google maps. I know I use this all the time.  Here are a couple other websites I use “Trip Advisor,” and the “Weather Channel.”  More and more people are turning to my webshow “Boomer & Senior Travel TV” for information on what to see and do in travel destination as well as hints and tips that make their travel more comfortable and enjoyable.

www.boomerandseniortravel.tv (get a free printable packing list)
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Tipping is always a question you need an answer to before you travel to a new place. You don’t want to underpay and be a cheapskate on the other hand you don’t want to pay too much. Research the place you are traveling to or ask your travel advisor for guidance. There is tipping and gratuities for everything from restaurants to your cab driver or tour guide.

The cost of travel depends on how your travel style and mentality. It is far cheaper to make or find friends to stay with and to eat from shopping at a grocery store or street venders. But if that is not your travel style then expect to pay more. Personally I like to stay in a hotel and eat at restaurants. I am not the camp out person. Even though that is the case I find that we spend far less than you would imagine. Just on our last trip we flew to Florida took a two week transatlantic cruise then spent 13 days in Spain, then flew back to Utah. We stayed in nice hotels (not luxury – not trashy) We ate in restaurants, bought groceries for some breakfasts and 1 picnic, and rented a car. Took a tour of Tanjeer Morocco, Gibraltar, Alhambra, a Gypsy Show, the Caves of Nerja, and We spent about $3600 as a couple.

I was recently asked this question and I thought of sharing it here in my blog…

Backpacking: What is the best advice you can share about backpacking through Europe?

• I would use the train system in Europe. You can get passes that can take you though several countries. It is efficient and inexpensive for as much as it allows you to see.
• Bring money and a credit card.
• A copy of any medication prescriptions, eyeglass prescription, doctor’s names and phone # or medical information a hospital or doctor might need if you needed medical attention.
• Have a plan for where you want to go.
• Leave a copy of your itinerary with someone at home and let them know if you are making any changes to it along the way.
• Keep your money in two different places. Make sure it is secure. Check out my free printable packing list for tips at www.boomerandseniortravel.tv
• Spend time getting to know places. Don’t just run from one place to another trying to see everything. Experiencing a place in a little depth will make it more memorable.

Most frustrations in travel occur when the traveler is delayed, late or put in an embarrassing position. There are many ways to avoid this. As you can see from this info graphic most of the frustrations shown here are either from going through customs or security checkpoints. I think most people are nervous that they will be stopped or get in trouble for something that they did not know they were doing wrong.

Just the mere fact that the passport officials look at you like you are a criminal and the images from movies of them detaining people and putting people in prison is frightening. I remember when we were going with our teenagers through the Paris airport that they detained our son and made us get on the plane. We were terrified. It was good that we had explained to our kids to always cooperate with the officials and stay calm. They checked his backpack and then let him go. But those few minutes were a lifetime for us. Now, we arrange ourselves so that we are the last to go through the checkpoint so that we can be where the children are if they are stopped.

Checking your passport to be sure that there is six months or more left on your passport will end most of your worries about clearing the passport stations. If you have any trouble there are people in the airport that will help you.

Check out all the new apps available to help you in your travel. They will suggest restaurants with ratings and visitor comments, attractions near you, even tell you who will be visiting in the same city and airport and hook you up.

I love cloud computing because I do have access to all my data and everything that I would have on my home computer at any computing location that I am at. I carry a computer notebook so that I can hook up securely where ever I have internet access.

Most frustrations can be eliminated with proper prior planning. You can enjoy your vacation with little frustration or fear if you get the right information before you begin your trip.