| While there are many high-quality travel guides | | | | New York's JFK or Chicago's O'Hare, two hours is |
| written by real veteran globe-trekkers, in reality most | | | | excessive. Give it 45 minutes for domestic flights and |
| travel guide content is written by interns or low-level | | | | 90 minutes for international flights. If you want to be |
| writers employed by large for-profit publishing | | | | safe, give it an extra 15 minutes, and give it an extra |
| companies. As a result, many of the travel tips they | | | | 30 minutes on big travel days. |
| give aren't based on real experience. These tips may | | | | 3. "Pack as light as possible." Yes, it's good to pack |
| look good on paper, but when you get to the | | | | light, especially if you're going to be traveling around |
| nitty-gritty of travelling itself, they become less | | | | to several different places. However, let's say you're |
| practical than they seem at first-maybe even | | | | going on a 1-week trip to Paris, where you will be |
| disastrous. So if you see these tips in your travel | | | | staying for the entire week in the same hotel. In this |
| guide, take your pen and put a big X over them. | | | | case, there's nothing wrong with having a little extra. |
| 1. "Follow the cheap travel deals." This is not good | | | | You won't be moving around too much, and your |
| advice. If you're going to go through the trouble of | | | | hotel room will probably give you enough room to |
| getting time off work, planning your vacation, | | | | spread out settle in. So take everything you need to |
| organizing accommodations and activities, packing, | | | | be comfortable-within reason. |
| and flying a long distance, you should go to the place | | | | 4. "Look for package deals." Package deals are |
| where you want to go. Don't settle on one | | | | definitely cheaper, and they're great if you don't mind |
| destination just because where you really want to go | | | | being surrounded by tourists for every second of |
| is too expensive. On the contrary, decide where you | | | | your vacation. But if you want to have a unique |
| want to go, and do whatever you have to go to get | | | | experience that lets you enjoy some of the local |
| there. You can find good deals for any destination if | | | | culture of the place you're visiting, it's best to go it |
| you look hard enough. | | | | alone. You may have to pay a little extra, but your |
| 2. "Arrive at the airport two hours early." This one | | | | experience will be fuller. |
| has been going around for a while, and it has become | | | | 5. "Ask the concierge." When you ask the concierge |
| even more common in the last decade as security | | | | at a hotel what food options are in the area, he or |
| checkpoints have become more time consuming. | | | | she will probably give you a list of tourist-friendly |
| In fact, it's a good idea to get to the airport early, | | | | spots. But what if you don't want "tourist-friendly"? |
| especially if you're going to one of the more busy | | | | It's best to go out and make an adventure of finding |
| and troubled airports. But even if you're flying out of | | | | a place to eat-or else do your research beforehand. |