I have recently been on another mini road trip and love to travel so here are my top travel tips that I have picked up along the way. Let me know if I have missed any of your own amazing travel tips.
Travel with an extension lead and only one plug adaptor
You don’t need to purchase a pile of plug adaptors for all your devices, which will be useless after your travels, just buy one and take a plug extension.
Product essentials
Dry shampoo is a travelling girls greatest companion. Make up wipes aren’t my make up removal top choice but they are also very handy when on the go!
Travel tips – the best free apps to download before you jet off…
Skyscanner / Kayak
These fantastic apps are perfect for finding the exact flight you need as you can specify exactly what you need. They are also brilliant for the low-budget traveller who might want to travel a little longer to avoid all the cost.
Airbnb
Airbnb has meant I have been able to travel so much more and experience more authentic culture than I would have if I’d had to rely on expensive hotels, and in far more interesting locations. If you have missed this Airbnb app it is free and works just as a smaller version of the website, perfect for browsing for your next stay on the go.
TripAdvisor
This crowd sourced guide to travel helps you find hotels, restaurants and attractions through millions of worldwide reviews, images and videos. You can find out what is near by, opening times and other important details, the best attractions in order, sort restaurants by price, rating or type and then leave your own reviews and images. The best feature, if you have no data you can download certain cities to view offline!
Whilst traveling I keep in touch for free with WhatsApp, sharing pictures, messages, videos and GPS tags whenever I have wi-fi access. I also get updates on how my dog is and what she has been up to.
Use Google maps offline
Traveling without data can be tricky if you have no physical map. If you are looking for a certain journey you can search OK Maps into Google maps so that the currently visible portion of the map on your screen will be saved to your phone. Once saved, you can access that map, even without a data connection, and it is better than a screen shot as you can zoom in for more details.
Travelling long distance, get a podcast or audiobook
Whilst road tripping around Germany we have loved listening to Criminal, Serial and This American life. We are now using Audible and are part way through The Poison Artist. It makes the longer journeys fly by and have been so interesting and well made. We purchased a cheap FM transmitter so we can play straight from our phones through the radio.
Suss out local standards
It is always worth making sure you are aware of local ways, such as Germany closing most shops on a Sunday and most lorries being banned from the Autobahn on Sunday, making it a great day to travel, explore open attractions but definitely not do your holiday shopping!
Google will show you popular times for most attractions so you can choose your visit at the quietest time with least queues too.
Camera
Take lots of photos whilst you are there, make sure to bring lots of SD cards and batteries if you can! We took our Joby GorillaPod, a fantastic, flexible tripod solution. It has amazing hold and stability to get the shots you want but you do get a few funny looks and questions about it as we have found out!
Gift Buying
Lastly if you have a best friend you always get a gift for make it a funny tradition. Over the past few year me and my bestie have sought out the tackiest present we can find, it isn’t expensive or difficult but it is a lot of fun!
