My Top 20 Travel Tips

- as a seasoned veteran of disasters

Ciaooooooo there my pretty little petunias!

I hope your Wednesday has been Wednesday-ing and any hump of the week has passed as we edge closer to the weekend. I spent a part of my morning writing a ‘travel to do list’ to get everything ready for an outbound flight and galavanting around Euro this year. As a seasoned seasoned traveller - I have gone through some things over my travel expeditions. A gentle reminder that I DON’T own a house and have prioritised travel over home ownership for anyone out there thinking I am a rich girly. Missed international flights, broken down cars in desolate Sardinian hills, misleading hotels, incorrect booking dates, broken luggage, creepy Airbnb hosts, several hospital visits (this topic could be an entire blog) and I could honestly just keep going with the long list of dramas that have found their way to me whilst I am out of Australia.

One thing I have learnt about all those above situations that are very stressful, is that travel issues or problems do not discriminate and they literally happen to EVERYONE, regardless of how much money you have or how many people you know. The sooner you accept that things will go amiss during your trip, the sooner you can locate a solution to fix your problem so that you can spend more time on the beach and less time having a meltdown.

Of course like everything dramatic that happens in my life, I have learnt take them as both cheap and expensive lessons - I talk extensively about expensive lessons in my book which you can locate here. I say lessons because unless you learn from them and apply something different next time, then they remain useless mistakes. You only need to miss one important international flight because “your phone didn’t adjust to the new country time and you were eating a cheeseburger with a glass of red whilst watching Real Housewives of New York City in the foodcourt with headphones on so you missed your final boarding call” situation. One of those will cure you for being on time for flights FOR LIFE. See - expensive lessons!

So for todays blog piece I have decided to impart my ‘travel lessons’ on to you in the hope that I/we may save you some problemos on any upcoming trips. Of course I won’t be able to save you from the endless options/problems/issues that may arise for you, however I think it would be a waste of my dramatic adventures to not share and advise what I did when the shitteth hit the fanneth.

Naturally I will want to enter each of these tips with a the tale and story that accompanies the lesson, but to be honest I have lots of other work to do and don’t have the time for rambling (and exciting!) stories for now. So the advice below will be short, sharp and clear. If you need to look further into something then honestly my advice: GOOGLE IT. There are loads of threads and chat-boards on Reddit and Tripadvisor that will help you, but like all advice - take them with a grain of salt. Even my advice, as it may not suit your way of travelling or moving. What I share pertains to my experience so it may not match yours, and thats the beautiful thing about the world and our differences.

Maybe I’ll save all these disaster stories for an audio bit or something for later on as they are truly some of the wildest and funniest (in hindsight!) experiences of my life but hey - thats why we travel. To experience it all.

Hope this saves you in some small way and if it doesn’t: you’ve got this!

With love, chaos & rigatoni -

PM xx

1. SEE LESS, STAY LONGER.

It is as it sounds. Instead of spending three weeks jumping between London, Paris, Spain, Italy and Greece and just touching the surface - forgo some countries and spend the extra days really dipping into a country. If you plan on being alive for 60+ more years like me, than you have time to see countries more deeply - if you want to.

2. TRAVEL INSURANCE IS EVERYTHING.

I. Cannot. Repeat. This. Enough. I borderline screamed through the phone just weeks ago at a friend who was in Greece without travel insurance. I would be either dead or in lots of debt without this, as I have been through it all and travel insurance has saved me every SINGLE time. Since my first trip overseas in 2009 I have used the whole time Travel Insurance Direct and honestly they have been so incredible that I should be their spokesperson. In ranges in cost depending where you go, what is covered and for how long. On average a 4-6 week trip will be between $300-500 and if you saw my hospital bill and medevac PLANE bill from Greece in 2022 you would pass out, and it was ALL COVERED by my insurance.

3. CARRY CASH AT ALL TIMES.

This is a no-brainer. Always always carry between $60-$100 of whatever currency you need for that country. I don’t need to get into why, just do it.

4. USING YOUR PHONE + DATA

We love technology (sometimes!) and the introduction of the E-Sim into travel is wildly stunning. I used to have to take another phone of my travels and get a Euro sim, so that I could still access my Australian phone for work things. However last year I was educated on buying an ‘e-sim’ which is revolutionary. Don’t ask me how it works (Google it!) but basically on the settings on your Iphone you can add an extra “sim” thats basically digital and gives you a European number and access to their data so you can use maps, upload pictures etc. There is a little toggle on your phone that lets you switch between your Australian and E-Sim number. Last time I used Holafly.

5. PLANE SEATING AND EATING

Without a doubt the best money you will spend on your trip is spending the extra $40-$60ish bucks on choosing your plane seat. Many a time have I been dealt the hellish middle seat on a 17 hour flight and watched my hyperactive nature go through the wringer! I shall not spend time discussing which seat I choose but lemme just say, it’s worth weight in gold to be part of your seat choosing situation. Second thing, if you can avoid it - don’t eat the plane food and watch your arrival and Jetlag energy shift. Last year was the first time I didn’t eat the plane food (I had lots of snacks and meals before I left) and BOY did it change how much energy I had when I arrived.

6. SCAN YOUR PASSPORT + PRINT ITINERARY

Before you leave, print out your itinerary and hotel names/addresses and scan a picture of your passport and have a copy printed out and in your luggage with you. If you get your passport stolen or you loose your phone, you have a copy with the details you will need to get more help.

7. FOR ACCOMODATION - ALWAYS READ REVIEWS

I don’t need to say much more on this! I refrain from staying anywhere with no reviews to avoid being scammed, but I also read a good portion of the reviews to make sure little things like “the beds are uncomfortable” or “the place was unclean” are picked up.

8. TO CAR OR NOT?

I speak extensively about this in my Mediterranean Pleasure Guide but for me personally, travelling with a car is life as I like to travel to off the beaten track places and explore wherever I am. Granted I never will have a car in a major city like Athens or Rome as even me (a confident driver) would have a meltdown. I would recommend not hiring a car if you are a nervous driver or anxious in the slightest as you will get a rude awakening when you start driving on highways with the Italians.

9. PACK LIGHT

My most popular Substack is my piece on “What Made The Carry On Cut” where I documented that I packed last year in my Carry On luggage, after years of being a chronic over packer. I realised the year before last that I never wore 80% of what I shoved into my 40L and travelling with just one teeny bag changed my life and made the moving about between countries and island - a literal dream.

10. LANGUAGE

Whilst we all cannot turn into fluent speaking Italians overnight, knowing the bare basics in a foreign language will get you further than you think. It’s all about respect and the concept of “trying” - ordering off a menu in English and then finishing with ‘Grazie’ seems pointless and counter intuitive, but it’s the little things like learning to say ‘Kalimera’ (good morning!) in Greek that will get you an extra smile where you least expect it. I always will learn: hello, goodbye, good morning, thank you, my name is and how do I get to….

11. MINI BEAUTY THINGS

Do not, I repeat do not waste your luggage space on taking big bottles of your beauty things! Most brands will do mini travel sizes of their best products and if they do not then purchase online or from Kmart some refillable travel bottles. As someone who didn’t follow this concept for years, I now do and it makes a huge difference.

12. AIRTAG - GENIUS

The Apple team have done it again. After the 2022 disaster of travel and thousands of luggage/bags that went missing (thankfully not for me), many people have jumped on the ‘Airtag’ train and I am one of them. Its a tiny circular tracking device that you pop into your luggage and you can then track where it is and make sure its with you and if its not, you can see where it is.

13. PACKING CUBES ARE LIFE

This is something that I again didn’t use in the past and in the last few years I have introduced them to my luggage and its a GAMECHANGER! Packing cubes are tiny bags that allow you to section off and roll tightly your clothes/things so you have better access and organisation for travelling. So when you are searching for your bright red bikinis you don’t need to unpack the whole bag, just locate your “togs” cube and vvvwwaaaahhhlaaa - easy access! I swear to god it also allows you to take so much more because it neatly shoves everything away.

14. CONSIDER MORE WHO YOU TRAVEL WITH OVER WHERE YOU GO

Again, this topic could be an entire blog but I won’t waste the time now. You’ll notice I do lots of solo travel with little dippings of trips with friends overseas - and those people are very specific and we normally have a successful past of travelling together, thats why we still do. As an extreme lone wolf (and introvert) who likes to move about based on how I am feeling and can be quite sensitive to my surroundings, its very difficult for me to balance someone else’s travel ideas, expectations, food ideals and daily plans with my own. It sounds obnoxious and it’s really not meant to be, but rather an understanding of myself after travelling alone (and with people) for years. I have seen travelling ruin friendships of people I know, and I have experienced myself the ugly sides that travel stress can bring out in a person, including me. I would suggest doing some local travel with people before planning an overseas getaway with them. Your travel companions can make or break a trip and for the thousands of dollars you have saved - it’s genuinely worth considering this concept deeply.

15. INTUITION IS EVERYTHING

This is not just for travelling, following your intuition is a life learning, however something happens to you when you leave your home environment and the intuition fairies do their work and get louder for you when you travel. Access this gift and don’t ignore it, every time my intuition has told me something on a trip - it has been right!

16. WHEN THEY INVITE YOU , SAY YES!

You will meet some locals on your travels that may invite you over for dinner or to come somewhere to experience something from their culture. Using your above advised intuition and safety fairies to be on the look out, but if the feeling is right and you see a green light for a situation then you MUST GO! I have had some of the most extraordinary travel experiences because I have been open to saying yes to ‘heading to the hosts place for lunch” or said yes to a boat trip around the island with their family. Some locals want to proudly share their culture and if you feel safe, then you must go!

17. SAFETY

Again this could be an entire blog post but I shall summarise what I can here! Safety can come in both long and short ways but here are some simple and easy things to remember:

1. Ideally if you have a handbag you want to make sure it has a zip, you’d be shocked at how good those pick pocketers are

2. If you are travelling alone, don’t tell too many people on your travels that, especially if you are a female lone traveller. Always say your friend or partner is back at the accomodation

3. I hate to say it but it happens, there can be places that you stay what will have hidden cameras so make sure you do an initial sweep on the room and check out anything that looks suss

4. I don’t really go out drinking or to bars when I am travelling alone and spend most of the days out and about and the nights cooking at home.

5. I always turn on my “find my friends” whilst I am away so that my family can track and see where I am. Its also beneficial to send through your travel plans to someone in your circle so they have the details of where you will be

6. Instagram locations - this is a bit iffy and take it with a grain of salt. When you upload a current/live video or picture and tag the location, it will automatically go to a public tag and anyone can see your content if they click on the location tag (and you are on public). I have had messages from random guys before who have found my account based on that tag and it can be sometimes freaky - so just be aware of what you are tagging and try and upload once you have left somewhere as a precaution.

18. PRE LOAD GOOGLE MAPS

This is great thing to do before you leave for overseas and will save you both on time and stress whilst you are travelling. You can pre load and tag locations (restaurants, beaches etc) that you want to see and save them on your Google maps. Of course I scream about loose travel and not making too many plans, but having some light things already saved on maps for things you want to see will save you some of your searching time.

19. EATING

This can be a contentious topic as its very personal to everyone, but if I can gift you any advice when you are travelling in the form of food I was say: ask the locals. Legit. Swear by it every single time. I avoid where possible the tourist traps and busy restaurant areas where some man is out the front beckoning you to come in and try “the best carbonara in Italy!’ So far I have had all successful expeditions of food when I have asked the people that live there. Also worth noting: busy doesn’t mean delicious.

20. TAKE MOMENTOS

Whether it be a tiny boat ticket from your favourite beach that you visited or a small ceramic cup from Sicily, where you can - take special momentos with you to remember the trip. Memories are the second sweetest part of travel, the first being experiencing life differently when you travel. Some mornings when I open up my crockery cupboard I'll notice the tiny lemon espresso cup I bought from Sardinia back in 2018 with one of my close friends. We each have a cup and whilst I feel so far away from her sometimes, I see that espresso cup and am instantly taken back to our laughable nights together, and the memories.

HAPPY, FULL AND SAFE TRAVELS TO YOU!

xx