Make a List

About a week or so before each trip, I make a list of items I don’t want to forget — which I WILL forget if I don’t write them down. It’s easiest for me to have a travel list saved as a Google Doc so I can access it online and edit it as needed.

Make Photocopies of Important Documents

We also take photos of our passports and driver licenses and keep them in our Google Docs and in files on our phones. You just never know when you need a backup.

Plan for the weather forecast to be wrong

We went to Amsterdam in the fall and I did a great job of looking at the forecast a few days before we left, but the forecast changed drastically 24 hours before we left and 85% of what we brought ended up being too warm to wear. Be sure to bring some extra items for weather conditions you don’t expect.

When using a credit card at stores, choose to pay in the local currency

If you’re at checkout in a local shop and the cashier asks you if you’d like to pay in, say, Euros or dollars, say “Euros”. Your credit card company will automatically do the conversion into dollars so there’s no need to pay in dollars. If you say you want to pay in dollars, you will likely be overcharged because the stores may use a higher conversion rate.

Sunscreen

Get into the habit of using sunscreen. I use it daily, regardless of the weather. You will likely be walking a lot more than you think, and even if the sun isn’t literally shining, you can get sunburned. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your hands and arms as well as your neck, chest, and ears, and don’t forget to reapply. I take a small lightweight container of sunscreen with me in my bag when I know I’m going out for the day.