Travel Hacks from the Community

"If discontent is your disease, travel is the medicine." This is the opening line of the book, To Shake the Sleeping Self, written by Jedidiah Jenkins. He quit a job he loved at 30 to ride a bicycle from Oregon to Patagonia. I felt like I was traveling while reading his stories. But what I took away from it was that you don’t have to go far away to learn the lessons that come with traveling. You just have to be intentional with how you move, how you choose what and who to spend time with.

We asked our community via Instagram about travel tips they learned over the years. Take every advice with a grain of salt. And when you find it useful, pass it on.

1. When traveling to more than one place, bring your packing list with you. Update it as you go. Mark things that you didn’t find useful. This helps make sure you don’t leave anything behind and you can pack better in the future.

2. Heading to a new place? Listen to a new playlist. In the future, every time you listen to the same songs, it will bring you vivid memories of your adventures.

3. When hiking up a mountain or traveling over large bodies of water, wear bright colors. In case you get lost, you will be easier to spot.

4. Put a tag inside and outside of your bag. Tags outside can be easily removed. If someone opens the bag (to see who owns it), all your information will be intact.

5. Learn the basic greetings of a foreign destination, it can go a long way! - Merovee Dorado

6. Mark your destination in Google maps so you can navigate the place even without WiFi. You can also get a complimentary map from the information centers. - Eeno Arnel & Zhian Soriano 

7. Have a limit for taking pictures of new places. Allot time to just be in the moment. - Simon Jose 

8. Always bring a scarf. It's versatile and can be used on many occasions. - Jill Rodriguez

9. When traveling outdoors, don't wait for the weather to go bad. Line your bag with a trash bag or a reusable cloth one. - Genica Bucao

10. Put cash in all places in your bag and on yourself in case of emergency. - Alin de Venecia

11. Bring reusables (tumbler, bag, etc.) to save on costs and reduce waste.

12. Prepare for all sorts of weather. You'll never know how crazy it can be. - Leah Halili

13. Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. - Jason Froilan

14. Align the things you intend to bring with the people you are traveling with. It will save time, space and can reduce your spending as well. You can go one step further by creating a common fund for expenses shared among the group. - Benj Ramos & Pao Cuarteron

15. Try to get an extra day off from your vacation schedule so you can rest and prepare for daily life. 

16. Take the scenic route. Not the fastest. Not the most popular. Never the easiest. It will always take you to where you're supposed to be, whether or not that's where you planned. - Romano Santos

 Photos by Cy Billones