Travel Tips

Check out my tips on dealing with many hazards and nuisances while traveling.

See pictures/commentary plus planning info from some of my trips abroad, including China and Tibet in 2000, Greenland/Iceland/Greece/Black Sea in 1999, Germany/Austria/France in 1998, and China/Hong Kong/Macau in 1996.

More than any other guidebook, I rely on & recommend the Lonely Planet books.  Of course, some LP guides are better than others, but I would be hesitant to go abroad without the appropriate LP book in hand.

For a trip to Europe, Rick Steves has a great series of books.  His books are sort of meta-guidebooks: he helps you plan a trip and construct an itinerary, but his books aren't meant to be a replacement for an encyclopedic guidebook like Lonely Planet that will tell you, for example, where to find a laundromat in a given city.  His choices for the "best" things to see are really quite good, and his advice sound (if occasionally preachy).

Microsoft Expedia is where I book almost all of my flights from.  It works pretty well, and for my 1999 trip abroad it found a fare that was $500 better than anywhere else (via travel agent or other online site).  It's not that great for hotels or cars, though.

For hotels, you're best off contacting them directly.  If it's a USA-based chain, just find their 800 #.  Otherwise, if it's in a "wired" part of the world (and you'd be surprised how many places are), do some online research and e-mail the establishment directly.  For my 1999 trip, I booked all of my Iceland hotel & guesthouse stays via e-mail, and it worked out wonderfully.

For cars in Europe, Auto Europe is pretty good.  They have good rates and a full refund policy if you need to cancel the reservation.