Tag: Travel Tips

My secret travel packing tips.

Packing is a pretty personal experience.  Maybe you’re a student, a businessperson, an artist, or a health nut.  Whatever is important to you dictates what you need to bring.  So instead of giving you a packing list for your next big trip, I’m offering you the packing techniques I’ve adopted over my years of European travel and two international moves.  Good packing can reduce your stress during your travels by helping you think through your packing ahead of time and plan for whatever you might need in the new environments you’ll be exploring.
If you do happen to be looking for a packing list, there’s a lot out there to choose from, including HER Packing List, which indexes packing lists by type.   The lists are focused on women, but certain things are universal, right guys?
Please note: This post focuses on trips with international airlines that offer generous baggage allowances.  If you are traveling a budget airline between countries in Europe, visit my budget airline post for tips.

1. When it comes to packing, controlling weight is key in order to avoid paying high overweight airline fees and a lot of stress on yourself.

Yes, I’ve been that person sitting on the airport floor in the check-in area, looking like my luggage exploded as I am re-shifting all of my personal items to knock five pounds off the weight of my checked baggage to avoid a $100 fee.  This process becomes even worse in a foreign country, where you have to go to a cashier window to pay the excess weight fee, and then stand in line again at the check-in counter with the receipt, risking missing your flight.
Here are some tips for avoiding overweight baggage:

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Making last-minute luggage shifting outside of JFK on my way to Milan.
  • Try to limit the amount of shoes you take with you.  Shoes are the biggest space and weight hogs.
  • If you can bear it, wear your heaviest pair of shoes on your flight (you can always take them off during the flight).
  • Put any non-liquid, heavy items like cameras, shoes, batteries, and even jewelry, in your carry-on if you think you are close to exceeding baggage weight restrictions for your checked baggage.
  • Make sure you have removed any excess packaging from any items you are traveling with.  You’d be surprised how much weight a little extra cardboard, plastic, or glass here and there on a souvenir or cosmetic can add up.
  • Take a jacket out of your bag, if necessary, and clip it onto your purse or carry-on with a travel jacket clip.

Wholesale-Cotton-font-b-Foldable-b-font-font-b-Reusable-b-font-font-b-Grocery-b2.  If you are flying international and think you might buy a lot of souvenirs, pack a large recyclable grocery bag to use as a carry-on on the way back if necessary.

International flight baggage allowance usually includes two checked bags, a carry-on and personal item (but be sure to double-check the baggage policy before you leave!).  If you buy so many souvenirs that you can’t fit them in your luggage, you can always check both the luggage and your carry-on, and then carry-on instead your large recyclable grocery bag.  Make sure to transfer your souvenirs to your former carry-on that you are checking (especially if they are liquid!) and your important traveling items to your grocery bag.  I know, walking around an airport with a recyclable grocery bag is not the most fashionable solution.  But recyclable grocery bags are light-weight and don’t take up much space, and are perfect in this sort of last-minute packing emergency.  Needing to buy a new luggage while on vacation in order to get all of your belongings home is not only time-consuming, but can also be pretty expensive.
 

51rR7sw-i3L._AC_UL320_SR318,320_3. Saving space is important, but space saver bags are only helpful to a point.

Space saver bags are fine, and if they help you get organized, even better.  I’m not a big fan because I find the plastic tool that helps you seal the bags often falls off, and the bags become difficult to re-seal, so they become useless.  If you are going on a trip that involves a lot of stops/changing of hotels, this is especially annoying.  And, needless to say, who has a vacuum on vacation with them?
Instead of space saver bags, I organize with inexpensive laundry bags they sell for separating your clothing items by type during washing.  They come with a zipper and really last a long time.  They don’t make noise like the noisy plastic space saver bags do, because they are made of acrylic fabric, which also makes them more durable.  You can usually find them on the same aisle as the space saver bags.
 

4.  Get an L.L. Bean hanging toiletry kit.

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In my humble opinion, there is no other toiletry organizer on the market that is as well-made and well-designed as L.L. Bean’s hanging toiletry kit.  I get no money from L.L. Bean.  In fact, when my dad first gave me this toiletry kit as a birthday gift, I was underwhelmed.  Fast forward 10 years later, and not only am I still using it, but it is my most valuable travel accessory.  I use it nearly every day because I travel so much, and it easily and effectively holds all of my toiletries.  In fact, it does such a good job that I forget how much is in there and it can get really heavy, so watch out for the weight!
 

IMG_61335. Speaking of toiletries, leave behind your expensive bottles of serums and moisturizers, and use contact lens cases instead.

If you are only going on a two-week trip or less, it is pretty easy to count out the amount of serum/moisturizer drops you need for your trip by pumping all the drops in a water-tight contact lens case.  Believe me, I’ve lost a lot of expensive products during my travels through damage in the traveling process.  Don’t risk ruining expensive products and benefit from not taking on the extra weight of the big bottles.
 

IMG_61356. Protect your blush, bronzers, powders, and eye shadows from breaking and crumbling  with disposable face pads.

My fabulous friend and fellow adventurous traveler Giovanna told me about this tip and the tip above.  I’ve had enough casualties of my make-up over the years that I embraced this tip from the first day she suggested to me.  Placing one or two make-up remover pads on the faces of my powder cosmetics has definitely minimized breakage.
 

7. Get out your suitcase at least a week in advance and start filling it with trip-specific items that you don’t use every day.

There are many trip-specific items that you don’t use on a daily basis, like your passport, so why not get them packed in advance and save yourself the stress and energy of packing these items the night before your trip?  If you have your luggage or carry-on out in advance, it is a gentle reminder to think ahead about important items you need to pack, and you can toss them in as you think of them throughout the week before your trip.  I’m leaving for Italy in three days on a work trip with CISabroad, and I’ve had my luggage out since last weekend.  I realized when I put my camera in my luggage that I needed to charge the batteries.  I was so grateful not to be charging batteries at midnight the night before my trip!
Types of items you can pack in advance:

  • Energy bars/snacks for traveling days
  • Camera and accessories
  • Gifts for relatives (if you’re paying someone a visit)
  • Passport
  • Winter clothing accessories
  • Plug adapter

8. Ensure your comfort in unknown environments by packing a large, light-weight scarf that you can keep in your carry-on or purse.

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I keep a large, light-weight scarf in my purse year-round.  It is a lifesaver.  When I’m on a plane, I use it as a blanket.

During the summer I use it as a shawl if an evening gets a little chilly.  During the winter I use it as a scarf.  It can also be a beach cover-up, extra layer of warmth on your legs outside on a cold night, the list goes on and on.
I’m using it as a shawl on a chilly summer evening in Ojai, California in the photo above, and in the photo on the right, I’m using it as a scarf on a chilly summer morning in Birmingham, England.
 

9. Do your vacation shopping trip several weeks in advance in case there are a few items you can’t find and need to order online.

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I went to Target a few weeks ago, and while I checked off most items on my shopping list, the shopping trip also reminded me of other items I needed.  I wanted a high-quality, fashionable backpack that fit my laptop.  Not an easy item to find, and Target didn’t have one.  I went home and found one online, but the item was back-ordered.  It is supposed to arrive tomorrow, three days before my trip.  Close call, phew!
 

10. Use pill boxes to keep small items like jewelry separated on long trips.

I admit, I’m a lover of accessorizing, so pill boxes aren’t necessary for everyone, especially for short trips when selecting one or two pairs of earrings that go with everything is a better option.  But my trips are quite long, and I get bored with just two pairs of earrings after a while.   I’m thrilled to finally have such easy access to them!  This is another tip I got thanks to my traveler buddy Giovanna!
 

11. Pay attention year-round to the travel-sized section of your local pharmacy or big retail store to look for clever travel solutions.

Although your basics are always available, the travel-sized product selection is constantly changing, and varies significantly from store to store.  If there’s a product you use regularly that you’d like the travel-sized version of, it isn’t so easy to find it by just going to one store.  So just pay attention year-round whenever you find yourself at a CVS, Rite Aid, Target, ULTA, etc.  For instance, a few months ago Target had several travel-sized Burt’s Bees products that I had never seen there before, and are since gone.  And I just picked up travel-sized nail polish remover wipes, which are so much lighter than my mini-nail polish remover bottle, and isn’t considered a liquid.  I’m so excited about this find. 🙂  Please note: Certain cosmetics brands you can contact directly or go to their websites to find travel-sized versions of their products.  I often pick-up specialty travel-sized products when I’m at ULTA.
 
 

Here’s how Google Maps helps me navigate a new city like a local.

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I love to travel solo or semi-solo and Google Maps is the best companion, as not only does he help me find my way, he always let’s me get my way.  We’ve had a lot of adventures together, but we’ve had to work at our healthy relationship.  I’ve had to share a lot with Google Maps and keep him updated – good relationships are a two-way street, after all.  So in order to take advantage of all my Google Maps has to offer and execute my tips below, I’ve had to be logged-in to my Google Maps application on my smart phone so it remembers who I am.
Once you’re signed-in, you can really discover the miracles of Google Maps. Here’s how it has made me a better traveler:

IMG_59371. I can always find my way, with or without data, with Google Maps Offline Maps feature.

There is nothing more frustrating (and scary) than being exhausted after a long day as a tourist, trying to get back to your hotel, realizing you don’t know how to get back, and not having a data plan on your phone to feed your maps application to help guide you home.  Usually I load my directions via WiFi at the restaurant where I eat dinner before I retire for the evening, but sometimes I forget and other times WiFi isn’t available.  This is where Offline Maps is a lifesaver – it doesn’t need WiFi or a data plan to function (although it is slightly more limited than using Google Maps online as it doesn’t offer transit, bike, or walking directions).  I make a point to add downloading Offline Maps to my to-do list for all the cities I plan to travel to before I leave on vacation.

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Even if you think you don’t need Offline Maps because you have a rock star international data plan on your phone, you can never be too prepared. One night at a Paris metro stop I had unknowingly arrived just after the last metro I needed left for the night (Paris metros notoriously finish running relatively early in the evening on weekdays, like between 11pm and 12am).  While I had data on my phone during my Paris trip, at the time I was in the metro tunnel with no usable data signal, unsure of what I should do next.  Luckily I had previously downloaded Paris as an Offline Map on my phone and didn’t need a data connection to use it.  While it couldn’t load transit directions, it was enough to let me cross-reference with the metro map to see how far it was to get to my hotel from a different metro stop with an alternative metro line that was still running from the stop where I was waiting.

 

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2. I have the memory of a goldfish, so I always update my saved Google Maps “Home” location with the address of where I’m currently staying, no matter how briefly I’m there.

Sometimes the most obvious pieces of information can be the most elusive, such as the address of where you are staying in a foreign country. Take this familiar scenario, for example:


You get to your hotel or Airbnb via all the reservation information you printed out at the office before you left on your vacation.  You check in to where you are staying, have a rest and a shower, and set out exploring for the rest of the day.  You have a fruitful few hours of exploring and are ready to call it a day.  You reach for your reservation information to reference the address of where you’re staying to tell the taxi you’re planning to take, and much to your chagrin, you realize you’ve left the print-outs with the address in your room.  You panic.  You remember what neighborhood you’re staying in, but not the street.  What are you going to do?  You could (A) Google your hotel address on your smart phone if you have data or via a found WiFi signal. (B) Run around searching for a knowledgeable local who’s willing to help you and speaks English. (C) Try to find your way on your own by meandering back in the direction you came from in the dark. (D) Sleep on a park bench and deal with it in the morning. (E) Ask Google Maps (in offline mode if necessary) to navigate you to your hotel because you remembered to store the address as Home when you left on your travels.  I think by now you know which I’m choosing.

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Believe it or not, this scenario happens more than you think.  I’ll never forget the lovely lunch I shared in Lecce with one of my great friends, Janet from New York.  An American woman sat alone at the table next to us, and spent much of our lunch talking to us and asking questions.  She left a bit before us, and as we were walking back to our Airbnb, we ran into her.  She was lost.  She asked us if we could help her get back to her hotel.  I reached for my iPhone, and at the same time realized I had remembered her checking her email on her iPhone during lunch.  I asked her, “You have an iPhone with data, don’t you?”  She looked at me, confused, and answered, “Yes.”  I responded, “Have you tried inputting the address of your hotel in your phone’s map for directions?”  And she said, “You can do that?”  Well, now you know, ha!

IMG_59543. Google Maps tells me where the basics like ATMs and grocery stores are, wherever I am, which saves me a lot of time and hassle.

I hate paying fees to exchange money in advance of entering a country with a different currency.  Instead, I arrive and plan to withdraw money in the local currency from an ATM (cash machine) asap.  This plan has always worked out for me, especially since it is so easy to find ATMs in Google Maps.


While the ATMS are easy to find at airports and train stations, often these ATMs have the highest fees.  Instead, I wait until I get into the city, open Google Maps, make sure it knows my current location, and just type “ATM” into the search function.  It then displays a map with red dots all around me, each red dot representing an ATM location.  I select one, ask Google Maps to give me walking directions, and head over and withdraw a small amount, knowing I can easily withdraw more when I need to.

Sure beats going to the bank in your hometown in advance of your trip and asking them to exchange $1,000 from your account into Euro, and then spending your travels worrying about getting robbed.

IMG_59514. I navigate public transport like a local, wherever I am, with Google Maps Transit Directions.

While Google Maps Transit Directions are not available in every city, they are widely available, especially in cities that are major tourist destinations.
If transit directions are available where you are (and you can always check in advance of your trip by doing a quick test search), Google can tell you how to get where you want to be via public transportation.

It will give you several different options of different lines and types of public transportation (bus, metro, train), and you can even edit the time you want to leave.  For example, if I’ve made a breakfast date with a friend, I’ll check the transit directions on Google Maps the night before to see how long it will take me by changing the departure time to the following morning.

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The transit directions even include walking directions to where you need to catch the bus, train, or metro.  So there’s no excuse for spending the money on a taxi, Lyft, or Uber, especially since I’ve found that Google Maps has sometimes been more accurate with transit times than transit information posted locally.  If only it went so far as to tell you how to open the door on the Paris metros.  Then it would truly be a perfect travel companion.

Please note that Transit Directions are not available in Offline Maps, and are not accurate in the event of a transit strike or sometimes due to local holiday transit schedules.

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IMG_59565. Google Maps “Saved Places” feature helped me bar-crawl my way through the best-rated historic pubs of London.

Even though I could ride the London Tube like a pro if I had wanted to, thanks to Google Transit Directions, I had a lot of time on my hands during my trip to London, and I was determined to save every penny and not waste a single cent on Tube rides (although I found out at the end of my trip that the Tube graciously caps your daily ride cost to £6.50, no matter how much you ride in the city between certain hours, as long as you use your Oyster card).
Since I didn’t want to spend my money on the Tube, that meant a lot of walking.  And London gets pretty chilly, even during the summer.  If I was walking from, let’s say, The Photographer’s Gallery to, let’s say, East London to check out the amazing street art, I would want to stop to warm up every mile or so.  Luckily, beer is quite economical in London, and half-pints even more so, running from £1.50 to £2.50.  And, I happen to be a fan of beer, so what a great way to spend my money that I save from not using the Tube!

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How did I manage to bar-crawl my way through London’s best pubs when I knew nothing about the city and even less about the pubs? I referenced my “Saved Places” on my Google Maps app, which, after I’ve saved a place, appears as a star on my map.  Whenever I wanted a break from my walking, I just looked for the nearest star on the map and navigated myself there, or had Google maps give me walking directions.  I would research the places I wanted to go with WiFi at my Airbnb at night, like articles about the best pubs in London, and when I found a pub that sounded promising, I punched it into my Google Maps app.  When the app located the pub I was looking for, I pulled up on the screen for more options and clicked the star to save the location.  And voila!  Look what my map looked like after all that research (see below).

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6. There’s no need to wait until I’m on vacation to do my research: I put Saved Places on my Google Maps whenever I get a tip about a good place to go, anywhere in the world, all year round.

I often find myself shuffling through my Instagram feed and drooling over friends’ delicious meals at fantastic places in Asia or Europe and deciding I’m going to go there one day.  But I have the memory of a goldfish, so you and I both know I will never make it there.  Unless, of course, I take advantage of the services of Google Maps.  Now when I see an amazing meal a friend is eating on Instagram, or read a fantastic article about a city in the New York Times travel section, I immediately find and add the recommendations as Saved Places on my Google Map.  Not only will that information be there whenever I make it to these cities, it gives me all the more inspiration for actually going in the first place because my research is already half-done!

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IMG_59577. Google Maps lets me save ANY location anywhere on my map, leaving me with no excuse for not finding my way to “unofficial places,” like the meeting point for a walking tour or the start of a hike a friend recommends to me.

I was on Facebook a few weeks ago, and saw a New York-based friend’s plea for Los Angeles-based friends to take a photo of a billboard her friend had designed that had just gone up in Hollywood.  No one had replied to her plea, and I knew I would be in LA eventually, so I opened Google Maps and added a pin at the intersection the billboard was located.  I labeled it “Billboard I need to photograph” so I can reference it the next time I’m in Los Angeles and it saved as another star on my map. Pretty easy.


I also used this feature when I was in London to save the meeting points for the many London Walks tours I went on.  The walks were very educational (sometimes too educational, ha!) and economical, and we often met in front of metro stops or at well-known intersections.  I would just drop a pin at the tour’s meeting point on my Google Map and label it with the name of the walking tour and the time we were supposed to meet.

Obviously, I am quite passionate about my love of Google Maps.  I could go on and on and on…but I won’t.  Keep in mind that technology changes quickly, and Google Maps is always changing/improving – the latest update makes it possible for Google Maps to pay attention to the travel and restaurant reservation info you make through your Gmail account.  I will try to keep you up to date, but if all else fails, just play around with it and see what you come up with, or leave a comment here on my blog!

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The reality of budget airlines and why I took the bus to Prague

For a lover of travel, the best thing Europe has to offer is having a completely different culture nearly at your fingertips…traveling from country to country in Europe requires less financial investment and often less time than traveling from state to state in the United States.

More affordable European travel is mostly due to a fairly robust train system, and incredibly low-cost airlines (low-cost as in, flying to Paris from Milan for $20). Airfares from low-cost airlines such as EasyJet, RyanAir, and WizzAir are, at face value, a traveler’s dream, made possible by the groundbreaking  “Open-Skies Treaty” in 1992, removing government restrictions on airspace.

The chance to fly throughout Europe at discount prices offers a lot of opportunity for the seasoned traveler with energy, patience, and time to spare. But the reality for the rest of us is that there’s a lot of expense, time, and effort that is in excess to the advertised discount airfares, which can be especially aggravating to the inexperienced traveler.

RyanAir, the king of low-cost airlines, topped Zagat’s list as the #1 worst airline in the world, receiving a measly score of 4.16 out of 30 possible points in customer feedback surveys. On the bright side, at least you’ve been forewarned. As a British expat said to me recently, “Well, at least RyanAir is number one in something.”

IMG_7507All that being said, on a recent opportunity to meet a friend in Prague and faced with the choice of a 125 euro round-trip RyanAir flight to Prague from a small airport 3 hours by train or car from where I live in Bologna, or a 15 hour bus ride, I chose the bus.

Here’s why:

1. Hidden airline fees
While baggage, beverage, and snack fees have become an industry wide standard, discount airlines take these fees to another level. 

  • BAGGAGE FEES
    Easyjet, for example, allows one carry-on and only one, so ladies, that means you either save room in your carry-on for your purse, or you’re going to be charged a baggage fee.  While RyanAir seems to be “generous” with their carry-on policy permitting a small bag as well as a regular carry-on, they instead search for other, more unexpected ways to extract money out of you.  For instance, if you don’t pay for your baggage online in advance of getting to the airport, they charge you a much higher baggage fee (I paid 100 euro for my bag when flying on RyanAir from Milan to Stockholm).
  • “PRINT YOUR TICKET AT HOME” POLICY
    RyanAir’s infamous “print your ticket at home” requirement has bitten me in the butt twice. Once on my way back home to Bologna from a trip to Paris, I lost my return ticket I had printed before leaving on the trip and had to pay the 10 euro fee to print my ticket at the printing kiosk at Beauvais. I was lucky they had a printing kiosk, as many airports don’t and the fee is even higher if you have to print it at the check-in desk.
  • SMART PHONES DON’T HELP
    With the advent of airline smart phone applications, I thought I had finally overcome this most annoying aspect of flying via RyanAir by being able to use my smartphone e-boarding pass, only to find out at the airport that RyanAir doesn’t permit non-EU citizens to use e-boarding passes, another predatory procedure aimed at tricking you out of your money, as the procedure is not clear via the app, and is not related to government policy (EasyJet, for instance, permits the use of e-boarding passes by non-EU citizens) and is instead taking advantage of travelers who are never originating from their home city and therefore with fewer resources for printing their tickets.

2. Extra ground transport time and fees
When you are visiting larger European cities, the low-cost carrier airports are often located further away from the cities, and require more time, creativity, and money to get to and from the airports, which ultimately cuts into your vacation time.

  • DISTANT AIRPORTS, SPARSE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
    Luckily in smaller cities like Bologna, the low-cost airlines share the same airport with the major carriers. But in most major cities this isn’t the case.
    For example, Beauvais is the low-cost carrier airport serving Paris. It takes about an hour to travel by bus to Paris from the airport. But the real challenge is getting back – the buses don’t run often and the bus company knows the airport schedule. If you arrive at the bus station – which is outside the center of Paris and requires a bit of time on the metro to reach – less than three and a half hours before your flight, the bus will have already departed for the airport and you’ll get stuck sharing the 125 euro cab fare with a few strangers in order to make it to the airport in time. Don’t worry though, the cabs wait by the bus station for unfortunate souls like us, so you’ll have no problem finding a cab (yes, unfortunately, I’m speaking from experience).
  • GROUND TRANSPORT CAN RUN INFREQUENTLY WITH DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND SCHEDULES
    Take it from me – make a mental note to learn the bus schedule of (often) the only method of transport to and from the airport serving your low-cost flight as in advance as possible, as sometimes this is no easy task when traveling in a non-English speaking country.
    Yes, along with my eventful experience in Paris, I’m also referencing my nail-biting wait in line with my nearly indecipherable general admittance bus ticket behind several hundred other anxious budget travelers at Stockholm’s bus station in the wee hours of New Year’s Day, as (luckily) the bus company called a sleepy bus driver to come in on short notice to accommodate the especially numerous tourists that morning. If I had been able to read the schedule better and had done my research in advance, I would have arrived at the bus station earlier. Which brings me to the next important point:
  • BUY YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE / WIKITRAVEL IS (always) YOUR BEST FRIEND
    Always check (the life-saving) Wikitravel before you leave on your trip and see if you can buy your bus ticket online.  This will save you the inevitable wait in line behind everyone else on your plane to buy your bus ticket.
    In airports like Brussels South Charleroi Airport, your ticket bought in advance online could save you hours, as the electronic kiosks to buy your bus ticket at this airport are iffy at best,* and the majority of travelers whose ATM/credit cards are not accepted by the kiosk must wait in line to buy their ticket from the one in-person attendant available, who tends to take lunch during peak arrival times. I eventually wizened up and payed a local returning home in cash to put my ticket on his card at the kiosk and was able to get on a bus to Brussels without an really significant delay.
    I’ll never forget pulling away from the curb and seeing the hundred people (including many from my plane) camped out in line for their bus ticket in front of the “gone for lunch” sign at the attendant’s empty window. Take it from me (and all the people waiting in that line), read Wikitravel for the city you’re visiting before you get there! The Brussels entry had explicitly warned travelers about this problem, but unfortunately I didn’t read the entry until I was on my to the airport, so it was too late to buy my bus ticket in advance online.

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My happy friend Chris who met me at the Brussels bus station after I narrowly escaped the drama of the airport.

3. Additional accommodation fees, taxi fees, and/or major loss of sleep
Budget flights do not run as regularly between the destinations they serve as regular carriers do, and the flights often take place at less desirable times of day, like very early or very late. 
This could mean that you’ll arrive at your destination late at night, or that you’ll take off very early in the morning. And remember, most major cities do not run their public transportation 24 hours per day.

  • TOO LATE/TOO EARLY FLIGHTS
    It is easy not to consider enough just how much your flight time affects the way your organize your trip. For instance, if you wanted to head out on your vacation on a Saturday morning, but there are no morning flights offered and you are left with the choice of leaving a day earlier and paying an extra night of hotel stay, or leaving twelve hours later and losing most of a day of vacation, what do you do? An extra night of hotel is not a budget option. If you added the hotel stay to what you paid for the flight, you could probably afford a non-budget flight leaving at a more comfortable time of day.
  • MISSING YOUR FLIGHT BECAUSE THE METRO WASN’T OPEN YET
    Early morning flights can infamously depart sooner than it is possible to arrive at the airport via ground transport, or sooner than the metro that brings you to the ground transport starts to run.
    My friend Lauren missed her EasyJet flight out of London for just this reason – she had afforded enough to time to get to the airport, not considering that she might have to wait for the metro to start running in the morning. Wikitravel’s London page actually has a section describing how to sleep at London Stansted airport, as so many people riding EasyJet and RyanAir have encountered this problem over the years.
    With no public transport options early in the morning, your choice is to sleep for free on a bench at the airport, pay to sleep at an airport hotel, or pay for expensive door-to-door ground transport. Honestly, I don’t know about you but none of these options sound so great to me.

4. Lots of time and attention needed to meet stricter baggage and liquid requirements
If you’re flying low-cost, that probably means you don’t want to spend the money to check your bags. But take it from me – check them, and do it as in advance as possible. 
Check your bags when you originally book your ticket, as that’s when you’ll be offered the biggest discount for the checked bags. You can also check them when you check-in online for less of a discount. Do not check your bags spontaneously at the airport, as they will charge you a crazy fee.
Checking your bags saves you the stress of packing. And stressing/wasting time on packing is never worth it – that and the lack of stuff you’ll have access to for your trip (because checked baggage allotments are so minimal) can quickly negate any of the positive benefits you’re deriving from your trip.

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Arriving in Bologna on my first RyanAir flight.

  • STRICTER LIQUID POLICIES
    Discount airlines are often stricter about their baggage and liquid policies in airports only serving low-cost carriers. There is no customer service mandate that prevents them from caring about making you feel like a criminal because you forgot you had Chapstick buried in the bottom of your purse, so security lines at low-cost airports are often longer and more stressful than security lines at other airports. Save yourself this stress and worry by tossing all your liquids in your checked baggage. Then you can stand in the security line worry-free (as long as you arrive early enough for your flight!).
  • DON’T FORGET ABOUT WINTER AND SOUVENIRS
    Getting to your destination is one thing, but weathering long days being a tourist outside in winter without enough warm, heavy clothes to keep you warm because you weren’t able to fit enough in your carry-on is absolutely no fun. Also, layering is only fashionable to a point. I spent a freezing May in London pretty much wearing everything I had fit in my carry-on every day. I think the last time I was so perpetually unfashionable was in 1993.  Fortunately I’m not a souvenir gal, but I know many of you are. I can assure you there won’t be space in your bag for it, and forget bringing back a bottle of wine or heaven forbid some olive oil. But if you are flying low-cost there is still a way around it.  If you go crazy souvenir shopping, add a souvenir tote bag to your shopping list which will afford you more space to dump all your (non-liquid) souvenirs in the tote to carry-on, and then check your luggage in when you check-in online.

5. When you count out all the hours that go into all of the effort to take a budget airline, sometimes a bus or a train is actually a faster way to go. 
If I had flown to Prague instead of taking the 14 hour bus, I would have had to take a bus to the train, to another bus, to a plane, and then to another bus.

Including all connections, airport time, and flight, it would have cost 200 euro (train and bus tickets add up quickly) and would have taken about 11 hours. Instead, for 100 euro round-trip, I got to relax on a comfortable – albeit non-luxurious – bus with phone service the whole way, frequent pit stops, super friendly drivers who gave us free water and cookies, and as much luggage and liquid as I wanted to bring. All this without a stress or worry. No delayed flights, no standing in line, great view.  Loved it.

I’m making a habit out of this actually. In January I took a train from Milan to Paris, and tomorrow I’m taking the train to Munich. Another great alternative to discount airlines. You can find timetables for train travel across Europe on the German website, Bahn.

But if you really still want to fly, I understand. Just please, all I ask is remember these tips so you don’t have to suffer quite as much as me and my friends have…;)

* Kiosks may now be working better, as this occurred in 2012.