Some of these travel tips will be hard for you to apply but after 8 years of traveling the world I have found these 5 travel tips to become a motto and guideline for me. I hope that you take them in and really consider them the next time you take off to gain more experiences.

Travel Tips #1 – Be open and don’t plan everything out:

“Do it with the locals.” This is a huge travel tip to follow when traveling. You can never beat the knowledge of a local and I would highly suggest to avoid sitting at your computer and trying to figure everything out.

The KEY is to get a few travel tips about the area. The next step is to myspace or facebook some locals down there and ask them what’s cool and if you could meet up for a day or two to have some local fun with them. Most locals will love this opportunity and the experiences you have from that are priceless. I still remember a time in the Brazil where I did this and ended up in some tribe in the Amazon being taught Capawara by a Capawara Master. I could have never planned that from a desktop.

Travel Tips #2 – Immerse yourself in the culture:

Everyday you should be trying something new but more importantly you should constantly be stepping out of your comfort zone.

One of the best travel tips I can give you is this “Give yourself all the experiences you can h.” Experiences are directly relate to your personality and ultimately the quality of life you are going to have.

Here’s some interesting information. When you’re out of your comfort zone you fall into what’s called the state of dissonance. The body and minds goal is to become comfortable again so as it starts to eliminate the state of dissonance and creates comfort again. When this process happens the body mind and expands, personality grows, lessons are learned and you can now handle more situations in life. Next time you travel try not to create a home away from home and instead let whereever you are at impact you.

Travel Tips #3 – Chose your travel companions wisely:

This travel tip is an all encompassing principle in life. It has become apparent in these last few years of traveling that the quality of life and our fulfillment and happiness is greatly effect by the support and relationships around us.

I have seen to many travelers take off on a journey with someone that shares the same dream to travel but completely different lifestyle and it ruining the trip for them. The sad part is you find these people in amazing place completely involved in this drama scene instead of being involved in the beauty and culture.

The moment this became apparent was 3 years ago in Costa Rica. I was sitting on the beach in a surf town named Montezuma. The sun was beginning to set and it was one of those perfect conditions for a beautiful one.

While sitting there a hostel roommate sat down next to me and after a few questions about his travel he began to release all of this built up baggage he was holding in about his travel companion. While sitting there watching this beautiful sun set I realized he had no clue it was happening. The truth is not everyone is a good travel companion for you but when you do travel with the right one your traveling and experiences are going to be 100 times better.

Travel Tips #4 – Tie up any loss ends and disconnect from your life at home:

Technology was supposed to give us freedom and instead it has started to control us. Most people can’t go more then three days with out checking email or their personal site, 5 minutes with out responding to a text message and a few days with out checking in with their peeps.

The point to catch here is where ever you are physically at in life is REALITY. Anything that’s in not present such as home, old friends, family, old lifestyles is a memory and more importantly only a thought. There is a famous quote I love to reflect on:

“You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.” ~Jan Glidewell

This is a very important principle in life and travel. You have a certain amount of energy a day, you can either place that energy on a thought in your head or you can place it on the experiences in the present. Where you consistently place your energy will determine who you are and how much fulfillment you get out of life.

Travel Tips #5 – Focus more on the experience then a trophy picture to show your friends:

This travel tip ties into travel tip #4. What I always find fascinating is the amount of people that go out traveling just to take pictures and show them off to their friends back home. Pictures are great for reflection and to keep your memory bank full of good moments and they are not good when it turns into competition and distractions from the moment.

For business travelers who cannot take a holiday from the computer, a laptop bag that meets TSA checkpoint friendly guidelines will save time – one that has a full zip-around opening that allows the bag to lie flat for easy access to the notebook. Get a laptop bag that is stylish and durable, easy to carry and one that is padded for keeping the notebook safe.

This holiday season, electronic gadgets are the rage. For hikers, walkers and joggers, the pedometer with alarm is just what they need; friends will thank you for the added safety feature. For health and fitness, I am told that 10,000 steps daily is a good number to aim for when counting steps. An added bonus is a pedometer that shows distance and calories, ideal for weight watchers, for the health conscience, and for those who simply enjoy a good walk in the park or around the block.

Once you have your gift list, one-stop shopping is easy. And travel bags, including save the environment–backpacks and belt bags, and electronic gadgets are all available on the web. Spend less time shopping, and more time enjoying the holidays.

Nowadays many consider that the internet has lessened the viability of the lucrative and interesting job of any tour agent. The internet has made it easy for an individual to make his own plans, his own reservations, and buy his own tickets, instead of rushing to the travel agent every time.

This is the reason why financial analysts feel that the travel agents role being redundant, their wages are also facing a fall. Around the year 2002 the median annual salary of any agent would have been $26,630. The most popular agents in the US were reported to earn as high as $41,660 or even more.

But the current trend has been $20,800 to $33,580 as seen by the Department of Labor in the US.

The fact is that the travel agents are not making much of an earning. The only perks they receive are the special privileges and discounts while touring.

But the funny part of the picture is that most agents do not even avail these because given the salary they receive, it is a luxury for them to travel far and wide!

But in spite of all these facts there are people who still desire of travel agency as an earning avenue. The following are some tips for them, about how to go about it.

1. For those who are keen on becoming a travel agent, knowing a second language is a must. This is because they have to deal with people from diverse speech communities and knowing another language comes handy.

2. A training of minimum 6-12 weeks is necessary for any aspiring travel operator. From this they come to know about the basic tenets of the job.

3. A functional knowledge of the computers is also needed to handle the transactions and invoices and the reports that are done through computer.

4. The travel agents must always be up-to-date regarding the current trends in the field of functioning. They must also know about the best and the most popular places of tourist’s interest.

5. A certification from the Certified Travel Counselor adds to the value of an agent.

It depends entirely on a persons own ability and aptitude, the quality of his work as an agent. As long as the agent derives full satisfaction from his work, the salary should not be a reason for his/her qualms.

A lot of people couldn’t be bothered with the added expense but there is always the small possibility that something can happen. A good international travel insurance policy will provide three things: good coverage at a reasonable price, readily available emergency assistance and efficient claims processing. It should also cover most circumstances. Your international travel insurance isn’t adequate if it doesn’t cover medical expenses, medical evacuation, travel cancellation and deferment costs, loss of luggage, rental vehicle expenses, death expenses, personal liability and legal expenses.

There is most often a need for international travel health insurance, to cover medical expenses. This can include hospital stays, medication and doctor’s fees. However, international travel health insurance is a godsend in more critical situations as it also covers ambulance services and emergency-related travel expenses, which is especially important in third world countries where supplies are limited and you may need to be transported to another country.

While you may not think that the cost of such international travel health insurance coverage is justified for a short, weekend trip, if you’re going to be hiking through malaria infested forests over those two days, you might want to think again. Use your discretion. It’s much better to be prepared for a possible emergency than to fall ill or get injured and not have any international travel health insurance coverage