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PRICELESS TRAVEL TIPS from our contributing ROAD WARRIORS
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• Have cash. It’s hard to barter with plastic.
• Bring a camera. Take many photographs of your globe trotting endeavors, in order to make your friends turn green upon your return.
• Pack patience, curiosity and a sense of humor. You will need them.
• Once in a while take a friend, or better, take a lover.
• Eat things you can’t pronounce or recognize.
-- Barron Claiborne .....................
• I always bring adhesive tape, like McGyver.
• I never book hotels.
• I always bring a 2nd camera and a 2nd lens.
• I always forget my telephone charger.
• It is easier that I forget my passport at home, than my notebook and pens for drawing.
-- Cristina de Middel .....................
• Travel alone to be as free as the wind unless you journey with someone you love who knows the ropes.
• Leave your passport in your hotel if there is a safe spot there. Carry a copy of the passport when on the streets.
• Never carry over 50 dollars with you on the streets. Some pickpockets are slick.
• If you’re in one city for several days pick your “spot” at a cafe or bar and get to know well those who work there. They will guide you with all of your questions. Leave good tips.
• Travel as light as possible. Weight on a trip is an elephant on your back in more ways than one.
-- Jerry Ellis .....................
• I don’t like to travel, but here is my list of places to be: Cairo New York, Rome, London & Algiers
-- Mahjoub Ben Bella .....................
• Pack light. What I have realized over time is that I never wear all the clothes I pack. So I pack on the lighter side. It leaves room for me to buy stuff and allows me to save my energy for my real work- making pictures.
• Always carry on your luggage. I never wanna risk my bags and cameras getting lost, so I travel light and put everything into two bags.
• I always travel with a scarf. Its multi-uses have saved me many times. Like when the temps dip at night, if I’m in a country where women cover their heads, when I’ m photographing in a market or an open space that seems unsafe, and I want to conceal my camera, it’s a perfect cover.
• Zip-lock bags. I travel with them tucked away in my suitcase. They are perfect for keeping track of everything I don’t want to lose: receipts, batteries, and I can use them as sandbags when I need to hold a light stand in place.
• I always, always, always, bring my own pharmacy with me. It’s horrible to get sick in another country and when you don’t speak the language it’s even worse. I have been horribly ill in hotel rooms alone and wishing I had remembered to pack meds. These are my must haves: Cipro, Benadryl, Advil and Imodium AD.
• Bones tip for photographers: I travel with a power strip, always! At night after a long day of shooting, I have to recharge all my gear. So having a power strip to plug in everything saves me from searching the entire hotel room for every available power outlet.
-- Penny De Los Santos .....................
• When you find a place worth of beauty and mystery, yes, spend money with a smart guide that can take you safely around and show you the hidden treasures.
• Keep in mind to look for small items to buy as souvenirs. At home they will look great at the right spot.
• If you can, travel during the low season. It will be all there for you and in a cheaper way.
• Always ask permission before taken anybody picture. It does not matter who and how.
-- Andre Cypriano .....................
• My must haves are: Mosquito net / Macks ear plugs / Imodium / Ambien Snuggle pillow
-- Jeff Divine .....................
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