We’ve been stricken in Africa, South America, Alaska, and Europe, and an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. And though you can’t prevent everything, you can stack the odds in your favor.

Most of the time, we get sick because our immune system is compromised in some way. And when you’re traveling, interrupted sleep patterns, changes in diet, and other interruptions in routine can make you especially vulnerable.

Over the years, we’ve found that the best defense is a good offense. So here are a few things you can do to keep yourself strong and healthy:

1) Be careful about what you eat and where you eat. If anything seems even slightly off, don’t put it in your mouth. Wash your hands or treat them with an antibacterial before you touch your food. And don’t eat anywhere with poor sanitation. Pack a couple granola bars or bags of nuts for times when you’re hungry but there’s nothing good to eat.

2) Drink wine with your meals – it actually helps prevent salmonella. And in many areas, the local wine is one the highlights.

3) Don’t eat fruits and veggies that are mostly water in areas where the water is bad. And speaking of fruit, if you don’t eat a lot of it at home, don’t go crazy at the breakfast buffet. Go easy and give your digestive system time to adjust.

4) Do pack a few Immodium AD pills with your toiletries, in case of emergency. And by emergency, I mean that you can’t stay out of the bathroom but you have to spend the next 12 hours on a plane.

5) Take any over-the-counter medications that you use at home with you on your trip. If you get indigestion or hives or a cold once a year, you’ll get it on your vacation. That’s how it works. So having whichever remedy works for you will save you a lot of grief. Often, if you can nip something in the bud, it won’t fully develop.

6) Don’t drink too much – especially not on the plane where dehydration is a real problem. Yes, you’re on vacation. And yes, those mai tais are the best ever. But being moderate will keep you feeling fine. And trust me, you do not want to visit the Parthenon with a hangover anyway.

7) Drink as much water as you can. Bottled water is for sale everywhere, and in Europe, most restaurants will bring you a carafe of water to drink with your meal. Try to finish it off before you leave the restaurant.

8) Eat a well-balanced diet. Trying new foods is one of the great pleasures of travel. But make sure you get plenty of veggies and whole grains too.

9) Try to get enough sleep. Although it’s hard when you have jet lag, make an effort. If you wake up at 3AM and you’re “done” for the night, just lay there quietly and try to rest your mind and body anyway.

10) Get some exercise. Getting up your heart rate and working up a sweat are great ways to stay healthy and keep extra pounds at bay. If your hotel doesn’t have a fitness center, take a brisk, uphill walk. Even thirty-minutes a day will help.

Taking these simple precautions will help ensure that you feel great during your travels.

Find more travel advice here. And more trip planning tips here.

Arles

We’ve recently returned from Provence and the French Riviera, and Arles was one of our favorite spots. The city first flourished under Roman rule – and there are several impressive sites dating from Roman times, impressive medieval architecture, and delightful squares where you can enjoy a meal or a glass of wine.

Virtually everything is within walking distance. And Arles hotels and restaurants provide great value for money.

The only real challenges you’re likely to encounter are driving and parking. The charming old town has ancient walls, cobbled squares, gurgling fountains, and narrow streets, many of which have restricted traffic. You’ll appreciate it as a pedestrian, but as a driver – not so much.

Our Garmin GPS, which was a blessing almost everywhere else we went, was of little help in Arles. Pylons blocked access to our hotel, and trying to reach it from the other direction took about 45 minutes.

With that in mind, here are our top travel tips for Arles France:

1) Confirm parking with your hotel in advance, and get precise directions to the hotel from wherever you’ll be coming from. If your hotel doesn’t have parking, ask them to provide you with directions to the nearest parking facility. We were there on a bank holiday weekend, and all the free spots were taken. But there was plenty of parking in the public garage near the post office on Boulevard des Lices. If your hotel is not far, you can walk from there, or take a cab.

2) If you’ll be in Arles in summer or over a holiday period, make dinner reservations. Many of the best restaurants in Arles are small, with fewer than 20 tables. And they basically have one seating. At the places where we dined, we were the last people seated – at 8PM. Everyone else was turned away.

Arles Market

3) If possible, plan to be in Arles on Saturday, when the biggest, best market in Provence takes place on both sides of Boulevard del Lices. Hundreds of stalls sell everything from foie gras to flashlights. With fruits, vegetables, cheeses, charcuterie, pastries, seafood, breads, rotisserie chickens, paella, and wine, it’s a great place to pick up supplies for a picnic. And it also has some of the best and most affordable souvenir shopping in Provence. You’ll find Provencal linens, spices, soaps, olive-wood kitchen wares, olive oil, and lavender sachets. There’s a flea market further down the boulevard and a small brocante market with collectibles.

St. Trophime Cloisters

4) Walk to Les Alyscamps, the ancient Roman cemetery that was painted by both van Gogh and Cezanne. It’s only about ten minutes from the heart of town, and it’s very atmospheric. Ancient tombs and plane trees line the long alley that leads to a medieval church.

5) Visit the cloisters of Saint-Trophime. Although the church is best known for it’s splendid portal, the adjoining cloisters are some of the loveliest in the area.

6) Watch the world go by from a table on the Place du Forum. Both the Hotel Nord Pinus and the Hotel du Forum are on the Place, and half a dozen sidewalk cafes compete for your patronage. Order a pichet of local rosé, and admire the same plane trees – or starry skies – that inspired van Gogh.

7) Learn a little French. We found the people in Arles to be friendly, outgoing, and helpful. But English isn’t as widely spoken here as it is in cities or the French Riviera. We actually ended up speaking quite a bit of French here.

Read more about Arles here.

Avignon

After picking up our rental car at the TGV station in Avignon, we visited St.-Remy-de-Provence, Arles, l’Isle sur la Sorgue, Fontaine de Vaucluse, Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Lourmarin, Aix-en-Provence, Cap d’Antibes, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes, Sainte-Maxime, Saint-Tropez, and Bormes-les-Mimosas, without any trouble.

Granted, as Southern California drivers, we are used to demanding driving. But only once did we get really frustrated, and that was trying to reach our hotel in the old town of Arles. When we found the street we were supposed to turn down, a pylon blocked our entrance and we didn’t have the passcode to lower it.

We spent the next 45 minutes driving in circles before finding an alternative.

But compared to driving in the white towns of Spain, this was a cake walk, and virtually all our experiences were pleasant. Sure, there were one-lane roads with no shoulders accommodating two-way traffic. And there were some pretty tight squeezes — especially in parking garages.

But as a rule, the roads are quite good and well marked. On the freeways, most other drivers don’t tailgate, use the left lane only for passing, and use their turn signals.

Countless roundabouts keep local traffic moving without the use of stoplights. And we were always able to find parking within reasonable walking distance of where we were going. However, this was May, and we can’t speak for July.

Based on our experiences, here are our driving tips for France:

1) Bring a GPS with European maps. Our Garmin Nuvi was a big help whenever we wanted to go from one town to another. It tends to route you the quickest way, so if you decide to take the scenic route, you may hear “recalculating” quite a bit. But if you do make a wrong turn, it will help you get back on track quickly. And responding to “Enter roundabout and take second exit” is a lot easier than figuring it out as you go along.

Saint Remy

3) Buy the collision damage waiver. If you have an American Express card, sign up for their program, which covers you for up to 42 days for one flat fee. For California residents, it’s just $17.95 per rental. It doesn’t cover liability, so check with your auto insurance company to see if they do. Ours didn’t outside of the U.S., but Hertz did. Nothing takes the fear out of driving abroad like knowing that if you get a scuff here or there it won’t be a hassle.

4) Travel with plenty of change. The French tend to hoard their change. In fact, trying to get someone to change a 50 Euro note, which is what you’ll most likely get from an ATM, is like pulling teeth. And whenever you try to make a purchase with a 10 or a 20, the cashier will ask you for exact change. This may seem harmless enough, but you often need change — for tips, toilets, parking, and tolls. And for all those people who insist on exact change.

5) Be prepared for parking challenges. Just because a hotel says on its web site that it has parking doesn’t mean that there will be a park for you – especially if it’s located in the medieval heart of town. Read the fine print, because sometimes they have only a few spaces and they must be reserved in advance. Generally, hotels that don’t have much parking will let you drop off your bags and then direct you to a garage or lot not too far away. In villages, the lots are usually free. In bigger towns, there are parking lots where you buy a ticket from a machine and place it on your dashboard. In parking garages, you must pay the ticket at the collection machine before you exit. You’ll need to insert the validated ticket in order to raise the exit gate.

French Riviera

6) Try to relax. When you approach the toll booth section of the freeway, chances are, you won’t be 100% certain which lane you should be in. Unless you’re fluent in French, you’ll see signs with verbs you’ve never seen before. And you’ll likely come to an intersection where the signs to your destination are pointing both right and left. Don’t worry. If you go the wrong way, you’ll see something you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Do your homework so you know the rules of the road and are familiar with the traffic signs. Allow some extra time for unexpected delays. Then, just go with the flow.

Although driving in France can sometimes be intimidating, renting a car provides complete freedom, independence and the opportunity for spontaneity. You’ll be able to get off the beaten path, stay at country hotels, and come and go as you please.

Find other French travel tips here.

Screen grab of Arles map that we created in Google Maps

That’s why we always take detailed maps and travel directions wherever we go. Plus a GPS. For us, knowing how to get where we’re going is a trip planning essential that makes travel a lot easier.

Websites like Google Maps and Via Michelin let you get detailed point-to-point driving directions and generate your own travel maps quickly and easily.

But for a three-week trip, that’s a lot of paper to carry, especially when you add email confirmations, and other documents.

For our upcoming trip to France, we wanted to figure out a way to take our maps and travel directions without hauling around a lot of hardcopy. And since cell service and Internet access aren’t always givens, we wanted something that would always be available – even when those weren’t.

Our solution: a netbook and screen captures.

Screen grab of map showing travel directions from Avignon TGV station.

The netbook gives us most of the benefits of a laptop computer – Internet access and a nearly full-size keyboard and monitor for easy reading. And it does it all in a lightweight, pintsized package.

We used Google Maps and Via Michelin to get travel directions to the places we planned to visit, and to create local maps for the attractions near our hotels. Then we did screen grabs of the maps, so that we would always have a digital image on hand.

If you have a Mac, it’s really simple. Just hold down the Apple key, the shift key, and the number four. Your pointer will turn into a crosshair icon that you drag to form a border around the area you want to capture.

Screen grab of an email

Screen captures aren’t just for web pages either. You can grab a picture of an email, a photograph, or anything else on your desktop.

Read how to do screen grabs on a PC at http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/general/ht/winscreenshot.htm

Find more trip planning tips here.

B&B.com

But if you’re not made of money — and who is these days – it’s also important to get the most for your travel dollars. If you can find inexpensive hotels that suit your requirements, you can splurge on an expensive meal, buy yourself a nice souvenir, or stay an extra day or two.

It’s easy to find cheap hotels. But finding good ones is another matter. So here’s our advice for how to find hotels deals that won’t leave you regretting your choice.

1) Try a local website. It costs hotels – either directly or in the form of commissions – to appear on websites like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. The large chains can negotiate the price and take it out of their marketing budgets. But most mom-and-pop properties can’t afford it. Remember, the more a hotel spends on marketing, the more they have to charge for their rooms.

Most destinations have local websites that include hotel listings. Try the local chamber of commerce, visitor’s bureau, or tourism board. The cost to advertise or be listed on these sites is very reasonable — in some cases, it’s free. So more hotels can afford to be represented.

2) Look for a directory. Doing a Google search for + directory will usually give you the results you’re looking for.

3) Don’t be put off if a hotel doesn’t have its own website. Although it’s great to be able to find out more about a place, there are plenty of terrific places out there that still don’t have a website. And plenty of awful ones that do.

Venere

5) As a rule, bed and breakfasts are less expensive than conventional hotels, so if you don’t need all the services a hotel offers, try one of the B&B sites. Breakfast is usually included in the room rate and you can often enjoy really nice accommodations for a lot less.

6) Once you find a hotel that’s the right price, make sure the location is right. Saving a little money won’t matter if you spend it all on transportation or if it takes you hours to get where you want to go.

NH Directory

8) Finally, use your common sense. You’ve heard it a thousand times, but it’s true — anything that sounds too good to be true probably is. So don’t book anything that’s ridiculously inexpensive. There’s bound to be a reason for that.

If you follow these simple tips, you should be able to find inexpensive hotels that are attractive, clean, and comfortable wherever you go.

Read more hotel tips here.

They reserved your flights, hotels, and rental car with a Computerized Reservations System (CRS) like Sabre or Apollo. And when they were done, out popped a written itinerary showing every detail of your travels – in triplicate.

They folded it in thirds, tucked it into your ticket jacket along with your ticket – this is the old days we’re talking about – and you were all set. All your confirmation numbers, hotel addresses and phone numbers, etc. in one place.

But those days are long gone, and if you’re like most of us, you make your reservations yourself, online. Consequently, you have emails from all over confirming your arrangements. And while you really should carry all those hardcopies with you, shuffling through them to find what you’re looking for is a bad idea.

It’s much smarter to create an itinerary that shows all your travel arrangements at a glance. There are several travel websites that will help you do this, such as Tripit or NileGuide. But for years, I’ve used an Excel spread sheet to create an itinerary that lists everything I need to know on a couple of pages.

It ain’t pretty. But it’s fast and easy to do, free, and over the years it’s saved us countless hassles.

We always pack a copy in each of our bags, especially if we’re checking them. If our bag does get misplaced, the itinerary shows where we’ll be, when. It also provides contact information so we can be reached anywhere.

Twice, this has helped us recover our bags quickly. In Buenos Aires, our bag was returned to us in hours because the itinerary made us easy to locate.

Here’s the template I use. It describes in detail a week’s worth of travel arrangements – flights, hotels, transfers, tours, dinner reservations, ferries, and more – on a single 8-1/2” x 11” piece of paper.

You can do it any way you like, but here’s why I like this layout:

1) Numbering the days makes it easy to figure out things like how much the pet sitter will cost or how many days to stop newspaper delivery. And once I get a total trip cost, it’s easy to calculate the per diem.

2) Showing the days of the week alerts me to possible closures that may impact what we can do. In many places, most things are closed on Sundays, so that’s a good day to visit the museums. Many museums are closed on Mondays, so I’ll check to see when they’re open and make sure we have time for a visit on Sunday or Tuesday. It’s also helpful to know when you’re going to be somewhere on a weekend. As a rule, you’re more likely to need reservations for restaurants, clubs, sightseeing cruises, etc. on Saturday night. If you’re in town on a Tuesday, you might be able to get by without them.

3) The rest is pretty self-explanatory. There’s room for detailed contact information and confirmation numbers, as well as any additional notes.

We email the itinerary to friends and family so they’ll know where we’ll be and leave a copy for the pet sitter in case she needs to reach us. I use a yellow marker to highlight the hotel names and telephone numbers.

Find more trip planning ideas here.

St. Peter's Square

It was harder than I thought it would be, because she only has ten days. And there are so many great places to see in Italy that narrowing it down is a real challenge.

My first tip was not to bite off more than she could chew. On your first trip, you want to see as much as possible. It’s only natural. But the less time you spend traveling, the more you’ll enjoy your trip. So we decided that with ten days, she should only stay in three places. That way, she’d only have two travel days.

Traveling in Italy is pretty easy. But the trains don’t always run on time, and repacking your bags and moving from one hotel to another is always more time-consuming than you think it will be. So when planning a trip to Italy, bear that in mind.

The most convenient and affordable air service is into Rome, so I suggested that she spend the first four nights there. She’ll be pretty jet laggy, and staying put for a few days will help her keep from getting exhausted. Besides, no one ever has enough time in Rome.

Gondola Ride

Here’s the itinerary we roughed out:

Day 1. Arrive Rome. Check into Teatropace 33, near Piazza Navona. Afternoon stroll to Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Dinner near Piazza Navona.

Day 2. Rome. AM visit to Campo de Fiori, then explore ancient Rome — Imperial Forum, Colosseum, and Roman Forum. Afternoon shopping. Dinner near Campo de Fiori.

Day 3. Rome. AM visit to Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s, and Castel Sant’Angelo. Afternoon at Acqua Madre Spa or shopping for antiques on Via dei Coronari. Dinner in Trastevere.

Day 4: Rome. Gallerie Borghese, or cooking class, or side trip to Tivoli, or side trip to Ostia Antica.

Bridge of Sighs

Day 6: Florence. Early AM visit to Accademia. Visit to Duomo and Baptistery. Afternoon shopping.

Day 7: Florence. Day trip to Siena or Lucca.

Day 8: Two-hour train from Florence to Venice. Check into Locanda Orseolo. Afternoon tours of St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace.

Day 9: Venice. AM visit to Lido or Murano. Then art museums, churches, or shopping. Evening gondola ride.

Day 10: Home

By keeping the number of cities to a minimum, she’ll spend the least amount of time hauling bags and waiting for trains. And she’ll have plenty of time to sample the gelato, go into all the irresistible shops, and linger over a glass of wine in the piazza.

Read more about travel to Italy here.

Although we recovered it quickly – someone had picked it up by mistake – spending our first two hours in Buenos Aires at the lost bag desk wasn’t an ideal start.

In 2008, we flew from Los Angeles to Rome via JFK. Although we made the connection, one of our bags didn’t. And it took over a week for it to catch up to us.

Since then we’ve limited ourselves to carry-on bags. And it’s made our trips easier, more enjoyable, and even less expensive. The benefits of traveling with a carry-on bag are compelling – but you’ll need some advance trip planning to pull it off.

Here are our steps for getting everything you need for two weeks in one small travel bag:

1) Buy a travel bag that you can actually carry on. Domestic carriers let you carry on bags that total 45” – usually 22” x 14” x 9”. International airlines sometimes are more restrictive. So check their website for details.

2) Create a packing list based on where you’re going, what you’ll actually be doing, and the weather. You can use one from a travel website or guidebook as a starting point, but tailor it to your specific trip.

3) Figure out the shoe situation. This is far and away the hardest part. If you can, wear your biggest shoes on the plane. If you can’t, stuff them with socks, underwear, and other small items wrapped in a plastic bag. Try to limit yourself to three pairs – one for walking around, one for nice dinners, and a pair of flip flops or sneakers. Waterproof them before you leave, and make sure they’re broken in. Pack some moleskin anyway.

4) Wear your coat, jacket, or sweater on the plane. Cabin temperature being what it is, you’ll probably want it anyway.

5) The only way to get everything you need for two weeks into one small travel bag is to wear each article of clothing several times. Instead of taking 14 days’ worth of outfits, take three or four. This necessitates doing laundry, which is easy if you stay for two or three days at a hotel with laundry service.

6) If not, you’ll need to do two things: 1) take clothes made of synthetic fibers that will dry quickly, and 2) take laundry supplies. We like the little individual packets of Woolite. They’re phosphate-free and biodegradable, and they rinse clean. You’ll need a stopper for the sink and a clothes line, although these days, many hotels – even nice ones – have them above the tub. Don’t wring your wet clothes. Blot them with a dry towel, and then hang them. That way, you won’t need to iron them. And if the bathroom window opens, so much the better.

7) Take clothes that all go with each other. If you take one pair of brown pants, then you need brown shoes, a brown belt, etc. But if all your clothes are black and navy, you can mix and match to create more outfits. Plus, they’ll stay cleaner longer than white or khaki.

8) Choose clothes that are versatile and can do double duty. A scarf or wrap can provide warmth and also dress up a plain outfit. Choose a nightshirt that makes an acceptable pool cover up. You can wear a nice quilted jacket almost anywhere.

9) Don’t take anything inexpensive and unwieldy that you could just as easily buy there. You can probably pick up a snorkel, mask, and fins at your destination for less than it would cost at home anyway.

10) Books and magazines weigh a lot and take up a tremendous amount of space. Leave the guidebooks at home and bring along photocopies or digital versions of the information instead.

Read more luggage and packing tips here.

Most luxury hotels have big mortgages or management fees that are due every month. So they have to fill their rooms. And sometimes, the only way to do it is to really slash their prices.

So where can you find these great deals and save a bundle at a five-star hotel? Here are three travel websites that specialize in selling luxury travel at a discount.

An online luxury travel auction website.

Luxury Link auctions off travel packages to the highest bidder. You need to register to bid, and unlike at eBay, the auction doesn’t end at a specific time if people are still bidding. This is a nice feature because no one can come in and outbid you at the last second. Discounts are up to 65% off and all their properties have been vetted by their staff.

Luxury Link

Many of their packages include several nights in a suite or superior room, plus extras like massages, dinner one night, or a sightseeing activity or excursion.

In addition to hotels and resorts, Luxury Link also has deals on cruises and tours. And they also have packages you can buy at a pre-determined discounted price.

Read all the fine print carefully, because your bid is binding, and sometimes the packages are only available for certain nights of the week. Check before you bid to make sure your dates are available.

We’ve used Luxury Link several times and have always been very pleased with the accommodations and the value for money.

An invitation-only travel website.

Some of the most successful web businesses the past couple of years have been invitation-only shopping sites. Now Gilt Groupe, one of the pioneers in discount high fashion, has launched Jetsetter.com.

Jetsetter

Although the site is billed as invitation only, we put ourselves on the waiting list and received an invitation two days later. So don’t despair if you don’t know any members.

The way Jetsetter works is that they send you an email of travel sales each day. So far, the discounts seem to be around 50% off the rack rate. And an availability calendar lets you check your dates there and then.

Sales usually last two days or until the inventory sells out. If you can’t make a decision on the spot, you can place a hold on a room for 72 for 10% of the purchase price. It’s applied to the price if you travel, or credited to your account if you don’t.

We haven’t used Jetsetter yet, but they were offering rooms at Le Meurice in Paris for $295 less than their web site.

A travel website that analyzes the saving for you.

Dealbase

Dealbase combs the web for travel deals and then analyzes and quantifies them for you. They compare the offered price to other available rates – including the average 30-day price on hotels.com – and then show you how much you’ll really save.

We used it to compare Honolulu hotels and ended up booking our hotel through it. Right now, the number of places it covers is limited, but they are expanding into other markets.

Read more trip planning advice here.

Restaurant on the ile Saint-Louis

With a better understanding of French culture and more realistic expectations, these problems can usually be avoided. So be sure to do a little trip planning in advance. It will help you feel more relaxed and more confident when you dine in French restaurants – which also aids in digestion.

Before you arrive at the restaurant.

Americans love to eat and run. If we’re not having lunch in the car, we’re eating dinner on the couch in front of the TV. To Americans, dinner and a movie is a single thought.

To the French, dinner is what you do in the evening. It lasts for hours, and it’s not something you hurry through in order to get to something else. So don’t go out to dinner if you don’t have enough time for dinner.

Arriving at a restaurant at 7:30PM when you have to be somewhere at 9:00PM or even 9:30PM, is just asking for trouble. Don’t think that you can just tell the waiter in your fractured French that you’re in a hurry. It won’t make any difference, and you’ll end up very unhappy.

You’ll receive better treatment if you make reservations in advance. If you’re intimidated by speaking French over the phone, have your concierge make the reservations for you. Or stop by if they’re open for lunch and do it in person.

A Boulangerie in the Marais

Unless you want to be the only ones in the restaurant, or surrounded by other Americans, make your dinner reservations for 8:30 or later.

Do dress appropriately. Yes, after wandering the streets of Paris all day, your feet will be tired. But suck it up and wear real shoes to dinner. And change out of your jeans. The better dressed you are, the better you’ll be treated.

And learn at least a few phrases in French.

At the restaurant.

When you come in, wait politely for someone to come to you. Say “bonsoir,” and address that person as “madame,” “monsieur,” or “mademoiselle.” If you have a reservation, tell them your name. And thank them for showing you to your table. Be as polite as you know how to be. And turn off your cell phone.

If you like water with your meal, order a carafe of tap water (un carafe d’eau). It’s free and perfectly acceptable. If you prefer bottled water, order it. But don’t do it to impress anyone. It’ wont.

Don’t order a soft drink unless you enjoy abuse. And don’t order coffee with your meal. Coffee is taken after dinner, and that means after, not with, dessert. House wine (vin de maison) is usually pretty good. If you want something better, ask your waiter to recommend something. As a rule, it’s not necessary to spend a lot to get very good wine. So don’t choose your wine from the right side of the menu.

Do NOT use your hand sanitizer at the table. And try not to leave the table during the meal. It’s considered rude. If the people at the next table can hear your conversation, you’re talking too loudly. And don’t ask to split dishes, or even worse, take something home. The chef has served you his creation at its absolute best. He doesn’t want you eating it tomorrow cold from a carton.

Do expect to be ignored. This is a sign of respect. Think of it this way – the servants at Buckingham Palace don’t stare at the Queen while she eats. They pretend to be invisible. Your server will do this too. If you need to get his attention, try to do so discretely. And whatever you do, don’t say “garcon.”

To the French, rushing you through your meal would be the height of rudeness. The longer it takes them to clear your first course, the more time they’re giving you to enjoy it.

After dinner.

Floating restaurant on the Seine

Once you’re ready for the check — chances are very good that you will not receive it without asking for it — tell your waiter “l’addition, s’il vous plait.” If he’s across the room, make the international “I’m writing in mid-air gesture.”

In France, tax and tip are automatically included in the bill. But it’s customary to leave a 10 to 15% tip in cash. Euros, not dollars. Thank your waiter and anyone else you encountered, and bid them “Bonne nuit.”

Hopefully, these trip planning tips will help you understand the French point of view and feel more comfortable dining in France.

Read more articles about travel in France here.

Trevi Fountain Rome

But Rome is very much a city of the present. So your trip planning should include some insider experiences that let you enjoy la dolce vita away from the crowds.

Here are some of our tips for having the best possible time in Rome:

* Not that long ago, a visit to Rome involved spending your time waiting in line, often for hours. But Rome’s attractions have entered the 21st century, and now it’s possible to make reservations and purchase tickets for many of them in advance. A service called 060608 lets you reserve museums, exhibitions, concerts, and more with a single telephone call. From the U.S., dial 011-39-060608 between 9AM and 10:30PM Roman time. English-speaking operators can help you make reservations for the Coliseum, the Capitoline Museum, or the Borghese Gallery with just a credit card. Or visit their web site at www.060608.it/en

Borghese Gardens

* Traveling in Rome can be tiring. The incessant buzzing of Vespas — the word means wasp in Italian — the crowds, and the heat can really take it out of you. So why not reenergize yourself the way the ancient Romans did — with a nice hot soak. Rome’s first Turkish bath, or hamman, opened a couple of years ago near Piazza Mattei. At Acqua Madre, you’ll move progressively from cooler to warmer pools, being massaged, steamed, and kneaded along the way. By the time you’re through, you’ll be completely mellow and ready for anything.

* Fans of Art Nouveau, known in Italy as the Liberty style, should allow time to visit the Quartiere Coppede. It’s not far from the Villa Borghese, near the Piazza Buenos Aires. Built between 1919 and 1926 by Florentine architect Gino Coppede, it’s a little architectural wonderland. The entrance, off Via Dora, is through a giant, medieval-looking arch that is covered with reliefs of bees, lions, and mythological creatures. The dozen buildings here feature elaborate ironwork, turrets, mosaic tiles, winding staircase, and elaborate brickwork. Look for the Fountain of the Frogs, the Palazzo of the Spider, and the charming Fairy Cottages.

* Traffic in Rome can be brutal, and the distances between sights can really take a toll on your feet. But there’s another way to see the glory that was Rome — on two wheels. On Sundays, the Via Appia Antica and the Via Fori dei Imperiali are closed to cars and bikes rule the day. There are several bike rental places in town — ask your hotel concierge which is most convenient for you. You can take a guided-tour with a group or just head out on your own. Pedaling past the Coliseum and the olive groves and cypress trees of the old military road is a travel memory you won’t soon forget.

* Antique lovers should head for Via dei Coronari, where more than 40 antique dealers sell everything from furniture to jewelry. The narrow, pedestrian-only street leads all the way to Piazza Navona, and it’s lined with buildings dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The best time to shop is during the Fiera dell’Antiquariato, which takes place in mid-May and mid-October.

Coliseum Rome

* Mozzarella is on virtually every menu in Rome. But no place has as many varieties as Obika, which features “flights” of hand-made mozzarella, including Paestum, Pontina, Smoked, Stracciatella di Burrata and Ricotta di Bufala. In addition to the mozzarella bar, Obika also has traditional antipasti items, salads, crostini from the wood oven, pastas, and desserts. The location in Piazza di Firenze proved so popular that there’s now a second Obika at Piazza Campo dei Fiori.

Read our trip planning tips for Paris here. And find more Italy travel info here.

Our first step used to be consulting sites like Frommers, Fodors, and Tripadvisor. But these days, we’ve reversed the process, and we use those sites to validate our short list. Our new strategy has produced better results for us. So we’re happy to share it with you.

Here are our tips for finding hotels that you’ll love:

* The first step is to figure out what you really want do while you’re there. Is your goal to just relax and unwind, to see every square inch of the city, or to eat in all the best restaurants and shop till you drop? When we went to Kauai, we realized that one thing that we really wanted to do was to swim and surf. It’s hard to believe, but there aren’t many good swimming beaches in Kauai if you visit in winter. Once we narrowed down the choices, it was a pretty simple decision. We ended up renting a vacation rental at Kiahuna Plantation and it was the perfect place for us. If we’d ended up down the road at the Grand Hyatt Kauai — which gets high marks from Fodors, Frommers, and Tripadvisor users — we’d have been unhappy with the rocky beach there.

* Once you have your days figured out, think about your evenings. If you’ll be going full tilt, hiking, biking, or kayaking from dawn until dusk, chances are you won’t want to expend a lot of energy getting dinner. That country inn that’s away from it all may seem a lot less appealing when you’re beat and the nearest restaurant is a 20-minute drive away. Especially if you were thinking a couple of cocktails sounded appealing. Having to eat virtually every meal at an overpriced resort can also take the fun out of things pretty fast. What works for us is staying in a hotel that has a few restaurants within walking distance or a few minutes drive.

* With your daytime and nighttime activities figured out, you should concentrate on which neighborhood puts the things you want to do in easy reach. If you want to dine in Michelin-starred restaurants and shop for haute couture in Paris, you’ll find the 1st or 8th arrondissements convenient. If you prefer bistros and boutiques, choose the 6th — St-Germain-des-Pres. What’s true for real estate is equally true for travel. The most important thing is location, location, location.

* When you know which neighborhood appeals the most to you, figure out how much you want to spend. There are usually accommodations available in a range of prices. When you compare prices, use the superior room price. Standard rooms are actually sub-standard rooms that are the least desirable for one reason or another. Chances are, you won’t be happy in one. When you look at price, also bear in mind that if you stay at a more centrally located hotel, you’ll save on transportation costs. Once you have a short list, use a travel site like hotelscombined.com to check prices. Although most travel sites are owned by the same two or three travel conglomerates, there are some bargains out there. Just be sure that you’re comparing apples to apples and read all the fine print. To us, paying a non-refundable rate in advance isn’t worth saving 10 or 15%. And be sure to contact the hotel directly for a rate. Because there’s no middle man to compensate, the hotel will sometimes give you a better deal.

* Not all hotels have the same amenities. This is especially true in Europe, where many rooms don’t have an alarm clock. So if there’s something you need to feel at home — a pre-dinner cocktail, laundry service, or a wake-up call — confirm in advance that’s it’s available. It only takes a few minutes and it could save you some disappointment.

* Read user reviews on sites like tripadvisor.com, but remember that no matter how great a hotel is, someone will always be disgruntled. Reviews can tip you off to a potential deficiency that might be a deal-breaker for you. But we’ve stayed in hotels that every trip advisor user gave five stars that we really didn’t like. So take the reviews with a grain of salt.

Finding the right hotel isn’t that hard, but the more trip planning you do in advance, the happier you’re likely to be.

Read more travel advice here.

Marrakech Villa

 
Of course, that’s on the small side.  Vacation home rentals are available with a limitless number of bedrooms and baths.  There truly is something for every need.
 
A vacation rental saves you money several ways.
 
Because a multi-bedroom vacation rental will let you split the cost of lodging with other friends or family, that drives the price down even more.  And because you have a kitchen, you’ll save on meals too.
 
With your own kitchen, you also gain a lot of flexibility.  Instead of having to get up and out for breakfast, you can sleep in, prepare whatever you like, and then linger over coffee and the local paper on your balcony or deck.
 
Most vacation rentals have everything you need to prepare anything from a pre-dinner snack to a gourmet meal.  And depending on your destination, your kitchen may have amenities like a Sub-Zero refrigerator, granite counter tops, and a blender for margaritas.
 
Vacation rentals and vacation home rental are available virtually everywhere – from Paris to Pago Pago.  And they’re available in every price range.  From a 12-bedroom villa in Tuscany to a studio in Soho, you can find a vacation rental wherever you want to go.
 
Before you rent, read the fine print.
 
Most house rentals have a seven-night minimum.  And many are available only for Saturday night check in.  Condos, studios, and vacation rentals in areas with a lot of competition are often less restrictive.
 
And if your dates are flexible, you can sometimes find a 3- or 4-day vacancy between booking.
 
As a rule, you’ll need to send a deposit of 25 – 50 percent of the total cost to the vacation rental owner to confirm the reservation, with the balance due 30 – 60 days before you arrive.  You may also have to pay a refundable security deposit.
 
If you have to cancel, most owners will refund your deposit if they’re able to rebook the space.  But if they can’t, you’ll probably be out your deposit.  So it’s a good idea to purchase travel insurance when you pay your deposit.
 
A vacation rental feels more like a home-away-from-home than a hotel room.  And many owners outfit their places with local guides, books on flora and fauna, CDs, and other special touches for their guests.
 
Next time you’re planning a vacation, consider a vacation rental instead of a hotel room. 
 
Read more trip planning tips here. and find valuable travel advice here.

Rental Villa Image Flickr: SarahC1978

Tips for finding the best luggage

But the right luggage can help make your trip easier and more enjoyable.  And with a few simple packing tips you’ll have everything you need and still feel agile and unencumbered.

Start by creating a packing list.

You won’t really know what kind of travel luggage will work best for your trip until you know what you should  take.  The goal is to carry as few things as possible and still feel comfortable — physically and socially — and prepared for the conditions you’re most likely to encounter.

To figure out what you’ll need, think about what you’ll be doing each day and night of your trip.  Will you be swimming, hiking, staying in fine hotels, or walking for miles on end?  What’s the weather like?  Does the forecast call for rain, snow, cool nights, or constant sunshine.

By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what to take.  Lay it all out on the bed and then try to reduce it by half.  If you’re going someplace where you’ll need a coat or sweater, plan to wear it on the plane.  Ditto your heaviest pair of shoes.

Carry on luggage is your best bet.  So if you can fit everything in a carry on bag, finding the right bag for your trip will be pretty easy.  

Shopping for travel luggage.

Many bags that are sold in the United States as carry ons are too big for international flights.  Usually, the maximum size for carry on luggage is 22” x 18” by 10”.  But some airlines have a maximum length of 20”.  To be sure, check the exact dimensions allowed on the airlines’ web site.

If the bag expands, make sure it’s smaller than that when fully extended.  Or plan to check it on the way back if you take advantage of the extra capacity.  

Whatever you do, don‘t buy luggage without wheels, preferably in-line skate wheels.  Being able to roll your bag while you’re running for a train or plane is a tremendous advantage.  But even if your bag rolls, make sure that it’s light enough to carry comfortably when full.  There are always unexpected flights of stairs, puddles, and other circumstances which will require you to carry your luggage yourself.  

Since carrying your bag once in a while is inevitable, make sure that the other set of handles is comfortable, well-located, and suitably padded.

Leather bags may look great and wear well, but the added weight isn’t worth it.  If possible, buy a bag that weighs less than ten pounds.

What to look for in a carry on bag.

If you travel a lot, invest in luggage made of ballistic nylon.  It’s more expensive than other materials but wears and lasts longer.  If you travel less frequently, cordura nylon luggage will probably be rugged enough.

Depending on design, even bags that are the same size can vary in capacity. So check the inside to make sure there’s plenty of room for your things.  Although having the handle retract inside the bag sacrifices some packing space, bags of that design are less likely to be damaged.

A single bar, with a T-shaped handle is less stable than  a bag with a handle made up of two bars.  And make sure the handle locks into position.  

The more interior straps the bag has, the less wrinkled your clothes will be.  And a shoe compartment or zippered pouch is a nice feature.

Tumi bags are extremely well made, long-lasting, and stylish.   But they’re very expensive.  Victorinox, also known as Swiss Army Luggage, is almost as well designed and is more affordable.   

What to do if you have to check your luggage.  

Chances are, you won’t be able to get everything you need for a three-week trip across Australia in a carry on.  So if you need to take a bigger bag, follow the same guidelines.  Make sure the luggage you take is not too big or heavy to carry yourself.  And pack as little as you can.

To minimize the inconvenience of a lost bag, include a complete itinerary with the dates and phone numbers of where you’ll be staying inside every piece of your luggage.   That way, the airline will be able to track you down and know where to send your luggage when it is located.

Pack several of your outfits in your companion’s bag and vice versa.  If your bag goes missing, you’ll at least have more than the clothes on your back.  And always take clean underwear, toiletries, prescriptions, and anything you can’t get along without in your carry on.  

Luggage image Flickr: geishaboy500

Travel Agency

Back then, there was no reason not to go to a travel agent for all your travel needs.

But by the mid 1990s, online travel agencies like Expedia and Travelocity made it easy for consumers to make their own airline, hotel, and rental car reservations.  And travel review sites like Tripadvisor, Fodors, and Frommers, gave consumers access to trip planning information that they used to get from travel agents.

Before long, cruise lines and tour companies — who used to be terrified of alienating their distribution channel — were jumping on the bandwagon and allowing consumers to bypass travel agencies and book directly.

Many consumers liked being able to make their own arrangements.  Broadband Internet access made it quick and easy.  And comparison sites like Kayak.com laid out all the options.  In fact, the Web 2.0 consumer sites are more robust than the old travel agency res systems.

So if all you want to do is book a flight, arrange a car, or reserve a hotel room — if you’re already familiar with the hotel — do it yourself.  It will definitely save you some money.

But remember that websites make properties and services seem more attractive than they actually are.  And unless you know a city, it’s hard to tell if the location is desirable.

Travel agencies position themselves as being unbiased, but that’s not strictly true.  Most travel agencies belong to consortia which negotiate deals with cruise lines, hotel chains, and other travel suppliers. These relationships result in commission overrides, bonuses, and other incentives that aren’t always disclosed to consumers.

As an example, a travel agency that gets a 2% commission override from Princess Cruises but doesn’t get one from MSC Cruises isn’t really 100% impartial.  And a travel agent who’s one booking away from a free cruise isn’t exactly neutral.

Travel agents also like to talk about how they advocate for their clients if something goes south.  But if your flight is cancelled, there’s not that much they can do for you.  If you have a smart phone, you have access to the same information they do, and you can probably reach your air carrier as quickly.

If you’re a frequent flier with elite status, you probably have more sway with the airline than your travel agent.  And you can sign up with the airline for text alerts in case there are any changes to your flight.

Given all this, there are still times when using a travel agency is worth the added expense.

Here’s when you should hire a travel agent:

1)  If you’re a first-time cruiser.  It’s easy to get a great deal on a cruise online.  In fact, it’s hard not to.  But if you’ve never cruised before, a travel agent that specializes in cruises can really save you a lot of grief.   If you end up on the wrong ship, it won’t matter how much money you saved.  You won’t be happy.

A good cruise agent can get you a good deal on a cruise that suits you.  And it likely won’t cost you any more.

2) Want to spend a month traveling independently in India, or Chile, or Slovenia?  Call a destination specialist.  Sure, you can do it yourself, but the amount of time you’ll spend makes the $200 or $300 you’ll pay a travel agency seem like a terrific bargain.

These agents usually have local contacts with up-to-the-minute information about the places you’ll visit.

Each year, Conde Nast Traveler lists the top travel agents for destinations around the world.  You can find a specialist for your dream trip at http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/11147

In most case, the expertise of a destination specialist is well worth any  service fee they may charge.

3) If you’re traveling with a group that’s coming from more than one city, hire a travel agent.  Otherwise, you’ll end up being the travel agent for everyone in your group.  And you will not succeed.  Travel agents are great at coordinating schedules.  And they may get better deals for multiple bookings than you can.

4) Travelers with very special requirements shouldn‘t go it along.  If you want an 8 o’clock dinner reservation at Taillevent, an after-hours tour of the Vatican Museums, or a private wine tasting in one of Burgundy’s top cellars, a travel agent is a must.  He or she can arrange everything down to the last detail and then give you a comprehensive itinerary that spells it all out.

5) When’s the best time of year to visit Bali?  What’s the best way to get around Paris?  What should I see when I’m in London?  All this information is freely available on the Internet.  But if you’re not willing to take the time to find the answers, go to a travel agent.  They’ll help make sure that your trip is the best it can be.

Arles image Flickr: jetalonet

Having a good hotel room can really make or break your vacation.   Get a big room in a quiet corner with a great view, and you’ll have a wonderful time.  End up in a cramped space above the disco with a broken air conditioner and you’ll wonder why you left home.

But finding the right hotel room isn’t always easy.  We do lots of research, both online and offline, and we still end up disappointed some times.  Sites like Tripadvisor that feature hotel reviews from real travelers are helpful, but they can also steer you in the wrong direction.  And hotel web sites really can’t be trusted.  If you’ve ever checked into a hotel that looked nothing like it looks on their web site, you know what we’re talking about.

So how can you make sure that you get a room that has everything you want and still get a good deal?  Here are our tips for finding the perfect hotel room:

1) First of all, do a little research to figure out what there is to do in your destination.   Visit sites like Fodors.com or Frommers.com for ideas.  Then make a short list of the things you want to see and do.  If you’re going to Rome, your list might be:  Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman forum, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and dinner in Trastevere.

2) Next, take a basic map of Rome and highlight those places.  You’ll see that the Vatican and the Colosseum are a bit out of the way, but the rest of the attractions are pretty close to each other.   Now, think about how you’ll get where you’re going.  Do you love to walk?  Do you hate public transportation?  Do you think taxis are an extravagance or a terrific convenience?  The closer in you stay, the more expensive your hotel will be.  But when you compare prices, remember that if you stay close to all the attractions, you won’t pay much in transportation costs.

3) Every city has a vibrant center where the locals come to enjoy the good life.  If you can, stay there.  In Sydney, it’s near the Rocks.  In Paris, it’s Saint-Germain-des-Pres.  In Buenos Aires, it’s Palermo.  And in Rome, it’s near Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps.  The only downside is that cheap hotel rooms in these neighborhoods can be noisy at night, so read hotel reviews from travelers before booking to determine if that’s a problem.

4) Now that you have a pretty good idea of where you’d like to stay, you can start looking for hotels in those neighborhoods.  Most hotel sites let you find hotels by area, so at this point, it’s really just a matter of how much you want to spend.

A note on hotel star ratings — they’re different in every country, and they may not mean what you think.  The number of stars usually corresponds to specific amenities, things like an on-site restaurant, or an elevator, etc.  So a two-star hotel without those things may actually be a lot nicer than a four-star hotel that has them.  Don’t pay too much attention to the stars.

But do figure out which amenities are important to you and make sure the hotel you’re thinking about staying in has them.  If you want a cocktail when you get back from sightseeing, can’t live without CNN, or want breakfast delivered to your room, don’t assume they’ll be available.  Confirm with the hotel first.

5) Never book the least expensive room at a hotel.  Standard hotel rooms aren’t standard at all.  They’re sub-standard rooms that hotels have to discount in order to sell.  Even the best hotels have undesirable rooms and you don’t want to be in one.  When you’re comparing prices, always look at superior rooms or better.

6) Come up with a short list of two or three hotels that are in the right neighborhood, have all the amenities you want, and are in your price range.  Then use a hotel site like Hotelscombined.com to find the best rate.  If all things are equal, book directly with the hotel.  That way, if you have a problem, you’re more likely to find them responsive.  And they’re more likely to upgrade you.  If you find a better rate online than the rate the hotel is quoting, email the hotel and ask them to honor the rate.

7) Take your confirmation to the hotel.   If you booked via email, take a copy along and present it when you check in.  Confirm any special requests with the front desk at check in.  Then check out your hotel room carefully.  If it’s not everything you thought it would be, ask to be moved to a better room.

8) These days, hotel occupancy rates are very low in many destinations.  If you’re traveling off season, or going some place where tourism is down, consider going without making reservations ahead of time.  A hotel with lots of vacant rooms can give incredible deals to walk-ins.

Free bags, free meals, free blankets, free seat assignments.  Those amenities are long gone.   Is there anything left for the airlines to cut?   Probably.

But with a little advance planning, you can eliminate many of the hassles of air travel.  Here’s our list of travel tips for a more enjoyable flight.

1) Book a nonstop flight.  Your chances of being delayed or inconvenienced multiply with every flight, so why risk it.  On a nonstop flight, there’s no connecting flight to miss.  And it’s harder for your bags to get lost.

2) Take an early flight.  Delays compound as the day wears on, so a one-hour delay on an 8AM flight may be a four-hour delay by two in the afternoon.

3) Book a big plane.  Wide bodies — planes with two aisles — are more comfortable.  The three-and-three seating configuration on smaller planes means that if you’re a couple flying in coach, you have a neighbor.   Your best bet if you’re not flying in business is a wide body with two-four-and-two seating.  Travel sites like seatguru.com or seatexpert.com can help you figure it out.  British Airways recently started charging for seat assignments, so be prepared to pay for the seats you want.

4) Choose a connecting flight wisely.  If you’re traveling in winter, avoid airports like Chicago and Denver that are known for weather delays.  And don’t fly too far out of the way if you can avoid it.  Los Angeles/New York/Buenos Aires makes no sense when you can fly via Miami.

5) Pack light.  If you can avoid checking baggage, do.  And know that bags that are sold as carry-ons in the United States, may not meet the standards for international flights.  Be prepared to check you bag at the last minute if they won’t let you carry it on.  Have some clean underwear and a change of clothes in a bag you know you can carry on the plane.

6) Swap clothes.  Put a couple of your outfits in your traveling companion’s bag and vice versa.  That way, if your bag gets lost, you’ll have something to wear until it’s returned.

7) Have a sensible dinner.  Even if you have an iron-clad stomach, the night before your flight, avoid spicy, high-fat, and greasy foods.  Trust us on this one.

8) Dress for any temperature.  We’ve been on flights where we could see our breath of the plane.  And we’ve been on flights where the cabin temperature has been nearly 90.  Many airlines no longer give blankets in coach, so take enough layers to keep warm and be able to peel them off if it’s hot.

9) Be comfortable.  We love jeans as much as anyone, but they’re not the most comfortable clothes to sit in for hours on end.   Wear loose fitting clothes made of natural fibers.  They’re safer.  And comfortable, sturdy shoes will be a blessing if you have to walk from terminal A to terminal Z.  If you’re flight’s delayed, you can also go for a nice, long walk.

10) Take food.  Some airlines have meals for purchase, but they’re not very good.  We often roast a chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken the night before we travel (see #6) and make roast chicken sandwiches to take on the flight.  They’re delicious, healthy, easily digestible, and easy to eat — no utensils required.

11) Take water.  Buy it after you go through security.   These days, in-flight service ranges from great to nonexistent so don’t depend on the flight attendants to keep you properly hydrated.   Drinking plenty of water will minimize all the negative effects of air travel.

12) Get some exercise.  On some flights, it seems like the Captain never turns off the fasten seat belt sign.  We strongly believe that when the sign’s on, you should stay in your seat.  But it’s also important to get some exercise, especially on long haul flights.  There are some exercises you can do in your seat.  But if possible, you should get up and stretch every two hours or so.

13)  Get some sleep.  If you’re on a long-haul flight, take an eye mask, some ear plugs, and a neck pillow.  Many airlines give these out, even in coach.  But who knows how long they will.  And don’t drink too much alcohol or caffeine.  If you’ve followed all our advise, you’ll be well fed, hydrated, and snug as a bug in a rug.  So relax, turn out the light, and nod off.  With a little luck, you won’t wake up until the final approach to your destination city.

Get more trip planning tips here.

A lot of people don’t do any travel planning before they go on vacation.  They just show up and let whatever happens, happen.

But if you’re like most of us, you have a lot invested in your vacation, both financially and emotionally.  A little pre-trip planning can save you money, eliminate hassles, and maximize your precious time.

Before your trip, check out the destination guides at travel sites like fodors.com, frommers.com, or our sister site, tripaddiction.com.  In just a few minutes, you can learn the sights and experiences that no traveler should miss.

Many of the most popular sights, like the Sistine Chapel or the Eiffel Tower, can have really long lines.  So consider purchasing your tickets in advance.  You may pay extra for the convenience.  But how much is three or four hours of your time worth when you’re only in Paris for a few days.

Viator.com sells tours, day-trips, and activities in 450 destinations – everything from camel rides in Dubai to helicopter rides in San Francisco.  But you can often find other options by doing a Google search for “Uffizi tickets” or “Alhambra reservations.”

We’re not big fans of group tours, but sometimes a tour will get you in and out of a popular attraction with no waiting, and you’ll see several others sights while you’re at it.

Even if you’re not traveling abroad, some advance travel planning can still be well worth the effort.  Food is a big vacation expense, and if you only eat at restaurants on the tourist trail, you’ll pay through the nose, and the quality may not be the greatest.

To find a wide array of restaurants, check out the local newspaper website or weekly periodical.   Many have online dining guides with restaurant reviews, top ten lists, and special events.  The information is usually very current, and you’ll find restaurants in all cuisines and price ranges.

If you’re traveling to a major city, another good source of restaurant information is Timeout.com.  Looking for a curry house in Buenos Aires?  This is the place.

Concerts, plays, cultural festivals, art exhibits, and other events can really enhance a vacation.  Even if you’re not an opera, classical, jazz, or bluegrass fan, consider stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something you wouldn’t ordinarily do at home.

Since many of the most popular events sell out well in advance, plan ahead to avoid disappointment.  A Google search for Paris concerts, Honolulu events, or Las Vegas entertainment calendar will usually get you where you want to go.

Just a little bit of travel planning can transform any vacation from good to great.  So next time you plan a trip, take an extra few minutes to make it exceptional.

Get more travel planning info here.

Almost everyone we know loves to travel.  But for the average vacationer, trip planning can be a real hassle.  Just figuring out where to go and what to do can take hours of research.

Is it any wonder that most people just take the easy way out and book a cruise or vacation package?

But doing your own travel planning has lots of advantages.  First of all, you don’t have to be surrounded by tourists if you don’t want to be.  Making your own arrangements gives you more options.  And it’s often less expensive.

It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, and there are plenty of travel sites and online resources to help you plan a trip.  The first step is to answer these simple questions:

1) What kind of travel experience are you looking for?

There are as many kinds of trips as there are travelers.  Do you want to kick back and relax, enjoy an active outdoor vacation, or drink in the splendor of ancient Rome – as well as the wine?  If you’re not sure, think back on the travel experiences you’ve enjoyed the most.

If your fondest travel memories are of hiking in the mountains, a big city like London or New York probably isn’t right for you.  Love Las Vegas nightlife?  Cross Tahiti off your list – everyone there is tucked in by 10PM.  Want to shop till you drop?  Check out the currency exchange rate.  Shopping’s not much fun when everything costs twice as much as it does at home.

Once you’ve figure out what kind of vacation sounds good, figure out:

2) How much time do you have?

These days, jets can take you anywhere in a fraction of the time it used to take cruise liners and trains.  But just because you can travel somewhere in twelve hours doesn’t mean you’ll be bright eyed and bushy-tailed once you get there.

You should figure on one day of jet lag recovery for every time zone you cross.  If your dream destination is more than seven times zones away, don’t go for less than a week.  Otherwise, it will be time to go home just when you’re hitting your stride.

With two weeks vacation – 14 nights away from home – you can go almost anywhere you like.  Don’t plan on much activity for the first couple of days, and remember to schedule days off into your itinerary.  Sometimes you just want to loaf, no matter where you are.

With one week, you’ll probably enjoy your vacation more if your destination is less than a six-hour flight away.  And don’t fly more than three or four hours for a long weekend.   Remember all the time spend getting to and from the airport, and standing in line.

By now, you should have a pretty good idea of how far you can go.   Next, ask yourself:

3) How much money do you want to spend?

Want to practice your French, wander down cobbled streets, and dine on Coq au Vin?  Montreal’s got it all for about half the price of Paris.  Looking for a secluded beach you can call your own?   If you’re willing to hike ten minutes, there’s one on Kauai for a lot less than that private island in Tahiti.

Most travel experiences are available in a wide variety of price ranges.  So figure out what you can afford, and then back out the cost of meals.  Many people underestimate how much they’ll spend on food.  So unless you intend to be very frugal, add another 30% to the cost of your trip.  After all, dining is one of the best parts of traveling.

Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ve already started the trip planning process.  The next step is to start doing some research.  For an introduction to travel sites that can help you with that, read the best travel sites for planning a trip.

Read more trip planning tips here.

Best Travel Sites

Do a Google search for “travel,” and you’ll see that there are nearly 800 million sites on the topic.

So how do you know which travel sites can actually help you with your trip planning, and which ones you should check out first?

If you read Trip planning basics – three key questions to ask yourself before you plan a trip, you probably have some idea where you want to go.   So figuring out how much it will cost to get there is a good first step.

There are several sites that compare airfares, but a couple are head and shoulders above the rest.  For airfare within or originating in the United States, Kayak.com is hard to beat.  Not only do they list fares for virtually all domestic carriers, when you click on the fare you want, you’ll be routed directly to the airline’s website for booking.

A calendar showing fares by date makes it’s easy to see how much you could save by traveling midweek or going a earlier or later than planned.

Sidestep.com is another excellent airfare comparison site.  It pulls information from over 600 airlines.

You may have heard about the ridiculously cheap airfare in Europe — sometimes it costs as little as $2 to fly from London to Italy.  There are plenty of hidden charges, but if you’re flexible and traveling light, they can still be a bargain.

Dohop.com is the best place to find these deals.  It lists fares for EasyJet, Ryanair, and other discount airlines.   Just be sure to read all the fine print before booking.  Last time we looked, Ryanair led the industry in customer complaints.

Recently, the airlines have begun charging for advance seat assignments and exit-row seats.  Before you pay for the privilege, you should probably visit Seatexpert.com or Seatguru.com.   Either one will help you find the most desirable seats on your flight.

Once you have your flights figured out, or at least know how much to budget, you can start researching hotels.

Many people love tripadvisor.com.  In fact, it has over 25 million user-generated hotels reviews.   We use it to get ideas, but the couple of times we’ve reserved hotels based exclusively on tripadvisor, we’ve been disappointed.  Not everyone has the same taste, so even though tripadvisor users think a place is great, you could still hate it.

If you do find a hotel on tripadvisor that interests you, look for a professional recommendation before you book.  Fodors.com and Frommers.com both provide objective, professional reviews.

Venere.com is a great travel site for European hotels.  It represents lots of small inns that you won’t find on big sites like Expedia or Travelocity.

When you’ve chosen a hotel and you’re ready to book, don’t waste a lot of time comparing prices.  Two or three parent companies own most of the hotel booking sites, so prices don’t vary much.  If you find a room for a lot less, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples.  Rates can vary a lot by room type.

Many sites now require payment upfront for the best available rate.  And often, these rates are nonrefundable.  So read the terms and conditions carefully, especially the cancellation policy.

And before you make your reservations, be sure to contact the hotel directly – especially if you’re making your plans at the last minute.  They’re often willing to negotiate.  They usually don’t require prepayment except in high-demand periods.  And their cancellation policy is usually more liberal.

With a place to stay and a way to get there, all the heavy lifting is done.  The next phase of trip planning is figuring out what to do when you get there.  For advice on that, read Travel planning tips to help you save time, reduce hassles, and make the most of your vacation.

Read more travel advice here.

Airplane window image Flickr: contraption