Our 2016 summer trip was a 2-long week vacation. It brought us to 2 western Canadian provinces and 2 (actually, 3) States in the U.S. We flew to Edmonton, Alberta (via Toronto). Drove to Banff, AB passing through Jasper and scenic AB93 highway then TC1. We ended our Alberta trip in Calgary where we returned our rental car at the YYC (Calgary International Airport).
We flew to Seattle, Washington. We rode the ferry to Bainbridge, WA. We took the Amtrak train to Vancouver, British Columbia. We rode the bus and ferry to Victoria, BC. Then flew to Las Vegas, Nevada. We drove to Tusayan, Arizona (to the south rim of Grand Canyon). We took the red eye flight to Toronto then our flight back to Fredericton was delayed by an hour.
Throughout the trip we had various accommodation arrangement from relative’s and friend’s house, hostel, hotel, and resort hotel. Having this in mind, these are the 5 things I’ve learned from 2016 summer trip.
- Travel light. With multiple flights, you don’t want to be checking-in all the time. With this trip, we saved $100 from not checking-in our luggage. There were a couple of times during our trip where the gate attendant offered passengers to check-in ‘relatively over-sized carry-ons’ (gratis!). We did avail of this offer which was convenient because it gave us a better leg room. As you prepare and pack your luggage, keep in mind the places you plan to visit. Although it is summer, some places (even in the summertime) are colder. I packed a spring jacket but the rest of my clothes were summer attire. This is the first we went on a vacation and didn’t came back with an extra suitcase. We nearly did.
- Bring a battery charger pack . In this age of mobile technology, being away from a power outlet for more than 8 hours means that your mobile device will ran out of power soon. Your mobile device is your all-purpose travel companion. It is your day planner, communicator, navigator, camera, etc. It is important that you have it juiced up.
Our round trip from Vancouver to Victoria took 16 hours. We could have charged our devices in the ferry but forgot our chargers. My 2500 mA battery pack was only able to extend my phone to just over 12 hours. Even the newer phones don’t last over 13 hours of constant usage (especially with cell data/LTE and slower connection, GPS, and WiFi services turned on). By the time we left Swartz Ferry Terminal, our phones died. We were only able to send a text to our host of our ETA. A battery charger pack is also helpful in hikes along the trails. As you hike away from cell towers, your phone cranks more power as it tries to connect to any available faint signal. Some battery charger packs have built in LED flashlight. - Pack your electronic stuff separately. As a follow up to item #2, today’s traveller doesn’t leave home without their electronic toys (camera, smartphone, portable media players, etc.). Thanks to Apple, you will only need one cord or maybe two if you are using older Apple devices. But for each of these devices uses a different cord to charge albeit plugged to a normal USB outlet. Other than labeling each cord, use a different coloured elastic to differentiate them. It will be quicker to get them from your stash. Use a laptop friendly backpack. Most backpack of this kind have several accessible pockets and special compartment for you precious laptop or tablet. It is easier to remove your laptop at TSA checkpoints in the airport as well as when you have a need to use it in lounges and cafes.
- Learn how to use public transit. With so many cities to visit, relying on taxi will drain your funds quickly. Scout the cities you plan to visit and learn the public transit routes. Google Maps, Here WeGo, and other mobile apps provide valuable info how to get from one place to another using public transit data. Public transit websites give you the best economical option to travel as well – day passes, single fare, family pass, etc. Even as tourist, it is nice to travel with the locals. When we were in Seattle, as an alternative to the bay cruises being sold to tourist, we took the ferry to Bainbridge instead. It was cheaper but similar experience being on the boat looking at the Seattle skyline.
- Bring a sunblock lotion (and a hat, too). Knowing that you will be under the sun on most times, it is a great idea to bring and use a sunblock lotion. Having a brown complexion, I thought I won’t burn. But just like anybody, the sun can toast your skin. Applying sunblock will make your hikes and walks more comfortable and your laying down less irritating (from sun burn).
- Bonus…Cash Currency (of your destination). There are things or places where even MasterCard or Visa or any credit card will be accepted or work. So, it is best to have spare cash in your pocket. Have them in small denominations (20s or lower), too.
- Another bonus…Know your cellular service. Since smartphones were introduced over a decade ago, people love to use their smartphones everywhere they go without knowing the extra charges they will incur when using it in another country. Recently, major cellphone service providers have introduced ‘roam-like-home’ features in their outrageous cellphone plans. This limits your extra cellphone charges to $50-$100/month when using your cellphone in other countries. Better yet with an unlocked phone, you can purchase a prepaid service from the country you are visiting. This service is a lot cheaper than $50. During this trip (to the U.S.), I tried the prepaid $30 Tourist Plan of T-Mobile. It is unlimited calling and texting in the U.S. and 2GB LTE speed data. That is well worth it when playing Pokemon Go in another country unlike the Japanese athlete tagged with $35,000 bill while using his Japan serviced cellphone in Rio looking for Pikachu.
- Last bonus…Backup your photos often. Captured photos during trips remind us of the places visited in our later years. But if they are lost, only our memory will be able to capture those moments. If you have a laptop with you in your trip, backup your the memory in your laptop or a flash drive or if possible in a cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.). It is better to sort them out and delete duplicate copies later than nothing to look at after the trip. Backing up is crucial as the size of memory cards are getting bigger. Just imagine losing 64 GB worth of photos.