Trip Planning Perfectionist? Over-Packer? Useful Tips & Tricks for Every Type of Traveler

(Photo: Justin Luebke)

As with almost everything in the history of ever, travel tips and tricks come in all shapes and sizes. Some bits of advice prove useful; others you might swat away like a mildly-pesky fly. Right here, right now, we’re trying to steer clear of the fly swatters and break down some of the best travel hacks out there, depending on the type of traveler you are.

Maybe you need everything about your trip to be perfectly planned down to the last second. Perhaps you want to make sure your romantic getaway doesn’t turn into a nightmare. Or maybe you tend to pack your whole closet in your suitcase and need some help scaling back. Whatever the case, we’re here to help. And by we, I mean me.

Read on for some tips and tricks directed toward certain kinds of travelers. If you’re one of them, you might just come across something you needed to hear.

If you're the "everything must be perfectly planned" traveler...

You probably already have a good idea of what I'm about to say. Just stop. Knock it off already. One of the greatest components of travel is its propensity for allowing you to be spontaneous and live in the moment. But don't take it from me — this was a mantra pushed by none other than Anthony Bourdain.

It is "punishing" to create a checklist of must-see tourist stops, Bourdain told Money Magazine’s Megan Leonhardt in March 2018. "The sort of frenzied compression of time needed to take the tour, to see the sights, keeps you in a bubble that prevents you from having magic happen to you. Nothing unexpected or wonderful is likely to happen if you have an itinerary in Paris filled with the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower."

I confess that I typically cook up half-baked plans when preparing for a trip, such as jotting down a few mainstream destinations or attractions I'd like to see, but my attitude when I actually get to wherever I'm going is to keep an open mind. You've got to allow yourself to be surprised.

If you're heading out on vacation with your significant other (& don't want to be single by the time you get back)...

Going on vacation with your significant other can be a dream or a Nightmare on Elm Street, depending on how you handle yourself while in parts unknown. In an effort to help you avoid the kinds of mistakes that can lead to a couple’s vacation from hell, allow me to direct you to Travel + Leisure, which cobbled together a list of tips from relationship experts meant to ensure that your Instagram-worthy trip isn’t a total disaster behind the scenes.

But because you’re super busy and only have time to read one amazing travel advice article at a time, allow me to break it down for you. The experts suggested defining a purpose for your trip (to reconnect or relax, for example); creating a budget; doing at least some of the planning together; avoiding venturing out on long or group trips too soon in the relationship; and setting limits on technology use (such as putting the phones away while dining), among other tidbits.

One other uber important tip? Take some time for yourself while you’re away! “Of course, you absolutely adore each other, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend every moment together,” writes T+L contributor Patrice J. Williams. “It’s absolutely acceptable, and even necessary, to take some time apart while on a trip. This is especially great if you and your partner have varying interests.”

(Photo: Simon Rae)

If you're the "I don't want to pack too much but I also want to look dapper" traveler...

Even when in transit, I like to look good. Why? Because, as I like to say, when you look good, you feel good. If you’re the kind of traveler that feels the same way, it’s possible you might also have a tendency to overpack. I get it — you want options. But you also don’t want to be lugging around a bag seemingly full of bricks or, worse yet, paying extra for going over the airport’s checked bag weight limit.

So what to do? Well, ask for help from an expert stylist, of course. And that’s exactly what The New York Times’ Shivani Vora did when crafting her article "5 Tips to Travel Light and Dress Well at the Same Time." Vora spoke with New York-based stylist Kate Young, who has worked with the likes of Margot Robbie and Michelle Williams.

Young’s helpful tips include packing clothes in three coordinating colors (thus minimizing volume but maximizing your mixing and matching possibilities); bringing only two or three pairs of shoes; traveling in exercise gear, which can be both comfortable and stylish; and arming yourself with key accessories like bracelets, rings, necklaces, and colorful socks to keep your outfits fresh.

If you're the "I only visit places that are well-reviewed on TripAdvisor" traveler...

We dive into the world, or at least the mind, of the late Anthony Bourdain once again with this bit of advice concerning how to select the venues — the restaurants, cafes, natural areas, art galleries, and museums — that you might visit while traveling. In that same article from Money Magazine mentioned earlier, Mr. Bourdain pulls out a truly novel idea for figuring out whether or not a restaurant or some other attraction is worth a visit.

This idea he calls "provoking nerd fury." The gist, as best I can explain, is to visit a website or blog devoted to a certain topic (Eat Your World is one of the examples given by the article's author, Ms. Leonhardt) and to create a post that claims you have just visited the best vineyard in all of France or ate the best Italian food you've ever tasted at some restaurant or other. After posting, the idea is to wait for the comment brigade — all those opinionated internet "experts" — to do their thing and chime in.

"The torrent of informative abuse that will come your way from people who want to tell you how stupid, witless, and uninformed you are will be very instructive," Bourdain told Leonhardt. And out of that torrent will come a consensus of which establishment(s) or attraction(s) you should actually visit when you take your trip.

And finally, if you're the "this 9-hour flight will be the death of me" traveler...

There are these revolutionary things out there these days known as podcasts. Maybe you've heard of them? The truly amazing thing about podcasts is that they can actually make you look forward to spending time in transit, because you know you'll have time to listen to all of Making Obama or to get caught up on the latest saga unfolding on Business Wars.

Matthew Karsten, better known as the Expert Vagabond, included listening to podcasts among his "30 Best Travel Tips After 7 Years Traveling The World". "Podcasts are awesome," Karsten wrote. "It’s like creating your own personal radio station and filling it with shows and music you always want to listen to. I never thought I’d actually look forward to a 10-hour bus ride. But with podcasts, it’s possible (well, as long as the seats are comfortable)."

And he's oh-so-right! This American Life and The Moth are among his recommendations, and along with the ones I already mentioned, I'd throw in Pod Save America and The Daily (from The New York Times). And if you don’t really know what you want to listen to, go ahead and check out the NPR One app. It’s a great place to find new stuff, and to get periodic news updates through the day.

-LTH