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15 Tips for the best vacation ever

Blog / June 2014

I give advice now. Lord help us all

The Globe was so sweet as to ask for a pair of my best travel tips for a travel special this weekend! I don’t know much, but I am slowing learning to travel like a champ. (Need proof? I went to Europe for a week, including a fancy-pants wedding, in just a carry-on.)

I’m tip number 6, Leave your closet at home: “A hard-learned fact: The less you lug through the airport, the better and more relaxing your trip will be. Control the urge to squeeze just one more outfit into your bag by bringing one of each thing: one great dinner dress, one pair of versatile jeans, one pair of sandals, etc. This also saves you (and your travel companion) from the dreadful “What should I wear?” debate that better belongs at home. And don’t worry about wearing the same thing twice: No one expects you to cart your closet across the ocean.”

And number 11, Unwind your body clock: “As a serious sleep enthusiast, at least at home, I get easily riled up when out of my element: What time is it in Toronto? Should I be sleeping now? Will I be too exhausted to function in the morning? This is the opposite of relaxing, so I try to veto any usual “sleep schedule” – even in the same time zone. I remind myself I’ll sleep when tired, or when I get home, and the excitement of vacation always overrides tiredness anyhow. So stop worrying. And – guaranteed – that will be the exact moment you’ll fall asleep.”

But I’m still working on both those, now that you mention it.