Sam Shank, cofounder of HotelTonight, guides you through the most common pitfalls.

When it comes to staying in a hotel, there are some definitive dos and don’ts to follow. Don’t walk around the hallways barefoot. Don’t steal the towels or bathrobes. Do put all your trash in the bin before you leave. Do tip for good service. These unofficial rules will make your stay more enjoyable — for you and the staff — but a misstep at check-in or checkout can have a major impact on your overall experience.

To ensure everything runs smoothly from arrival to departure, we asked Sam Shank, cofounder of the booking app HotelTonight, how to check in to and out of a hotel without falling prey to these common mistakes.

Not Asking About Resort Fees

The last thing you want on vacation is to fall victim to hidden fees. Sometimes built-in additional costs are inevitable — “resort fees are unfortunately becoming more common,” says Shank — but at least knowing about them ahead of time allows you to prepare and budget accordingly. Even when they seem set in stone, he always asks if they’re optional. “Sometimes,” he says, “I am successful.”

Not Requesting an Early Check-in or Late Checkout

When booking your hotel, remember that many properties are making moves to nix the typical check-in and checkout rules. Take The Hoxton for example. The hip chain with hotels around the world from Williamsburg to Rome has a Flexy Time policy that allows you, the guest, to choose when you check in and out. So, don’t be afraid to ask about arriving early or leaving late. Shank says it’s best to be flexible about your room type, as that may increase the chances of the hotel being able to accommodate your request. “I have found that early check-in and late checkout is as easy as asking nicely about it at the front desk,” he says. “Be willing to trade a particular room type for early access.”

Not Asking for a Specific Room If You’re a Light Sleeper

Always be aware of your sleeping preferences when traveling — this is, after all, your time to recuperate and relax. If your sleeping habits dictate the type of room you’ll be happiest in, speak up. “I’m a light sleeper, so I always ask for a room far from the elevator, on a high floor, and facing the least busy street or a courtyard,” says Shank.

Forgetting to Do a Final Sweep of Your Room

Do you ever stop before leaving your house and whisper to yourself, “wallet, phone, keys?” If you don’t, now might be a good time to start. Go through a mental checklist and do a walk-through of your hotel room before leaving. “I can’t count all of the device chargers I’ve left in hotel rooms,” Shank says. “Now, I make sure to look at every outlet during my final sweep of the room.”

Not Providing Your Contact Information at Check-in

Shank makes an interesting case for leaving his information with the front desk as soon as he arrives at a hotel. “During check-in, I leave my email address and ask for my folio to be sent to me after checkout,” he says. “This way, I can skip checkout and walk out of the hotel, knowing I’ll have a chance to review any charges later on my own schedule.” This isn’t acceptable at every hotel, so read up on the checkout policies before dashing out the door.

Not Leaving a Tip for the Housekeeping Staff Before Checkout

In the U.S., it’s customary to tip servers, bartenders, hairstylists, and cab drivers. Leaving a gratuity for the housekeeping staff at a hotel is also a good travel habit. If you’ve forgotten to tip housekeeping daily during your stay, the best thing to do is leave a tip in the room before you check out. “I always make sure to leave a tip for the cleaning staff — they do as much as anyone to make sure I had a great stay,” says Shank. The American Hotel and Lodging Association suggests a tip amount between $1 and $5 a day.

Waiting in Line to Check Out If You’re Crunched for Time

Hotels today don’t always require you to stand in line at the front desk to check out. You usually just have to make sure you vacate the room on time, whether that’s at the designated checkout time or a previously agreed upon late checkout time. Make sure you have a chance to review your bill and that the hotel has a credit card on file for any room charges. Go ahead and visit the front desk if you prefer to review your bill in person, but if you’ve followed Shank’s tip to give an email address and card upon checking in, you can typically just head out. Don’t forget to leave your keycards in the room so the hotel can reuse the plastic.

Forgetting to Look at the Itemized Bill

If you’re worried that the hotel won’t email you a bill — or that you won’t see it because your inbox is a mess — then skip the previous tip and leave yourself extra time to review your bill with the front desk before checking out.

Not Asking (Nicely) for an Upgrade

Shank is very much in the camp of asking for an upgrade if there’s an opportunity to do so politely. “On the day of arrival, the front desk will have a lot of discretion to assign rooms,” he says. “They likely will have a few nicer rooms that they have to put someone in. That someone could be you, so ask nicely.”

Overpaying for an Upgrade at Check-in

The song and dance of getting an upgrade at a hotel is not unlike trying to qualify for an upgrade on a flight. In either instance, it’s wise to put in the request as soon as you can and set a threshold for the amount you’d be willing to pay. If it comes up, Shank recommends “offering a reasonable amount for an upgrade — my rule of thumb is 10 percent of what you paid.”

Picture this: You’re on vacation in a city abroad, exploring museums, tasting the local cuisine, and people-watching at cafés. Everything is going perfectly until you get a series of alerts on your phone. Someone is making fraudulent charges using your credit card, sending you into a panic. How could this have happened?

Cyberattacks targeting travelers are nothing new. But as travel has increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, so has the volume of hackers and cybercriminals preying upon tourists. Financial fraud is the most common form of cybercrime experienced by travelers, but surveillance via public Wi-Fi networks, social media hacking, and phishing scams are also common, according to a survey by ExpressVPN.

Spokeo consulted cybersecurity sources and travel guides to determine some of the best ways to protect your phone while traveling, from using a VPN to managing secure passwords.

Online attacks are not the only type of crime impacting travelers—physical theft of phones is also a threat. Phones have become such invaluable travel aids, housing our navigation tools, digital wallets, itineraries, and contacts, that having your phone stolen, lost, or compromised while abroad can be devastating. Meanwhile, traveling can make people uniquely vulnerable to both cyber and physical attacks due to common pitfalls like oversharing on social media and letting your guard down when it comes to taking risks online.

Luckily, there are numerous precautions travelers can take to safeguard against cyberattacks and phone theft.

Use a VPN

Hackers can—and do—target public Wi-Fi networks at cafés and hotels to gain access to your personal information or install malware onto your device, particularly on unsecured networks. Travelers are especially vulnerable to these types of cybersecurity breaches because they are often more reliant on public Wi-Fi than they would be in their home countries where they have more robust phone plans. This reliance on public, unsecured networks means travelers are more likely to use those networks to perform sensitive tasks like financial transfers, meaning hackers can easily gain access to banking information or other passwords.

One easy way to safeguard yourself against these breaches is to use a virtual private network, or VPN, while traveling. VPNs are apps that encrypt your data and hide your location, preventing hackers from accessing personal information. An added bonus is that VPNs allow you to access websites that may be blocked or unavailable in the country you are visiting. To use a VPN, simply download a VPN app on your phone or computer, create an account, choose a server, and connect.

Wear a cross-body bag or antitheft strap

Pickpockets, scammers, and flagrant, snatch-your-phone-right-out-of-your-hand thieves can be found pretty much everywhere. In London, for instance, a staggering 91,000 phones were reported stolen to police in 2022, breaking down to an average of 248 per day, according to the BBC. Whether you’re visiting a crowded tourist attraction or just want peace of mind, travel experts advise taking precautions to make sure your phone isn’t physically stolen or compromised while traveling.

There are several antitheft options to choose from. If you want a bag that will protect your phone from theft, experts recommend looking for features like slash-resistant fabric, reinforced shoulder straps, hidden zippers that can be locked, and secure attachment points, like a cross-body strap or a sturdy clip. For tethers, look for those made of tear-resistant material with a reinforced clip or ring.

Back up your phone’s data

If your phone falls into the wrong hands, there’s a good chance you won’t be getting it back. Out of those 91,000 phones stolen in London in 2022, only 1,915 (or about 2%) were recovered. The good news is that you can take precautions to make the loss of your phone less devastating by backing up your data before you travel.

With backed-up data, you can acquire a new device and still access your photos, contacts, messages, and passwords. Moreover, if you have “Find My Device” or “Find My Phone” enabled, you can remotely wipe your stolen phone’s data so the thief cannot access it. It’s safest to back up your data to a hard drive and not just the cloud. That way, if you have to wipe your device, you don’t accidentally erase the backup, too.

Turn on “Find My Phone”

In order for the previous tip on this list to work, “Find My Phone” must be turned on in advance, but remotely wiping your device isn’t the only thing this feature allows you to do. The “Find My Phone” feature enables you to track your device, as long as it’s turned on and not in airplane mode. This is particularly helpful if you misplaced your phone or left it somewhere since it can help you retrace your steps. While this feature won’t show you the live location of a phone that has been turned off, it will show the phone’s last known location.

With “Find My Phone,” you can also remotely lock your phone or enable “Lost Mode,” which locks down the phone, suspends any in-phone payment methods, and displays contact information for returning the phone to you. If your phone was stolen, experts caution against taking matters into your own hands by chasing down the thief, since this could land you in a potentially dangerous situation and is unlikely to result in getting your phone back.

Protect your passwords

Strong passwords for important accounts help protect your information while you travel, but it’s just a first step. The National Cybersecurity Alliance recommends creating long, unique, and complex passwords for every account and combining them with multifactor authentication to create maximum barriers to entry.

If you’re worried about remembering these passwords, password managers can be a vital tool for both creating and storing strong passwords. Password managers are apps that act as secure vaults for all your passwords. Some even come with a feature that allows you to temporarily delete sensitive passwords before you travel and then easily restore them once you return.

Travelling does not have to be difficult with diabetes. With right preparation and planning, it is easy to stay healthy. Learn more from a doctor.

Keeping a check on diet and lifestyle can be difficult, especially when we are travelling. For diabetic people, it is essential to manage their sugar levels at all times. With the right preparation, diabetics can stay healthy even while traveling.

Dr Pramod Tripathi, founder of Freedom From Diabetes, said, “Diabetes management becomes another hassle for those who travel a lot. Since it requires attention and care, comprehensive planning and the right medication become crucial. You can’t skip meal times or eat unfamiliar cuisines, as these can spike your sugar level.”

Dos and don’ts to follow, while traveling

Pack diabetes-friendly snacks: Carry healthy options like nuts, seeds, protein bars, or whole-grain crackers. Having your snacks ensures you won’t have to rely on unhealthy alternatives.

Choose low glycemic index foods: Whole grains, non-starchy veggies, and berries are good choices if you want to avoid unexpected blood sugar increases.

Remain hydrated: It’s critical to consume a lot of water. Limit caffeine intake and stay away from sugary drinks because dehydration can make glucose control worse.

Balance your meals: Combine protein, healthy fats, and fibre in every meal to slow digestion and maintain stable blood sugar levels.

Snack wisely: Reach for raw veggies, nuts, or small portions of fruit instead of processed or sugary snacks.

Avoid skipping meals: Glucose instability is caused by irregular meal timing. Even while you’re on the road, keep to your schedule.

Limit fast food: Fast food is convenient but often high in refined carbs and unhealthy fats. Whenever possible, choose fresh or grilled foods.

Avoid overeating: Consuming large amounts of foods high in carbohydrates might raise blood sugar levels. To stay elevated and stay on course, practice portion control.

“Your best ally is preparation. Healthy snacks, well-balanced meals, and thoughtful food selections will help you control your blood sugar levels and concentrate on having fun on your trip,” added Dr. Tripathi.

In a span of one day, more than 8 million people travel across the world, be it for short or long-distance flights. Today’s flights are fuller, lines are longer, and security continues to grow more stringent. At Let’s Go Travel, we understand how hectic this can all become. That’s why we are dedicated to making your holiday as stress-free as possible, by catering to your unique needs, down to the smallest detail.

Our team helps plan your itinerary, book your flights and hotels, and can even give you advice on park fees and visas, to ensure that you are comfortable and happy throughout your trip. However, there are also a few tricks you can keep up your sleeve for an easier time while travelling.

Here are 7 tips to help make your travel more enjoyable:

Bring some Entertainment

When you’re travelling to destinations such as East Africa, getting there can involve a long-haul flight, and while staying entertained for upwards of six hours may seem like a challenge, all it requires is a little forethought and creativity.

Some of the things you may want to consider doing on your flight include:

• Read book or magazine
• Listen to a podcast or some new music
• Play a good old-fashioned game (make sure to bring a deck of cards with you)
• Catch up on last minute work so you don’t have to worry about a deadline

Make Sure To Take a Reusable Water Bottle

Carry your own reusable water bottle and fill it up at the airport before departure. This ensures that you don’t get thirsty while on the flight and cuts on costs, as you won’t have to purchase bottled water. This would also be a great step towards being a more sustainable tourist. Compared to plastic bottles, reusable water bottles are:

• Safer for your health
• More environmentally friendly
• Longer lasting and more durable
• Cheaper in the long run

Don’t Forget Your Portable Charger

There isn’t any worry that can be compared to that of a dying phone, especially when travelling to a destination that you know so little about, so don’t forget to carry your portable charger! Today, there are even seat electrical plugs that are fitted in the planes in which allow you to charge your devices.

Carry some Disposable Wet Wipes and Deodorant

By ensuring you have some disposable wet wipes, especially during long flights, you can stay fresh and comfortable, until you have the opportunity of taking a proper shower. In addition, carrying a top-quality deodorant will help you stay confident and perfectly protected – just make sure it’s a travel-sized one!

Plan Your Travel Outfit(s)

The savviest flyers understand that it takes a combination of factors to create a positive travel experience, and ultimately, comfort plays a huge part in making long-distance flights more pleasurable. That’s why you should never leave your travel clothes as a last-minute thought. Some clothing tips for a long haul flight include:

• Avoid long skirts or maxi-dresses
• Wear layers and/or things that can fold into a pillow
• Make sure your clothes are made of natural, breathable fabric and don’t restrict you
• Make sure your clothes have a couple of pockets

In addition to clothes, some other items that you may want to consider taking along with you include noise-cancelling headphones, an eye mask, and a neck pillow, as these will ensure you get a good night’s rest.

Gum

One item you should never forget to put in your carry-on is a packet of gum. Chewing gum as the plan ascends and descends can relieve pressure in your ears, and it also eliminates post-airplane-meal breath, and refreshes you after a nap.

DON’T FORGET YOUR TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

In addition to the above items, always ensure that you have all your documents in check before planning to travel. Travel documents are a crucial element when it comes to a stress-free holiday and failure to properly plan will only cause you headache, and may even result in the cancellation of your travel plans.

Things You Must Do Before Travelling

1. Make sure your passport and visa are up to date.
2. Talk to your travel advisors, as well as check for any travel warnings.
3. Get the required vaccinations.
4. Make sure your trip is registered before going to the airport.
5. Ensure the choice of airline and aircraft used for travel is sustainable
6. Carry all the necessary documents, as well as copies.
7. If necessary get a travel insurance