Seasoned Tourists Share Their Best Travel Tips
So we teamed up with CNN to solicit advice from its seasoned iReporters as part of our Ways to Travel Better campaign-and posed some questions to get them going.
What's your secret to navigating a crowded airport? How about a tip for nabbing a table at the hottest restaurant in town? Do you have a favorite money-saving app or website?
"Use the bookmark feature on Yelp to map the things you're interested in checking out," suggested Amelia Jo Hruby of Chicago, "so you're not running across town all day."
Other iReporters chimed in with tips for packing, from keeping essential medicines in a ready-to-go bag to stashing a pair of socks in your carry-on, so you don't have to tread where thousands of travelers' bare feet have been.
Read on for more of their advice, and tell us what indispensable lessons you've learned on the road in the comments below, or on Twitter with hashtag #TravelBetter.
1. When buying tickets:
"Buy tickets to major sights online before you go. You can skip the long ticket lines when you get there." - David McTier, Huntsville, Texas
2. When packing:
"Choose your shoes first, and then the clothes that work with them. Look for neutral and flexible colors for the greatest versatility." - Quia Querisma, Plano, Texas
3. When flying:
"For complicated trips, I like flight-research startup site Flightfox, where experts compete to help you reduce the total cost of your ticket by fare hunting and tapping regional budget carriers." - Vince Wong, New York, New York
4. When dealing with frequent-flyer miles:
"Be patient and don't cash in your miles to fly domestically. Save them for the big-ticket international airfare." - Matthew Colver, Castle Rock, Colorado
5. When comparing costs:
"The website Rome2Rio makes transportation decisions easy by comparing the travel time and cost of flying, driving, and taking the train between two destinations." - Sharon LeMaster, Decatur, Georgia
6. When going through security:
"I keep a pair of socks in my carry-on. I slip them on so I don't have to touch the ground where thousands of other travelers' feet have been." - Heather R. Helline, Cleveland, Ohio
Keep reading for more travel tips >
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