How to Be the World's Smartest Traveler

by Christopher Elliott

Leading travel expert and  USA Today  columnist Christopher Elliott shares the smartest ways to travel in this tip-filled guide from National Geographic. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience as a consumer travel advocate, Elliott gives you the inside scoop on how to navigate the often perplexing world of travel, with detailed advice


   • Airlines
   • car rentals
   • cruises
   • hotels and alternative lodging
   • the TSA and security
   • staying connected
   • review websites
   • resolving complaints
   • vacation rentals
   • passports and visas
   • and much more
Full of recommendations, real-life case histories, and the answers to the most common—and confounding—questions, this book is a must-read for anyone traveling anywhere.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ariadna73]

Good and common sense advice. My best takeout: when you travel, use an old wallet with an expired ID in it and a little cash, and hand it to the robber in case of an assault. That is really smart, and I will do it from now on.

[Cheryl]

This is a useful book to have on a kindle or tablet while travelling. It is not a travel guide. it doesn't tell you, for example where to find great hotels on the cheap or unlikely tourist spots. it is a useful planning tool for inexperienced travellers because it tells you the differences between different planning options, and "who to call when things go wrong" book. I heard the author on a Montreal talk show, and bought the book right away. Much of it is common sense, but as we know, common sense is not that common. The author has been a writer for National Geographic Traveller and consumer travel advocate, so he has the numbers we don't. Until this book.

[Randell Carlton Brown]

Handy, but slightly too much on the “consumer complaining”. Aimed at beginning travelers. 7.1.18-8.15.18

[Steph Myers]

It was fine. I didn't feel like there was anything new in this book that I hadn't read elsewhere in other travel guides or magazine articles.

[Yulia]

Common sense tips. Only few tips are interesting and useful to know.

[Daniel]

It would be a nice read for travel beginners, though some of the tips have already become obsolete after its publication in 2014. I would take 2 suggestions: take photos of the car on rental and use a decoy wallet!

[Liz Cloos]

A moderately interesting book about how to travel. Although it wasn't a terrible book, I am glad that it was a gift and I didn't pay for it. I would recommend this for someone who is planning their first vacation in 10 years.

[Pamela A. Schmeckpeper]

More like "How to be a competent traveler".

This was a well-written book with good info for someone who has never travelled. Not much for experienced folks. Lots of info on travel insurance, what first aid items to pack, and why not to loose your passport.

[Abbey]

Aimed at beginner travelers so most of the information is common sense to an experienced traveler. But I did read two helpful ideas. 1. Take a picture of your luggage before you check it. 2. Take a picture of the front and back of your cards (insurances, drivers license, credit, etc).

[Simple]

Lot of travel informations to use in this book. Too much details. A good book overall.

[Katie Kleier]

Ridiculously simple book wouldn't recommend it unless you've NEVER traveled before.

[Ro]

Another that I did not finish. It would be more helpful to new travelers.

[Korina Mae]

Sadly, a lot of the advice here is outdated. Badly needs an update.

[Laurie]

I am a reader of the Elliott Report, so I sought out this book. There is lots of good advice. I especially enjoyed reading the true problem-solving stories. I wish some of the advice had been divided between domestic and international travel. Overall, this is a solid book for travel-minded readers.

[Sherry]

I wish I had read this book (2014 pub date) prior to our cruise to Alaska last May. I learned so much in this "How to" book. Everyone (who didn't grow up traveling much of anywhere) could benefit from the information in this book. Mr. Elliott provides practical information, case studies and common problems in all aspects of travel....from using or not using a travel agent to cell phones outside the country. I would have handled the food borne illness that my traveling friend and I got and how they treated us on the Holland America cruise much differently than I did. Importantly, while "live and learn" is an appropriate phrase, it is much better to be forewarned when your health and safety is at stake....not to mention potentially large amounts of money.

[Lisa Carlson]

Syndicated columnist, travel expert and author Christopher Elliott breaks down travel in 3 parts. For the novice traveler this book will offer useful guidelines and practical advice for transportation, travel overseas, lodging, cell phone use and credit card information. Elliott's column appears weekly in the Mpls Sunday Star Tribune Travel section which I enjoy reading because it solves universal consumer issues relating to travel. Bottom line for anyone who travels is be wise by doing your homework, read the fine print of everything, carry two credit cards and take pictures of your car rental and anything else you may have to defend. Includes acknowledgments, appendix and index.

[Chenbo]

I am always keen on travelling books, to avoid traps and to know tips/tricks. So I had a big expectation for this book. I also read some reviews before I bought and somehow my bar was lowered. Now I finish the book and I can say it is OK.
1. Yes, it is true. I know quite some of the contents. The book fails to provide more insights.
2. The targeting audience shall be located in the States. As I am living in Europe, a part of the contents don't apply to my case.
Lastly, the book is OK. It really depends on your experiences. I still follow the author in LinkedIn and read his posts frequently.

[Kristin]

I purchased this as an e-book after hearing it reviewed on the Weekend Travel Show podcast. I finished it in one 3 hr plane ride. Good collection of advice & tips. Some chapters I skimmed or skipped because they weren't currently relevant but in the event of a travel problem, they would be a helpful reference. Some of the tips are perhaps more basic, but still a good refresher even for an experienced traveler.

[Lauren Silva]

This book has a lot of helpful information. It is laid out in a very easy to read manner. The only complaint I have is that it didn't really have much information about backpacking and hostels (which is what I needed). But that being said still a lot of good information, especially about flights and airlines.

[Northlake Public Library District]

Probably would have been more enjoyable as a reference book that one kept on hand to refer to in specific situations rather than as a straight read-through. Most tips are generic/nothing new for even a moderately-experienced traveler, but there are some citations to websites and such that I haven't seen before.

[Ann]

Probably would have been more enjoyable as a reference book that one kept on hand to refer to in specific situations rather than as a straight read-through. Most tips are generic/nothing new for even a moderately-experienced traveler, but there are some citations to websites and such that I haven't seen before.

[Geraldine]

Great Book

Honestly, I didn't think I would get much out of this book, but I was wrong. There are so many great suggestions, observations, and real-time complaints that are answered with clarity. More than anything, the advice to be polite when things go wrong is one every traveler needs to take to heart.

[Christina]

Picked this one up at the library because of a few international travel questions we've run into lately (SIM cards, foreign fees, etc.). I enjoyed the format of the book, especially the "Problem Solved" pages. It's highly educational (and entertaining) to learn from other people's mistakes : )

[Debbie]

Excellent all-around advice for the domestic and foreign traveller. If you're a savvy traveller already, you don't need this book, although I did learn a couple things. But if you need travel advice from insurance to hotel ratings to how to book, this is your book.

[Denise]

Very informative. A lot of stuff I already knew, but now I have a better idea of when I should and shouldn't buy vacation insurance, where to find my "bill of rights" for airlines, etc.

[Toni]

Some pretty good advice in there, however nothing groundbreaking. I'd highly recommend this book for first time or infrequent travellers.

[Donna Luu]

Most of this is common sense, even for someone who doesn't travel a lot. I enjoy the author's column in National Geo, but it's not really generally useful.

[Rebecca]

Good advice. Much is common sense, but what one person believes is common sense, to another it might be revolutionary.

[Les Reynolds]

Pretty good, most of the tips were about situations where something has gone wrong. Handy to have available.

[Laura]

some good tips but not as 'wow' as I'd hoped.