Tips for the Savvy Traveler

by Deborah Burns

Travel is a sensitive business, one where your decisions do make a difference, from the little details on up. Your choice of destination, obviously, will influence your experience, but so will the shoes you choose to walk in, how much luggage you opt to bring, where you stay, what inoculations you get before you go, and with whom you decide to travel.

Travel is often associated with spontaneity and freedom, but there's usually some preparation and forethought necessary to get you to that carefree time. That's where Deborah Burns comes in. An accomplished, savvy traveler herself, she writes sensibly and lucidly on those little things (itineraries, visas, foreign languages, transportation, children, and budgets) that make the difference between a holiday to dream about and a nightmare vacation experience. The more preparation the better. Some visas take months to procure. The best travel deals are often available far in advance of departure. And as for those shoes, to bring comfortable, well-broken-in footwear, you can't go shopping for them a week before you leave. Covering health, business, souvenirs, safety, dining, and what to pack, Burns's most important lesson is that you don't need to learn everything the hard way. --Stephanie Gold

216 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 1995

Reviews

[L]

This review is for the audiobook.
This book is clearly written by a seasoned traveler.
However, it turns out it is not a recent book, so some of the tips are dated.
But there are many excellent (and timeless) tips regarding packing, traveling solo, handling money in a safe manner and many other things.
In other words, it's still worth a look / listen.
What would be amazing is if there was an updated edition. If it exists, unfortunately I missed it.

[Mattine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book to learn about some creative ways of traveling. It was written awhile ago so there some references to older technology, but it is still a great book!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started listening to this before I realized it was written in 1995. I decided to listen just for a walk back in time remembering days of travel with no smart phones and using travelers checks!

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

not sure why i read this. Im not planning on going anywhere. BUT it WAS interesting.