My 7 Travel Tips for 2015

If you've been following me on Instagram you would've known that I had an awesome holiday in Korea and China to start the new year.
Now I'm back. Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity! #loseyourself
And here's what I learnt.

#1 Get a Selfie Stick

I used to smirk pretentiously at the mere thought of a selfie stick, after all what kind of a narcissistic person would actually think they needed one? That person is me.

Dum dum dum!

I realised I HAD TO HAVE ONE! Not only was it THE Christmas present of 2014, it was also the perfect travel buddy. I ended up buying mine in Korea, It cost about $24 Aussie dollars (20,000 won) at a pit stop, but I saw it even cheaper at the markets!

It is the perfect way to work different angles no longer limited by your freakishly short arm (that's me) and also to fit in a bunch of people without someone being left out of the token group photo.


#2 Paint Your Locks

Have you got multiple locks that pretty much look the same?

Have you got tons of nail polish most of which you know you'll never completely finish?

THIS IS FOR YOU!

Simply paint the lock & it's key in the same colour, which makes it quickly & easily distinguishable when you're fumbling around.

Easy & genius. Just how I like my men.


#3 Bring Hand Sanitiser

On a lovely trip to LA, someone kindly pointed out that the rail I was holding onto had blood on it (thanks dude!)

Moments like these is when you thank your lucky stars that you have hand sanitiser handy!

It's also handy when tucking into street snacks, a way to be easily identifiable as a tourist and getting rid of that unclean feeling when there's no clean water in sight (eg. frozen bathroom sinks #truestory).

Just make sure it's under 100ml so you can have fuss free travels.

Shop Aqium here

#4 Bring a powerboard

In addition to a travel adaptor, an Aussie powerboard is super handy for charging multiple things at once! Especially if you’re travelling with other people their’s no need to take multiple travel adaptors or schedule who gets the luxury of charging their goods.

#5 Look For Deals

Before you pre-book anything like your flights and hotels it's worth checking out discount websites like Cuponation to see what offers are live.

A few minutes of easy effort could result in a decent saving, especially when it's a generic % off sale, absolutely love those!

My favourite booking sites are Bookings.com, HotelClub & Webjet (yes, I've used all of these websites, highly recommended) where the normal rates are pretty decent but saving even more is just the icing on the cake.

Here's a tip, visit a few websites as the rate for the same flight and hotel could vary. Especially when you put discount codes into the mix.


#6 Get Travel Insurance

THIS IS A MUST!

I have been fortunate that I have never had to make a claim, BUT I still continue to get travel insurance. It’s a small price to pay for a potentially hefty bill.


#7 Get your GST back!

NOTE: Take this as a very general overview, make sure you check out the Aussie customs website here.

I continue to be surprised at how many people don’t know about the tax refund! It’s one of the best things about travelling. When you spend $300 or more at one Aussie retailer, you can claim the GST back when you fly internationally. Like all good things, there are conditions and you better check them out HERE.

So it might the perfect excuse to pick up that shiny new camera, iPad, phone, handbag or simply indulge in that beauty haul...