Brass Tacks

Travel tips

Published: Edited: Reading time: 2 min Tags: everblue Draft: Yes Part of: everblue notes

selected for [usefulness]*[non-obvious/not discussed elsewhere].

tried & true:

  • board on the airplane last; marginal time in the terminal > marginal time in line + in the airplane
  • wash & fold places are fucking awesome. they’re a lot more expensive than a regular laundromat, but a lot more convenient. not worth half of a day of travel time to save $10!
  • trash bags are useful for a variety of things — i most frequently use them for my dirty laundry, but it’s not too difficult to find other use-cases. i sometimes throw a box of trash bags into my luggage
  • packing tips
  • adjusting your sleep schedule (useful for adjusting to a new time zone)
  • if you’re caffeine-dependent, consider that you probably shouldn’t be. once you’ve done that, consider switching to pills that have the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.
  • you can sleep almost anywhere non-metropolitan with a hammock — find two trees and you’re done. i find this comfier and easier than a tent & sleeping bags. caveats:
    • its often quite cold at night, colder than you think — your body temp goes down since you stop moving. strongly consider getting a sleeping bag (though many don’t fit around a hammock), or better yet, an underquilt.
    • make damn sure it won’t rain; or, alternatively, bring & set up a tarp built for hammocks.
  • carry a pill case with some essential pills: Advil, Tylenol, Claritin, caffeine pills, melatonin, [censored], [censored], etc. i suggest this one! i’ve considered getting a tackle box (e.g.), but on a quick search haven’t found one that fits my needs.
  • get airtags for all of your bags, keys, etc. this is useful if you lose it (or if someone loses it for you) — but it’s also useful for your peace of mind in keeping track of all of your stuff.
  • travel with people with whom you love conversing; then, converse with them.
    • in general, visit people, not places. you’ll have more fun with a friend touring you around their small city in southern germany than you will visiting berlin alone.
  • it is outrageous how well anti-wrinkle spray works.

untested:

  • if it seems like a restaurant might be down for it, ask to pay for your meal by working for them — cleaning dishes, clearing tables, etc. if you have some specialized skill, like accounting or something, you can offer to help them more boutiquely.
  • Atlas Obscura
  • tweet that you’ll be in a particular city, and ask if anyone wants to meet up with you/show you around/have you meet their friends.
  • for folks in the rationalist/EA community, meet up with the local groups. for folks who aren’t, consider that you might be making suboptimal life choices.
  • carry a small bag into which you can put your pill case (see upthread), some band-aids, antibiotic ointment, etc. i bought this one, but haven’t yet used it (as of May 26, 2025).
  • ask caterers for restaurant reccs
  • https://liamrosen.com/2019/12/29/how-i-vacation/