Travel tips you won't find in your guide book

These travel tips, which are not usually found in guide books, are guaranteed to help make your trip a lot more fun!

1. Fill a zip-lock bag with balloons, bobby pins, and temporary tattoos representing your country.

Rather than giving out money, the balloons and bobby pins are great little gifts for young children that you will inevitably come across in the course of your travels.

The tattoos are great to give as gifts too, but can also come in handy in countries where people knowing where you are from (instead of making incorrect assumptions) will keep you safe. It’s a nice alternative to having a huge flag sewn onto your backpack.

2. Bring a pillowcase, not a pillow

A pillowcase can easily be stuffed with clothing to create a make-shift pillow in emergencies and also makes a perfect laundry bag.

3. Even if you aren’t a journal writing kinda person, pack a small journal and a glue stick

It is the perfect place to keep the names and contact info for people you meet and to jot down hotel/hostel names and prices of things to pass on to friends and family.

The glue stick will keep you from losing ticket stubs, postcards or other bits that make perfect souvenirs.

4. BYOWB — Bring Your Own Water Bottle

Preferably a one liter Nalgene-style one with a wide opening. You could easily drop hundreds of dollars buying water while touring around all day, so having your own bottle will save you money.

And, when packing, it is the perfect place to put breakable items like perfumes, or delicate souvenirs, so they won’t get squished or break in your bag.

5. Buy postcards, but don't send them

Everyone is trying to get that perfect, tourist-free postcard-style shot of the well-known tourist sight, but that is easier said than done.

Sometimes, the best thing to do is to just buy the gorgeous postcard as your souvenir, and focus on enjoying where you are rather than taking pictures.

Read More Travel Tips

Travel & Adventure Blog Feed

The streets of Thailand are full of antique Buddha heads, newly-cast statues, painted canvases, and tiny tokens all featuring a depiction of the Buddha. They spill out of storefronts, are lined up in marketplaces and can be found for the equivalent of pennies all over the country.

Though Buddhas are easy to find, what most travelers don’t know is that it is difficult — and sometimes even illegal — to take them out of the country.

According to the Thai Customs Department, no antiques or objects of art depicting an image of the Buddha (including even newly cast Buddha images for religious or cultural purposes) can be removed from the country without obtaining an export license.

Bringing Buddha statues home from Thailand

Here's what you need to know:

There are licensed vendors that can provide you with the documentation you need to bring your Buddha purchase home legally.
You can't export more than five statues or images of the Buddha at a time.
You cannot export parts of the Buddha, like hands or feet — this is to prevent looting.
If the Buddha image or statue is more than 12 cm you must get permission from the Department of Fine Arts, a department in the Ministry of Culture.
To get documentation from the Department of Fine Arts, your application must include a photocopy of your passport and two front-view photos of the object. The department quotes 3-5 days for the process to be completed, but I would allow at least a week.

If you decide to risk it and get caught with a Buddha at the airport, you will lose it and most likely getting slapped with a hefty fine.

5 Unconventional Travel Tips You Won't Find In Your Guide Books