A few years ago, I already wrote a short article in the form of a collection of tips for traveling better and for less, but now that I’ve become a blogger-trotter, as they say, I have plenty of new, broader advice to share with you that I’ve tested during my various getaways. Because to be honest, I have never traveled as much as in the last 2 years, and this is, of course, thanks to my blog and therefore also thanks to you.
After these many experiences, these blogtrips to the 4 corners of the world (well, maybe only 2 corners of the world for now, but the others are yet to come), I’ve paced the hallways of both Parisian airports more than reasonably, I’ve accumulated quite a bit of fatigue, managed to tame jet-lag, relearned how to get by in English, met many people, I’ve also become hyper-demanding, and I’ve picked up a few “good habits” that it’s time to share with you.
_
Table of Contents
The travel cushion
When you start taking flights longer than 6 hours and it’s best if you get some sleep during the flight (to be in good shape upon arrival), unless you’re in business or first class, let’s just say the travel cushion becomes your best chance at survival.
It allows you to sleep more comfortably even while sitting, and above all, it prevents you from waking up with a painful stiff neck. Besides, I also think that if I had had it during my OuiBus experience for London, things might have gone better…
What I liked about the Cabeau Evolution: you can roll it onto itself and it takes up less space (even though it must be admitted that it remains bulky), and the cushion’s super soft and comfortable material.
Cabeau Evolution Travel Cushion
price: 36.95 € + 6.50 € delivery at Cool Gift_
Marcel, an affordable VTC to get to the airport
Of course, getting to or from the airport is often a significant part of the travel budget itself, because flight arrival or departure times are sometimes incompatible with those of public transport, not to mention strikes and other “passenger accidents” or “suspicious packages” that have been popping up like mushrooms in recent months…
It is therefore always good to have a good VTC tip in your pocket. Mine is called Marcel (sounds good, right?).
Marcel is not the name of a muscular guy in a revealing white tank top, but the name of a young, Made in France VTC booking platform in the Ile-de-France region and also one of the most fair on the market, financially speaking.
Marcel’s pricing encourages planning ahead, since by booking in advance, you benefit from discounts (up to 10% off by booking 24 hours in advance and 5% off 12 hours in advance), and on top of that, there are special offers for the two Parisian airports.
The plus side: Marcel also offers a referral system. Accessible from the site or the smartphone application, this system allows users to share a unique code with their friends and family (without restriction). Thus, for each new referral, Marcel credits the sponsor with 10 € to use for their next rides. Referees also receive 10 € in credit, automatically deducted from their first ride. In short, it’s what I call a “win/win” system.
What I liked:
- receiving the driver’s contact details by SMS 20 minutes before departure
- knowing in advance how much it would cost
- no need for cash, payment can be done directly by debit
- the clean and spacious sedan that picked me up
- the very professional and not too chatty driver
- the availability of internet, water bottles, newspapers, and magazines in the car
The good tip: I’m sharing a referral code that will allow you to enjoy 10 € off as soon as you sign up to the site for your first ride, with the referral code I mentioned above: GAPER.
Price for CDG airport: 42.90 € The Marcel service is available 24/7
_
Choosing the right camera
When you go on vacation, the “souvenir” part is an important moment of any trip. Today we can indeed take beautiful pictures with our mobile phone, but personally, and especially for the blog, for me it is not enough. However, as I will explain below, my smartphone is mainly used for my instagram (by the way, in the photo below, you can judge how ridiculous and focused an influencer looks when in full action… no comment….).
I really don’t know much about cameras, although my favorite photographer is desperately trying to teach me the technical aspects of this magnificent art, but I’m not sure I’m a good student… So I’m going to give you my point of view as a beginner and not very gifted user (yes, I admit to using mostly the automatic mode of my camera for now…).
I have definitively banned compact cameras from my practice, because those devices don’t have enough quality to produce beautiful photos for my blog (even though I used one at the very beginning, by the way). I also crossed SLR cameras off my list because they are too heavy and bulky.
I have currently switched to bridge cameras and I would also like to move towards mirrorless cameras. The latest one I use is the Kodak PixPro AZ526 (you can see the result in my article on Singapore).
The advantages of the AZ526:
- A good camera for a reasonable price (about 230 €)
- A good 52x zoom (at least enough for what I use it for so far)
- Use that remains simple (therefore rather for photography amateurs like me)
- A good grip (the strap and the case included in the pack are also very appreciable)
- Decent image quality
_
Sea Band, acupressure bracelets against nausea
Well, I often suffer from motion sickness: in a car with a rough driver, on a bus, sometimes on a boat,… So when I go on a trip, I like to have something with me to alleviate this kind of inconvenience. Lately, I discovered Sea Band bracelets. The effectiveness of these bracelets, which help fight against nausea related to motion sickness, pregnancy, and chemotherapy, is based on a traditional Chinese method, acupressure. This technique is based on the same principles as acupuncture, but without needles (which is good, I don’t like those!). We use finger pressure to balance the “vital energy” of the meridians that run through the body.
In fact, when you put the bracelets on, small balls exert continuous pressure on a particular point (the P6 or Nei-Kuan point) on each wrist. The hardest part is therefore to properly position the bracelets on the wrists, but a small explanatory manual shows precisely where this point is.
The good tip: this method is natural, avoids taking medication, and is also economical because the investment in this product is durable. No need to buy them again regularly.
The less nice point: in terms of aesthetics, it’s not the best (even though a black version of the bracelets exists)…
Price: box of 2 bracelets, 12 €
Otherwise, ginger chewing gums (a natural ally against nausea and vomiting) also complete the range for those whom the aesthetic aspect would discourage too much…
Price: box of 24 chewing gums for 4.90 €
_
My Lumia 950 smartphone
Nowadays, our smartphones have become our memory, our best friend (and enemy), a fashion accessory, a means of communication (but also of self-isolation), technological jewels, but also very fragile devices…
Since I’m a fan of WindowsPhone Lumia (yes, I know I must be one of the very few), I often have problems with the lack of applications, which is really the big weak point of this system. Otherwise, I’m totally a fan of the quality of Lumia cameras, and particularly my latest model, the Lumia 950.
My instagram page is actually completely powered by the latter and not by my camera. This mainly allows me to have you experience my travels live (or almost) for more immediacy. On the other hand, because of the app problems, I don’t have Snapchat on my smartphone, for example… I ended up overcoming this problem thanks to the development of Stories on Instagram.
_
So there you have it, I hope these few tips from my experience might be able to help you, and I wish you beautiful trips, because honestly, that’s what I find most stimulating in my life right now, and I will try to continue exploring the globe, again and again, and to tell you about all my adventures here, obviously!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez and Mademoiselle Bon Plan Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
