15 Rules I Swear By When I Travel
I’ve been to 81 countries and I’ve made pretty much every travel mistake you can make. I never should have DIY’d my trip to Myanmar, and I only scratched the surface in Japan because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I could have seen so much more of Malta if I had had a plan, and I would have felt a lot more safe in Sri Lanka if I had worked with a professional.
As I’ve racked up countries, I’ve refined the way I travel and the rules I abide by. Here are my rules. What are yours?
1. Book the night before you arrive
Your overnight flight lands at 7 a.m. Hotel check-in is 3 p.m. That's eight hours wandering a city, more than a little sweaty and in yesterday's clothes. (Never assume your room will be ready when you arrive. Housekeeping only starts at 8 am, most 4 and 5 star hotels are at 95% occupancy during peak season, and it takes at least 45 minutes to turn a room between stays.)
So I book the room starting the night before. One extra night buys a shower, a nap, and a functioning human by lunch. I never regret doing this! Sure, it can add some costs to a trip, but honestly, this gives you a head start on the rest of your vacation.
2. Forget airline loyalty
Airline loyalty doesn't matter the way it used to. Status is harder to earn, and miles don't stretch as far as they once did.
So just book the flight that works best for you. The nonstop. The better schedule. The better seat on that route, whoever flies it. I find it ironic that people get sticker shock on the cost of a hotel in London or Paris, but will shell out more money for their preferred airline just so they can get points that aren’t worth much anyway.
Plus you don't need status for a lounge anyway. (See Point #4.)
3. Work with a travel professional for countries you know nothing about
Obviously I’m biased. But why DIY Peru, Egypt, China, Japan, or Morocco? These are places where you don’t know what you don’t know. (See: me, Myanmar.) Which guides are actually good. Which sites to hit at opening, before the crowds. How long that drive really takes. A travel professional helps you cover so much more ground and makes sure everything runs smoothly.
To be fair, a travel professional can help you in Italy, Switzerland, France, and the UK too! But I get it. You have a friend who went to London and Paris 10 years ago and is going to share their itinerary with you.
For the more complicated countries, though, trust a professional. Let me set up your next trip.
4. Priority Pass when you don’t have airline status
You don't need status for a decent lounge. Priority Pass, which comes with several premium credit cards, gets you into lounges at airports around the world. A quiet chair, a real coffee, and a clean bathroom before a long-haul flight are worth a lot. You can also just purchase a Priority Pass membership directly. I’ve had some great Priority Pass experiences in China and Peru! (I find it funny that most people with a Chase Sapphire Reserve or an Amex Platinum don’t seem to realize they have this benefit!)
5. Compression socks on anything long-haul
Not glamorous. Nobody sees them. Your legs will thank you on day one of the trip. Buy now.
6. AirTags in everything
Checked bag. Carry-on. The tote that never leaves your shoulder. When the airline says your suitcase is "in the system," you'll know it's actually sitting in Frankfurt. Buy now.
7. Have a plan for your flight
Sudoku, movie, book. Sudoku, movie, book.
That's what I do on every plane. Ten hours goes a lot faster when you've already decided how to spend them, and you don't lose the first hour scrolling the seatback menu.
I like this Sudoku book, which was compiled by humans, not machines!
8. Private transfer from the airport (unless the train is better)
The hour after a long flight is when travelers make their worst decisions. Wrong taxi line. Wrong currency. A twenty-minute standoff with a ride app. Many years ago, I narrowly missed being kidnapped at Beijing airport — I was in my 20s and it was my first time in China. I naively followed a taxi tout who approached me at baggage claim. (Honestly, thank you to the Chinese military officer who pulled me out of the cab as we were leaving the airport. In perfect English, he yelled “Just go! The taxi queue is over there!”)
Now, I book a private airport transfer almost everywhere. The exception is a city where the airport train is fast, clean, and drops you close to your hotel. I love the airport trains in Zurich, Munich, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Oslo.
For clients, I arrange vetted private drivers, so someone you can trust is waiting when you walk out.
9. Pay for VIP on arrival
Someone meets you as you step off the plane, walks you through immigration and customs on the fast track, and hands you to your driver. No lines after a ten-hour flight. You feel like a rockstar.
I book VIP arrival service at airports around the world, and the same on the way home: a fast track through security and a calm start to the trip back. What's included varies by airport. Landing somewhere long-haul soon? Let me set it up for you.
10. Electrolytes the minute I land
Planes are dry, and you're dehydrated before you notice. A packet goes in my carry-on and into a bottle of water before I clear passport control. Buy some now. I also make sure to travel with zinc lozenges and Vitamin-C tablets that dissolve in water.
11. Pay for full international cell service
Saving a few dollars on data is how you end up on a street corner holding your phone in the air, hunting for Wi-Fi. Maps, ride apps, messaging your driver, reaching me if something changes. All of it needs a signal. You’ve just spent thousands of dollars on your trip. Why are you trying to save $12 a day on your phone?
This could be your hotel room view in Sydney, Australia.
12. Book the room with the view
You've flown all this way. Book the room with the view!
The difference is often less than people think, and it's the thing you'll remember. Coffee on the balcony over the lake. The first look at the sea when you open the curtains. Why fly all the way to Sydney, Australia and not have a view of the harbor? Treat yourself.
One warning: "view" means different things at different hotels. Some partial views are a sliver of water past a rooftop. Knowing which rooms actually deliver is part of my job, and at Virtuoso hotels I request an upgrade on top of that whenever one is available.
13. Book an orientation tour on arrival day
Book all the excursions and experiences! But on arrival day, start with a short private tour with a knowledgeable guide. It doesn’t have to be a walking tour. It could be a museum tour or a bike tour or a food tour. Get to know where you are: key moments and key players in the city’s history, where you’ll want to come back to, and what makes people tick. It makes the rest of the trip so much more enjoyable. And your guide will usually give you restaurant recommendations too.
Last year, I did a city tour of Seville and I still think about our guide Hector. SO SO GOOD. Hector sent us to an incredible lunch afterwards. a local spot we wouldn’t have found on our own.
Honestly, I don’t have a lot of patience with travelers who say they’re “just going to walk around.” Good luck with that.
Private touring is my specialty. I match clients with guides I trust, build each tour around what they actually care about, and plan the rest of the itinerary from there. Tell me where you're headed and I'll find you the right guide.
14. Book a food tour within 24 hours of landing
Go on a food tour within 24 hours of landing in a city. It will help you!
Venice is the best example. It's a tough city for eating. Most people think they hate the food in Venice. That's because they don't understand it. (Venetians love sardines. I also enjoy sardines but I am not most people.)
And do multiple food tours — food differs from one place to the next. My food tour in Antwerp was entirely different than my food tour in Paris and my food tour in Munich. Plus, you usually get some history and culture thrown into the tour for good measure.
A good guide fixes this for you in an afternoon. You learn what to order, where locals actually eat, and which places to skip. Then you spend the rest of the trip eating well. I've been writing about food since 2004, so this is the part of planning I'm pickiest about.
15. Just be nice
Anthony Bourdain put it perfectly in a 2017 New York Times interview: "Just be nice. Getting angry and frustrated in much of the world doesn't help at all. It's incomprehensible, you lose face, it makes you look ridiculous."
Flights get delayed. Rooms aren't ready. Bags end up in Frankfurt. The traveler who stays calm and is kind to staff gets the rebooked seat, the upgrade, the table that "just opened up." The one yelling at the front desk gets nothing. (They also get a note in their file! Yes. It’s true. I once received a 15 paragraph email from a hotel about a client’s behavior.)
The rules are easy. The rest is my job.
Any of these takes five minutes to adopt. The hard part is the hundred small decisions around my tips and advice: which hotel will honor an early check-in, which airport train is worth it, which driver shows up on time at 6 a.m. That's the part I take off your plate, along with the private guides and custom itinerary once you're on the ground. Private touring and private transportation is my specialty. If you're starting to think about 2027, book a free 30-minute consultation and we'll map it out.
Got a rule I should add? Hit reply and tell me. I read every one.
Krista
About Krista
I’m a Virtuoso travel advisor based in Palm Beach, Florida. I attended the University of Notre Dame for undergrad and I have my MBA from the University of Chicago. Before building my travel business, I spent 20 years in the investment management industry and over a decade living and working in London, England. I’ve personally traveled to 80+ countries and now design thoughtful, highly customized trips for travelers who value expertise, access, and a seamless experience.
I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation for travelers considering a custom itinerary or luxury cruise. Book a complimentary vacation consultation here.
For travel inspiration and real-time updates, you can follow along on Instagram or connect with me on Facebook. I also share a curated list of travel products I genuinely use and recommend in my Amazon store.
What I Offer…
Custom itinerary design for complex, multi-stop trips
VIP hotel benefits through Virtuoso and preferred partner programs (including complimentary breakfast, hotel credits, and priority for upgrades where available)
Luxury ocean, river, and expedition cruises with added onboard credits
Vetted villa rentals with concierge services worldwide
Private guides, small-group touring, and unique local experiences
Private aviation and yacht charters through trusted partners
Airport transfers, VIP arrival and departure services, and full ground logistics
Travel protection and support when plans change
I work best with travelers who want expert planning, trusted partnerships, and someone in their corner from start to finish. That’s what I am best at! Ready to talk travel? Book a complimentary vacation consultation here.
