International travel is definitely back in full swing so I wanted to share a few things I learned on the road. I just returned from serving psilocybin mushrooms in Jamaica at Atman Retreat. I’m using these new habits to be kinder on the locations that I visit. 

As always, local customs are local. These tips might not work everywhere. Tell me your favorite travel habit in the comments.

STAY AT A LOCALLY OWNED HOTEL

Your lodging bill is often the largest chunk of change you’ll drop in a new country. Make sure all your money stays local by choosing a place to stay that is owned by locals. It’s easy to skip all the places owned by Marriott but harder to tell who owns independent resorts. Many resorts are owned by foreigners and then run with local staff. Ask who the owners are and where they live before booking. Not only will you keep your money local but you’ll be sure that the owners are actually around if you have any issues.

DON’T USE AMERICAN WEBSITES TO BOOK YOUR HOTEL

Using websites like Hotels.com and AirBnB.com will divert up to third of your dollars from the local resort to the booking site. This is only making American companies richer while investing less in the the resort. This results in more web advertising and less quality properties for us. 

If you find a rate online that you like. You can almost always call the hotel directly or show up at the front desk with the rate pulled up on your phone. Show the manager and ask if they can match that rate. They will usually be thrilled to charge you directly instead of selling the room for a low rate AND having to give a chunk to the booking site. 

If you find a house that you love on AirBnB and VRBO, you can often do a web search to figure out how to contact the owner off the site. This is against the policies of those websites but I'm against their policy of f*cking up the real estate market for locals.

USE CASH INSTEAD OF CARDS

Every time that you use your credit card, the person accepting it looses about 3% of the sale to (usually American) credit card companies. Keep 100% of what you spend local by using cash instead of credit cards. 

ALWAYS TIP IN CASH

When you tip on a credit card receipt, your server may or may not receive that amount. Even if you pay for dinner with a credit card, tip in cash.

BRING LOTS OF SMALL BILLS

For tipping obviously ;)

ONLINE OPTIONS ARE LIMITED & OVER PRICED

Not every business outside America has their own website. If you want to book all your travel online, you will overpay in most countries. Many of the best rentals and activities don’t have websites. 

When I’m traveling in the off-season, I tend to not book anything in advance. When I’m traveling in peak season or areas without much tourism, I’ll book a few nights of lodging for when I arrive. 

CARRY A BLACK OR BLUE PEN WITH YOU

I’m used to everything being digital. I travel with purple pens because I love them. Custom agents do not love them. You’ll need a black or blue pen to fill out your customs forms. They will send you to the back of the line if you use purple pen. 

GET GOOD AT WHATSAPP

WhatsApp has become the defacto messaging app for tourist activities. If you’ve only used WhatsApp in America, it can take a little time to get good at the international country codes and creating new contacts. WhatsApp works on Wi-Fi or while roaming internationally. You can even put a local SIM card in your phone and still use your original number on WhatsApp for a while.  

BONUS TIP: REDUCE YOUR TRASH

Americans are famous for the amount of trash they generate in every day life. Most countries don’t have unlimited land to fill with trash like the United States. Especially on an island like Jamaica, trash is often burned. Burning plastics is one of the ways we release tons of cancer-causing chemicals into our air, water, and soil. 

• Reduce your use of single-use plastic by carrying your own water bottle and refilling it.

• Ask for the big bottle of water when you order.

• Refuse plastic straws at restaurants and bars.

• Eat in instead of taking out food in styrofoam.

• Order local beverages instead of picking water flown 4,000 miles.

• Clean up litter. Leave no trace of your visit.

LEAVE YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL TIP IN THE COMMENTS :)

See you out there! ❤️