Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

Chris Guillebeau is traveling the world. He's determined to visit every country on the planet before his 35th birthday, which is in 4 years. He's over halfway to his goal, having visited 113 with 84 to go. As you can imagine, Chris has learned a lot as pursuing his goal, all of which he shares on his website The Art of Non-Conformity. In one of his many informative posts, he shares the 28 things he wished he'd have known before he started traveling. For all our benefit, here they are:

1. You CAN by safe legal drugs.
2. The best healthcare isn't in the US, Canada or UK.
3. Take along a lot of cash.
4. If you use a credit card, check your statement on-line often.
5. When exchanging money, keep your receipt.
6. Travel with a stash of Euros along with US dollars.
7. Hire taxis outside airports.
8. Never assume your taxi driver knows where he's going.
9. Agree on a taxi fare before you head out.
10. If you do have a dispute with a driver, offer to call the local police to let them settle it.
11. The police aren't always your friends.
12. Don't be pressured by people who say they want to help you.
13. Immigration issues vary from place to place.
14. All plane tickets are changeable.
15. Round-the-world tickets are the best bargains.
16. Most people flying business class aren't paying full fare.
17. Check out public transportation options; sometimes buses are better than trains, sometimes not.
18. 'Personal space' means different things in different countries.
19. Come to terms with other peoples cigarette smoke.
20. Never take photographs of people without asking first.
21. Never touch members of the opposite sex.
22. Don't point your feet at people or touch anyone on the head.
23. Be mindful of your hand gestures; they don't mean the same thing everywhere.
24. Never make promises you can't keep.
25. Don't be a colonialist.
26. Be prepared to represent your country.
27. Be prepared to point out that an individual's opinions aren't always the same as their government's.
28. Never say anything negative about the government of the country you are visiting. 

• Travel
• world-travel
• safety