Do you have travel rules? It’s an interesting question, made even more interesting when talked about with a group of friends. That’s a conversation I recently enjoyed with a bunch of folks who all have different travel styles, and ranged from very frequent travelers to maybe two-big-trips-a-year travelers. It’s clear everyone has their own rhythms for travel.
Do you have travel rules in place?
Let’s eavesdrop on that conversation and you can compare or contrast your own rules. It was fascinating that travel rules can be conscious or unconsciousness so much so that until conversations happen, you don’t even know they are in place.
Why Having Travel Rules Makes Traveling Easier
Maybe the place to start is to ask what decisions are made easier by having travel rules in place. For example, these rules can help you decide which hotels are worth it, how much to tip, or how to avoid the usual touristy stuff that everyone else does. The rules can be about what to do and just as easily what NOT to do.
Here are five areas of helpful rules the group came up with for making travel decisions.
Five Travel Rules to Consider
Rule #1: Four nights minimum
Some folks will travel for a night or two. One friend decided that 4 nights is his minimum. This gives him time to slow down and enjoy wherever he goes.
I’m more inclined to base my length of stay on distance I’ve traveled. In general though, I do think it’s of value to know yourself and how long it takes for you to feel like your travel purposes have been met.
Rule #2: Business class for flights over 4 hours
I get that this kind of travel rule takes money or miles and points. Many can afford it, like business class for longer trips, and value having a rule like this in place. It removes having to decide when the opportunity for business class travel comes up.
Especially if you fly a lot, this can be a useful rule to have in place.
Rule #3: Start with a city, end with a resort
Over the years I’ve given my itineraries more thought than I previously had. And it’s helped make my travels more successful. Many friends agreed with me, especially when you’re mixing in different types of destinations or multiple countries.
Mixing in both cities and resorts in one trip? That usually means starting with where there are lots of activities. Pretty hectic schedule. Following that with a beautiful resort allows for both reflecting and slowing down. Even following a big city with a smaller one (instead of a resort) creates a slower pace.
One friend shared that she couples this rule with her spending. She’ll cut back her spending on hotels in cities, since she’s out most of the day. Her opinion is that city hotels aren’t especially exceptional and for the most part she just needs them to be functional.
However, for her resort stays she’ll splurge!
Rule #4: Leave a $20 tip per night for housekeeping
The topic of tipping and tipping housekeeping in particular can lead to some intense discussions 🙂 One couple I know has a rule in place for their minimum tip for housekeeping. It’s $20/night.
Picking a set amount is easy.
It could be $20/night, $10/night, whatever. It’s a meaningful intentional choice on your part and it alleviates decision making. And again, it’s this couple’s minimum amount so sometimes they might tip more.
Building generosity into our travel rules takes some thinking and clarifying values. It’s often a good idea to have some kind of rules in place as to tipping because the when, the who, and the how much all need consideration.
Rule #5: Add 50% to the hotel sticker price to get the true rate
I thought this rule was an interesting one because I had never considered it until a friend brought it up.
For example, if he sees a hotel room that costs $300/night, he calculates the actual price at $450/night. That’s because there always seem to be what he calls phantom costs. These might include taxes (which if we examine closely are usually quite high), dining and drinks, and any other miscellaneous fees such as spa costs, etc.
Phantom costs really add up.
This can help you get a realistic picture of your spending. No fun being negatively surprised by travel spending.
Pro Tip: Do you Pruvo all your hotels stays? If not, do what I do and let Pruvo monitor your reservations for price drops. It’s free and it’s the easiest way to save money on all your hotel rooms.
Final Thoughts on Travel Rules
Remember, these are some of the travel rules that my friends and I talked about. Are some of them broken from time to time? Of course! But having these guardrails in place really does take away some of the stress of traveling.
One other aspect of travel rules we talked about was how our rules change over time. They also change with circumstantial changes. One friend’s rules all had to be scratched once he had kids! Rules in your 20s aren’t likely to be the same rules you’ll have in your 40’s or 60’s.
What I think is most valuable is that as travelers we become intentional about the things that are important to us, and ultimately develop our own personal point of view.
Have you created your own travel rules? Care to share some of them?
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