43 Travel Tips that I know at 43 that I wish I knew at 23

[@Justin-xd3ic]

#3 Getting Hotel near City Center. I had the SAME reaction when I first started traveling. "OHH ILL JUST BOOK THE HOTEL THAT IS 50-75% CHEAPER!" Ohh how wrong I have been. Once you start factoring in time and transportation, you start look at those city center hotels and think ," you know, maybe those hotels were such a bad deal after all". I swear, learning this and putting more research into hotels has really elevated my vacationing. I would say there are few exceptions to this rule. 1) The Hotel provides a free and convenient shuttle service. 2) The Hotel is conveniently located near public transit (that isn't currently striking lol) 3) Even with transportation/time, your still getting an amazing deal.

[@YellowProductions]

Great points on those exceptions 😀

[@aaronA23]

best travel channel by far

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks AaronA23!

[@margsangster8994]

Hooray! Finally, someone who has verbalised the value and importance of staying in the centre of where you want to be!! I have a number of friends who boast about some cheap deals they found at some out of the way accommodation on the outskirts of their destination. They don’t realise not only the additional cost involved in having to pay for transport in and out of the place each day, but also the wasted time involved. Plus, the BIGGEST drawback for me is that they miss out on the ambience and vibe of being able to just walk out your front door and you’re right there in the action and can also drop back into your accommodation during your day if you want to grab an extra coat or drop off some shopping! So handy! Cheers from Australia

[@Anon1mous]

Problem with early bird flights is that hotels don’t allow check in until til 3-4PM so unless it’s a long flight time, you’ll get there too early and hope they can watch your luggage until check in time. Otherwise you’ll be lugging them around or just hanging out at the hotel until then. Yes I prefer nonstop too. I’ve missed a few connections and it’s the worst. I also just hate rushing to the next gate too because sometimes the time is sometimes very short. I’ve seen the difference as quick as 30 minutes which is just not really possible with deboarding so I don’t know why it’s even offered.

[@YellowProductions]

Indeed... I definitely don't enjoy early bird arrivals :)

[@pi17835]

#2: The nearest Airport is 30 min from my apartment, but comes with only a few direct connections (especially if I’m going further away), airport with best flight connections is 2.5h away; I’d rather have a connection than a long way to the airport - connection problems are airline problems (they have to help me (hotel over night, new fight, etc)), problems on the way to the airport are my problem. Bonus: extra flight segment for my frequent traveler status.

[@pi17835]

#37: I tend to over-plan… not one goal, not a checklist with 4 things, but one or two 10-stop walking tours in google maps per day 😅

[@heyimgeorgeuk]

1. You are so right!! My 06:15 flight the plane door closed 30 mins before departure!! We took off early too! But my other 3 flights leaving later all were late

[@jimmyjames6492]

Quality luggage + loyalty programs are things I wish I knew at a much younger age as well. Thanks for the great tips + video!

[@YellowProductions]

Agreed! Thanks Jimmy!

[@jamesk1391]

Chris, keep up the good work. Love seeing your channel grow. Your travel tips are not only insightful, but positively impactful to the lives of others. It was from your Andaz Wailea review (~7 years ago) that my brother and his girlfriend at that time decided to vacation there. They loved it so much that they eventually had their wedding ceremony there. Thanks, Chris!

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks so much James! Awesome to hear that my Andaz Wailea tip led to some really good things for your bro :)

[@lori-xo9kf]

Thanks for the informative and entertaining videos!

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks so much for your support Lori!

[@wontondestructxn]

Regarding #3, we went to LA about a decade ago, I know everything is spread out, so my cheap-ass thought staying in Rancho Cucamonga wouldn't be so bad. HUGE mistake! I must have drove over a 1000 miles around the LA area, during our week long trip. One tip I didn't hear you mention, was I wished I would have focussed my all my spend on a point travel credit card. So many monthly bills I paid from my bank account where I didn't earn any points. Finally, for those that don't have access to the lounge in Changi Airport, their food court in the departure hall is very good and inexpensive. On par or better than the Food Republics in their shopping malls.

[@YellowProductions]

Oooh yeah... Rancho Cucamonga is so far from anything in LA. Great point about point travel credit cards!

[@patrickgallagher213]

Chris you have some very funny comments. Made me laugh and smile! LOL

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Patrick 😀

[@EllaMyBunnyValentine]

“The room vibrates” gave me a serious case of the giggles. Made my day! Btw, we’re planning a trip to SNG & you’ve become my fave expert. Thank you!

[@YellowProductions]

Awesome Ella!

[@MrSuaveBrake]

Just to amend on the gate changing topic, Definitely be sure to sign up for either text notifications or have the app for the airline you are flying. I had a layover in DFW, they ended up changing my gate three times, and one of them was in one of the other terminals. I had some fun riding the sky train carousel lol

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks for that tip!

[@Christoph52]

Some of these I for sure learned the hard way 😅 I'm so over connecting flights. Vancouver airport is so bad for booking connecting flights way too close to the time your first flight lands, and there's just NO way you're picking up your luggage, making through the long ass customs line, then across the ENTIRE length of the airport (domestics is at the opposite end from international) then onto your next flight

[@myutoob2011]

We had a room at Hyatt Place that the a/c wouldn't shut off. We were freezing during the summer. 2 different guys checked it over 3 days. Then the Mgr offered points for the inconvenience. I had to chase him for 3 weeks to get the points that turned out to be enough for only 1/2 a night.

[@YellowProductions]

Brrr

[@EloiseMaki]

Thanks!

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks so much Eloise!!!

[@Molecular_Cloud]

I enjoyed this video. I watched the archive, however the end of it felt a bit like watching a Japanese game show, I had no idea what was going on.

[@YellowProductions]

Hah. Yeah.. the KZbin gods had forsaken me at the end with endless buffering

[@gs7585]

Air Tag your luggage, check-ins and carry on’s too.

[@patrickgallagher213]

That applies when you have a conference and need to be in the hotel so you dont miss out on all the things goin on very convenient and tons of time saving issues.....

[@Belgarathe]

As of last summer, eSIM are convenient but not all airport has them available. Also it appears the regular SIM card gave better rate and more time than eSIM. There is some nice advantages that you had discussed about ability to swap but also that with eSIM you can get them ahead of time before flying to your destination. Very handy to have your phone ready to call a car to pick you up from the airport.

[@pi17835]

#32: and pick clothes with zip-pockets, so that you don’t have to worry about things falling out. (Although I added a (not #33-conform) little crossbody bag for the stuff that’s usually in my pockets; not sure what I’ll settle on)

[@renewells1880]

WAW! I really agree with your advice. Singapore Airlines first class lounge in Singapore is really excellent, the world standard to beat. I bought my metallic Rimowa (the largest available) about 20 years ago (in Germany too). It was a good investment, although prices for Rimowas have increased a lot. If there is something technically wrong with you room upon checking (e.g. AC does not work) but can be fixed, phone housekeeping and explain precisely what is wrong, and ask for a quick fix. DO NOT ask front desk or concierge for a fix that involves maintenance because by doing so you are asking front desk or concierge to ask housekeeping to do something and you will not get a quick fix. Phone the hotel a few days ahead to confirm everything including preferences is excellent recommendation, and it is OK during check-in to gently quiz front desk to make sure that everything is as agreed. And it is more than OK to go back to front desk to ask for a room change if there is something you do not like, and it is way easier to get a room change early in the day than at 11 pm.

[@YellowProductions]

Glad to hear your Rimowa is still going strong 20 years later!

[@dionisia5755]

Good advice...Yes, japan is a good place to travel good food clean ,very safe

[@vyho195]

Flight attendant here, you’re correct! :) Morning flights are the best options imo, it’s may not be fun to wake up so early and sit at the airport. Your flights are most likely to be on time and not affected by the previous flights of the same aircraft. That’s why I like to work morning flights as well, I get done on time and even early!! :D

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks vyho for backing up the morning flights data point!

[@YellowProductions]

😀 WHEN'S THE NEXT LIVE STREAM? Sign-up for e-mail notifications of future scheduled live streams here: update.yellow-productions.com

[@Belgarathe]

Agree about asking hotel staff for info. Found a cheap place that was so good in Rome that I would never have found myself(it was in alley)

[@YellowProductions]

Awesome!

[@andreeadobre3190]

I find my anonymous black Samsonite is always easy to recognise cause it's the only one with no customisation, stickers, ribbons etc :)))

[@cjcab3158]

I agree about taking early flights. Usually always take the first one out if available. I also agree with the philosophy on direct flights however, my wife doesnt handle long haul flights well (anxiety/leg pain) so I usually try to purposefully book connecting flights on any flights longer than 7 hours to give her a chance to strecth her legs and get a brief rest on the ground. We are based out of Los Angeles so last year i booked LAX to ORD to FCO. The return was CDG to EWR to LAX. A pro tip I would recommend is to look into arilines that have feee stop over programs. These arilines give you a free stopover of up to 4 nights in their home base hub. An example of this is flying Japan Airlines to Bangkok Thailiand. Instead of flying LAX to BKK for a price of 1300 round-trip Japan airlines will let you go LAX to Tokyo (3 night stop over) then BKK for the same price as the direct flight. Good way to see a new city or country for free basically.

[@YellowProductions]

Great tip on free stopovers

[@garthrondeau8198]

Great episode. I am loving your amazing advice. Keep up the good work as you were like a great wine and just getting better with time.

[@YellowProductions]

Aww. Thanks Garth

[@emmitbrown5631]

Lolol... I'm 43 too! Heck yea!

[@YellowProductions]

It's a good age :)

[@jameshiga8077]

Hi Chris. So many things on the list that I could have used when I was younger. I love the Earn and Burn theory. I tried to book it with my miles only to find out that it had gone up. Thanks for sharing and take care.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks James!

[@alexwallace6120]

Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge about travel. You have a zest and zeal, you always bring knowledge and fun.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks so much Alex!

[@stargazer5073]

Great job Chris

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Stargazer!

[@patrickgallagher213]

Especially abt the customer service situations......

[@Jupiterfunk]

Thanks for all the great tips Chris. I appreciate all the helpful advice. Keep up the good work.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Jupiter! Will do!

[@yrevilla1]

Chris, is there ever a time when traveling that you would choose an AirBnb over a hotel chain? Thanks and I love your videos

[@YellowProductions]

I'd probably only consider an AirBNB if I was going to stay some place for a month or more

[@Cris-qg4jw]

Such great tips! I really enjoyed this video.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Cris!

[@Katie.Nickolai]

I love all of ur videos, been watching for years BUT talking about luggage, there is NO WAY I could ever bring myself to buy $1,500 suitcases.....And luckily for me, I bought a cheap one on sale from Bon Ton about 12yrs ago for $65 and it's still wheeling just fine through the airports 😅

[@YellowProductions]

Hi Katie -- I don't blame you.. we bought the Rimowas for $400 each in Germany -- yes it's a bit more than $65 but it's not $1,500 😀

[@dlsjr123]

I bought my suitcase from Walmart for $50 in 2006. It's still in near perfect condition and it's gotten me through a lot.

[@OG_Rider]

Any advice what to do on the long flight to Vegas?

[@Anakalia13]

im laughing bc im going to japan next year and my husband keeps telling me im going to starve lmao we also go to hawaii 2 times a year and vegas so these videos are super helpful

[@YellowProductions]

Awesome! Plenty of food in Japan!

[@soitsmelaura]

I’ve heard of people using balloons to keep the a/c on … but that’s a great hack

[@YellowProductions]

That's an interesting one :)

[@patrickgallagher213]

Staying at the center of town when you have a conference to attend at the hotel where conference is located at

[@jonathanfactor6688]

Great advice thanks

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Jonathan!

[@ralphacton]

Great tips Chris. Speaking of esims, can you still keep your phone number and allow texts? We need our bank to be able to text us security codes.

[@YellowProductions]

Hi Ralph.. hmm... the international esim will have a different phone number... you'd have to switch back to you use your regular sim to get the text... which you absolutely could do

[@slloo7692]

Discovered this recently in the esim instruction. In my android phone you can choose your preferred SIM for calls, Messages or Mobile data. So I can still choose my home SIM for Messages and the esim for mobile data.

[@think.culture]

Motel 6 is a self defense situation

[@YellowProductions]

It sure is!

[@yrevilla1]

😂😂😂😂

[@hockey1freak]

contemplating making my kids stay at Motel 6 one night jus to experience what we did as kids... spoiled bastards =)

[@amyhook8605]

The travel lodge is just as bad 😢😂❤

[@pi17835]

#24: you should give Sixt a try - small in that US, big in Europe (and my former employer, so I much be partial)😄 Not sure how they are in the US, but in Germany they like to make funny/provocative ads(i.e. online ads in which they make the boss of the train union „employee of the month“, the day after he starts a train strike). Also, for what it’s worth, the ex CEO likes to say something along the lines of “the real boss of our company is our customer“

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks for the suggestion on Sixt !

[@dlsjr123]

I used them because they were the only debit card friendly rental place. They even upgraded me for really cheap. I'll only use them from now on.

[@stargazer5073]

Love ANA AIRLINES ❤

[@YellowProductions]

Me too!

[@thetravelingfoodies]

Other than asking for a quiet room , what other preferences can one ask for?

[@YellowProductions]

Some options: High floor.. low floor... near the elevator.. connecting room / non connecting room

[@jkimmie7488]

What?! You get better deals on the McDonalds app?!?! Downloading now! I don’t like McD but my kids do.

[@YellowProductions]

Sure do!

[@sandyseibelhager7131]

I won’t check my bags unless they make me. My luggage was lost ( i wear an odd size too) and husbands ssonsite hard case (graduation present from grandparents) was broken by baggage attendants)

[@YellowProductions]

Doh

[@Bluboy30]

Yeah, I don't get some people who can afford to travel while they're young but they want to wait till they're retired to travel. I've been fortunate enough to travel since my teens and have seen older people, I'm talking about people who looks to be in their late 60s or older here, who didn't look like they're having fun while walking through the airports or sitting long hours on airplanes. If you're young and can afford to travel, do it now. We don't know what will happen in 20, 30 or 40 years from now.

[@jimmyjames6492]

💯💯💯

[@amyhook8605]

Pipe cleaners are on mine😂

[@jimd2343]

How much money do you spend per month on all those different drinks. They all look expensive.

[@Belgarathe]

What your opinion on travel agents?

[@YellowProductions]

Nothing against them. But I personally like to plan every last detail on my own

[@czavalag]

A note about tip #18 for: never ever withdraw money at Mexico City Airport (specially the currency exchange window, but also avoid going to the ATM). Pay for your taxi with your credit card, and withdraw pesos at an ATM in a safe location (inside a shopping mall for example). There are gangs of robbers that target tourists at the airport, they will follow their taxi on motorcycle and rob them at a stoplight. It's sad but that's Mex. City's reality 😢.

[@YellowProductions]

Ooof... thanks for that warning

[@knownonsense2015]

Kombucha tastes like fruit juice + soda + vinegar

[@josephbuckley4902]

We have go go years, slow go years and no go years. Use the points now

[@pi17835]

#7: don’t go to Japan (it’s getting crowded and I’d like to enjoy it with as few tourists as possible - because it’s indeed great😅)

[@stargazer5073]

GOOGLE translate in Japan is helpful.

[@pi17835]

#30: and check the flight number. For some reason, there were two Lufthansa flights from Stockholm to Munich within a surprisingly narrow time window and after I saw one flight („yeah, 12:something (or so, rather early), that’s me“), I just went to the Gate… unfortunately, I was booked on the slightly earlier one. And because I didn’t feel like lining up with all the people that formed a line long before boarding, I found out to late, when scanning the ticket obviously didn’t work. 🫤 Was an early travel mistake, but still too stupid to be made anyway 😑