Itchy feet
Your best buddy at home may not be the ideal travelling companion - you're going to be together all day every day for a long time. Before committing to going, try a long weekend away together to see if you're compatible.
Getting ready
When your bags do go into limbo you'll be much happier if you've got a change of underwear, a toothbrush and a clean shirt in your hand luggage. Bags are rarely lost forever but they often go astray when you have tight connections or transfers.
Upgrades, perks and tricks of the trade
You are extremely unlikely to get an upgrade these days. You're more likely to get one if you dress smartly, ask politely and join the airline's frequent-flyer scheme. If you're genuinely on honeymoon or it's your birthday (or both), you could try that too. But don't expect one - airline staff have heard it all before, probably from the people ahead of you in the queue!
On the road
Roll your clothes instead of folding them when you're packing. Fewer creases and more space!
Essential kit
The sarong. I've used it as a bag, a curtain and a sunshade. I've worn it as a skirt (long or short), a scarf, a shawl and I've swum in it. Sometimes it's a towel, sometimes it's a blanket. I could even tear it into strips and use it as a bandage if I ever needed to. This is the one thing I take wherever I'm going.
Money matters
Need money badly and none of the ATMs are accepting your credit card or bank card from back home? Go to the local casino. They make sure that anyone who wants to get at their hard-earned money can do so, no matter where they bank!
Getting around
If it looks like you are going to get mobbed, ripped off or simply spooked by taxi touts as you leave the arrivals hall of the airport, walk around to the departures area and nab a taxi that someone has just arrived in. The atmosphere will be calmer and the driver more amenable to negotiation as he will be glad of a quick turnaround.
Close the cultural gap
Wherever you go, you'll meet travellers who'll tell you how great this beach or that village was 10 years ago. The quicker you learn to ignore these people, the better trip you'll have. After all, they're still there!
Solo travel
When travelling alone to a sun-drenched spot, always make sure that you carry a spray version of sunscreen. The spray will cover all those hard-to-reach spots on your back and is easy to apply yourself.
Shopping
If you're spending serious money, or setting your heart on something, check what paperwork, licences or taxes are needed. The last thing you want is to turn up at the airport with the buddha of your dreams only to be told you haven't got the right permit and have to leave it behind.
Food
Get enough to share - hungry kids in your train compartment can make you feel very guilty about snacking away on your own.
Nightlife
The hip crowd will often flit from bar to bar so don't get too comfortable in one place if you want to follow the beautiful people. Your great find at midnight might be closing up while everything's moved to the little place down the road you mistook for a library earlier.
Staying safe
If you're going drinking, map out the general area and which buses, subways or streets you'll need to take to make it back. Put this piece of paper somewhere you won't lose it. This makes stumbling home much easier.
Watch out!
If you believed all you read, you'd think that every backpacking destination was loaded with thieves, touts and scammers, just itching to relieve you of your backpack, camera or innocence. It just isn't so. If you can survive the big city you flew out of, I guarantee you can survive the big city you're flying into. Use your common sense but don't let it become a blinker for new experiences.
Family travel
There are very few places you can go in the world where kids aren't loved and where yours won't be treated like royalty. Travelling as a family will open doors to parts of society you'd never see as a couple.
Health
Check the seal on bottled water. It's not unheard of to find tap water where you're not expecting it.
Keeping in touch
Remember, the cheapest internet access is often the slowest.
Capturing the moment
Consider leaving a camera at home. How much energy and stress have we wasted on getting the right photograph that invariably ends up too dark or bleached? Friends and family back home are never as interested in our trips as we'd like them to be. Take a sketch-pad instead.
Coming home
If you're feeling homesick to the point where you're making everyone around you miserable, don't be scared to go home. You're meant to be broadening your horizons and having the time of your life. If you're hating every minute it may just not be for you.
Never thought of that!
Travelling through hottest Africa and want a cold beer?
1. Put a can in your wet sock.
2. Tie it to the tree.
3. Drink cold beer.
The wind (even if it's gentle) will surprisingly make the beer get cooler.
Win the book
We have 30 copies of Travellers' Tips to give away to readers - simply email a tip to travel.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk and we'll print the best ones here. The book, published by Lonely Planet, is currently on sale at £3.99.
· Lonely Planet are also compiling a survey of travellers' habits and views - if you're interested in contributing, visit www.lonelyplanet.com/survey.
