I want to put a page of tips on every country, so any you have will be gratefully received and posted for everybody's benefit.

My first and to my mind most important tip is get a good book,
"Lonely Planet"
(I swear by Lonely Planet books) these are the best on the market. They have a book for virtually every country. They give prices for all ranges (shoestring is mine) :-) are stuffed full with good information and are usually kept up to date pretty well. They also have a small but very useful section on the language, I always try to learn a couple of words if only to ask for a beer, please and thank you, it helps the locals open up to you a little easier. I personally would NEVER go anywhere without my Lonely Planet book.

Getting there I always book just a flight (the cheapest I can find) in England we had what we call bucket shops, these were the places to get really cheap flights. There is nothing that will save you more money than phoning about for your flights. I have got some of my flights as much as 50% cheaper than the high street shops would sell them for. I never book a tour or hotel in my own country I have always found it it to be cheaper to do this at your destination. Some people worry about not getting a hotel when they land, I have never heard of anywhere being fully booked up there is always somewhere to stay. I usually get a hotel for my first night, it gives me time to sound out the cheaper places for the rest of my stay and it gives me a good rest after the journey.

Always take water purifying tablets, (I prefer iodine tablets, at first they taste funny, but after a while they are ok), even some European countries have terrible water.

Injections , always check what is needed and have them, it is far easier to prevent than cure, and usually a hell of a lot less painful :-) Sometimes the course of injections takes months, so allow yourself plenty of time for this. Always carry your up to date "International Vaccination Card", many countries will not admit you without proof of these, some will let you have the injections there and then but how many people have used the same needle is anyone's guess. Personally I would rather lose my foot than go to any hospital in any third world countries. But that is another story. :-)

Do not save your malaria tablets for another trip, what works in one country or even one part of a country, might not work in another due to the different strains of bacteria, check with your local doctor for up to date advice.

Another thing a lot of people do not know about, is that in any freshwater African lakes and rivers (they don't live in sea water, and the last I heard was ONLY Lake Malawi is largely free from this) there is a worm called "bilharzia". This parasite gets into any uncovered cuts and abrasions when you are swimming or even drinking the water, you will see especially in Nairobi, many people walking around with something hanging from their ankles or lower leg, this is the bilharzia worm. Look for blood in your urine or faeces that isn't associated with diarrhea, it is very painful and you should seek medical advice as soon as you suspect it.

Hostels and Youth Associations, I always stay at Hostels or Youth Association places if possible, apart from being cheap you usually meet fellow travelers who are also trying to cover as much as possible for as little as possible. These are the people to get your GOOD information off. The info you can get off these guys is the most up to date it is possible to get. I was a member of the YHA (Youth Hostels Association) back in England, I must say it saved me quite a bit of money on the different trips I took. If you can join a local one or something similar then join, you will save much more than your membership costs.

Student Cards, These are an absolute necessity if you can get your hands on one. The discounts and deals offered to students in many countries is fantastic, I was always jealous because I could not get one, I can assure you I did try :-)

Another good tip (I slipped up a few times doing this) when haggling for a better price, do NOT keep remembering how much it costs to stay the night or buy a meal, before haggling get an idea of the price you want to pay and go off that. It is so easy to lose a bargain because they would not come down another 5 cents or 5 "peanuts" whatever your currency. I have got home only to regret not offering 5 "peanuts" more and and coming home with what I wanted.

Jewelry It might seem a silly thing to say but I did it myself so I believe others might. Do not wear jewelry in the poorer countries, I was mugged in Dar-Es-Salaam through this. My eldest daughter had bought me a gold necklace for Xmas and as I was planning to stay away until after Xmas she gave it me early and asked me to wear it, so I did. I was waiting to get out of Dar-Es-Salaam (it took me four days to get a ticket to Killimanjaro) so I went for a stroll to a place called Kariakoo market, it was surrounded by the very narrow streets that are packed with houses (huts). In all fairness there was a warning posted about this place being a little dangerous but I thought what the hell it sounds like a good place, so I went. Oh my it was a good place :-) A guy came up behind me (I never heard him) and snatched the necklace and ran up a very narrow side street, at first I was going to chase him then I saw he was carrying a panang (machete) in his hand, so I thought the better of it and let it go. I must also say that incident spoiled the rest of my holiday, wherever I went I was always looking over my shoulder, I just could not shake it off.

Jetlag A good tip for getting over jetlag is:
On arrival, take your time getting to your hotel.
2/. After checking in, unpack a little, take a shower or bath, change clothes, open the shades and windows. Stretch and breathe.
3/. Do NOT sit on the bed
4/. Do NOT lie on the bed
5/. Do NOT have a short nap
6/. Go out and take a walk around your hotel, go to a museum, coffee shop, or take a 1/2-day tour, just do something.
7/. Have a light early dinner.
8/. Go to bed early, but not before 8 or 9 p.m. Don't stay up too late.
9/. NOW you can get a full night's sleep.
10/. The next morning you should wake up refreshed and adjusted to your new time zone.

Try our Good Deals page. We find lots of good travel related deals for you every month, you can also subscribe to it and have it e-mailed to you.

Finally I cannot emphasize enough, before you go anywhere, Check the Warnings Page and, buy a book and read ALL about your destination, there are some fantastic places that not a lot of people know about, but usually LONELY PLANET do!!.

Here are some very useful tips for the female travelers
Here are some very good tips for Parents with children

These are some general tips
Cold Climate | Hot Climate | High Altitude | Miscellaneous

These are some money related tips
| Odd Tips | Cheap Travel |

This is a good site for free things to see & do. The only comprehensive internet guide to thousands of free things to see and do throughout Europe and the USA
| FreeToDo Travel Guides |

These are some sources of good useful travel tips
Airports | Health Hints | Backpacker.net | Round-the-World | Globiwalk.com