Travel Tip 132
3 travel habits for the New Year
Happy New Year! As we all vow to be healthier, happier, better people in 2026, setting goals and intentions for better habits, take a moment to think about your travel habits.
I was going to give you a top ten, but we already have so many things to do starting out a new year that I distilled them down to three for you. I’ll save the others for later.
Here’s my top 3 travel habits for 2026!
1. Always check docs well before the trip
Now is a good time to check if your passport or other ID expire in 2026, or even early 2027. Get these renewed well before any trip. If you changed your name in 2025, read my tips on how to travel after a name change.
2. Make a checklist for prepping your home
Some homes and pets are easier to leave than others. Take the time now to make a checklist of things to do if you’re going to be gone for a weekend or if you’ll be gone for longer. It’s not just pets, consider deliveries, plants and home security. Include names and numbers of people who can help, like housesittersand save the checklist in a safe place. The rush of leaving for a trip isn’t the right time to make the list. Here’s more tips for how to prep your home for a trip.
3. Empty your luggage
Think of it as spring cleaning for your suitcase. Start the year as you should start every trip: with an empty suitcase. The easiest way to get something confiscated at the airport security (or to get in real trouble) is with things you didn’t even know were in your bag. Save your favorite swiss army knife from being confiscated and save yourself fines, by starting every trip with empty luggage.
New Blog: The Truth About Moray
One of my goals for 2026 is to doublecheck everything I write with experts before it’s published. I first visited Moray, in the Sacred Valley, in 2013 and didn’t question what I was told about it until last week when I visited with a geologist and an archeologist. It turns out everything I was told (and everything I’d written up to now) was totally wrong. If you visited Moray and were told that it was the Inca’s greenhouse or agricultural laboratory, that theory has been disproven.
