Travel Lessons From Armenia Nercessian de Oliviera

Dan Philips How has your job changed the way you travel? When I travel with my family, I fly in coach, but for business, I fly first class and stay in nice hotels—and to pack, I just throw in armloads of stuff. If I miss something, I run to the Gap or Banana Republic. How much do you plan your trips in advance? I often plan at the last minute. Once, we wanted to go to Tasmania for a family vacation, but no cheap hotels or airfares were available. So we went to Melbourne instead at the last minute. What's the one thing you won't leave home without? You'll forget everything once, including your passport. You think to yourself I'll never travel without underwear, but then you forget it, and you get by. You just go shopping. I'm sure I've spent at least a couple grand over the years on the stuff I've forgotten to pack. What do you wear on the plane? If I have a meeting, I'll wear business clothing. If I'm traveling overseas, I'll change into pajamas on the plane. On overnight flights, I'll bring slippers. I have this fantasy that if you dress nicer on planes they treat you better, but I haven't found that to be true. We're all cattle. What do you bring with you on the plane? I have a set routine of what I bring with me on planes for short, long, and overseas flights. It includes slippers, pajamas, noise canceling Bose headphones, an iPod, work, reading material, and computer cords. I wish Bose would adapt its noise-canceling headphones so you could sleep with them on, because they're really uncomfortable when you're lying down. How do you deal with jet lag? I rarely sleep more than four hours anywhere I am. My biological clock is permanently broken. If I can sleep for 20 minutes on a bus or a train, I'll do that. How do you find non-touristy spots? I usually do a little networking with business colleagues. When I discovered Russell's Pizza [in Willunga, Australia], for instance, I went with a local wine writer and an owner of a specialty food store. If you see a farmers market or you see a small cheese store, just stop and look. Hotel concierges will send you to the places that pay them, and that's how you know where not to go. How much of your travel is on your own? Do you have any solo travel tips? Eating in a restaurant alone is one of the great pleasures of life, but one that is often forgotten or actually avoided like a social embarrassment. Don't be intimidated. I love to sit at counters. Often the restaurant is able to serve dinner at the bar, but you have to ask if they'll do it. Then you can chat with the bartender, or not. I always find I'm very creative when I dine alone. That's when I get a lot of my best writing ideas. How do you keep in touch with others while traveling? I recently set up Skype and iChat and bought computers with video cameras so I can see my kids when I'm away. I also e-mail and telephone. Cell phones are international. What sorts of tourist etiquette tips have you picked up? It makes a difference if you're really nice to the flight attendants on the airplane. They will be nicer if you establish an immediate relationship. And tip big! If you give someone a twenty and say, "Take care of me," they will. It's not a lot, and they'll remember you and jump next time you come and help you out of your cab. Read on to see Armenia Nercessian de Oliviera's top tips >

Britt Karlsson How has your job changed the way you travel? I started out just writing about wine, but now with the tours, it's a totally different activity. I spend all my time planning itineraries and making close contacts with the wine growers. How much do you plan your trips in advance? I book the hotels about seven or eight months in advance. That's the most critical thing. Sometimes you go to a town and there's only one hotel. What are some packing tips you've picked up? Don't pack too much. For a wine tour, you need to have comfortable shoes because you always walk in vineyards. You also stand a lot in cellars, which are cool, so you'll need a jacket. And you shouldn't wear white clothes. It's hopeless. Either wear nice-looking jeans and a blazer, or pants and a blazer. The French are very relaxed about their clothes, even in nicer restaurants. Ties are more rare than people think. How do you deal with jet lag? I usually sleep for a few hours on the plane. I am careful about when I schedule my flights. To go to South America, there's a flight from Paris at 11 p.m. If you can sleep for seven hours, you're fine when you get to your destination. How do you get your bearings when you arrive at a destination? Try to get hold of good maps. People love to look at maps, but they don't buy them. I always buy maps. Sometimes people are traveling by car and they don't even have maps. Never trust GPS. If the GPS breaks down, you're lost. I love a French brand called IGN, or Institut Geographique Nationale. Michelin maps are OK, too. And get a guidebook. You miss a lot of historical facts if you don't have one. How do you find non-touristy spots? If we meet local people—who are often involved in wine—we ask them. How do you approach local cuisine? I don't eat street food that often. I don't eat between meals, so when I eat, I sit. How much of your travel is for yourself? The only pleasure travel I have time for is to go to Sweden and see my family. If you have your own company, you're never really on vacation. How do you record and take notes on your trip? I have a favorite notebook in which I write everything about wine and food. It's a small, black Moleskine. I have it in front of me right now. How do you keep in touch with others while traveling? I use e-mail and telephone. My French cell phone works. It's a cell phone plan that allows you to go through Europe on a fixed rate. What sorts of tourist etiquette tips have you picked up? Be polite. Don't be too loud. Respect people. It's common sense. If you're on a wine tour, you should always learn how to spit. Spitting is polite. Read on to see Dan Philips's top tips >

Rick Steves How has your job changed the way you travel? I do what ever is necessary at whatever cost to maximize the value of my time, like hiring taxis and local guides. What's the one thing you won't leave home without? My laptop and Ambien. What do you wear on the plane? I wear a sweater and I bring my noise-reduction headphones. I'd rather fly coach with noise-reduction headphones than business class without them. How do you deal with jet lag? I leave home well rested and then use a quarter tab of Ambien when I wake too early, to finish the first night's sleep. What's the first thing you do to get your bearings when you first arrive somewhere? Read my guidebook chapter on the place. How do you find non-touristy spots? I love talking with locals about their favorites. How do you approach local cuisine? Places near markets, places without English menus, and places with fast turnover are good signs. Doner kebabs are my new fast, cheap, lunch option with a nice refreshing glass of ayran [a Turkish yogurt drink]. What sorts of things have you learned to do when traveling solo? I use my evenings to check restaurants, and eat a late dinner in my favorite restaurant find of the night. Then I go home and input into my laptop what I learned that day. How do you record and take notes on your trip while traveling? I love my Moleskine notebooks. Like a lint brush, I collect scraps of news, tips, and new ideas and then design them into existing or new chapters as I work on my laptop. How do you keep in touch with others while traveling? I deal with my e-mail nearly every night, but only once a day. I haven't sent a postcard for ages. What sorts of tourist etiquette tips have you picked up? I don't worry about what kind of flowers to bring and how to cross my legs. I am just genuinely respectful, curious, and positive with the people I encounter on the road. Read on to see Britt Karlsson's top tips >

Philippe de Vienne How has your job changed the way you travel? We've made friends with people [from?] all over the place, so now very often we stay with them. If we're going to a place where we don't know anyone, we usually reserve a hotel for the first two nights and then play it by ear. Through spices, people have a way of introducing themselves to you—you're at the market, and the next thing you know you're visiting the farm. How much do you plan your trips in advance? If we're heading to multiple countries in one trip, we plan the rough outline, such as we'll be reaching southern India at such a date and leaving at such a date, and book the airfare. That part gets very expensive if you go at the spur of the moment. But local plans are never set. You get a better price when you're on the ground. What are some packing tips you've picked up? I always take a first-aid kit and duct tape. It's amazing what you can do with duct tape—it's the stuff that holds the universe together. I've made a clothesline, fixed bathing suits, and even patched a ripped suitcase. But don't put it in your carry-on luggage, or else they'll likely take it away from you. And I pack a pocketknife—in my checked baggage. I bring a bottle of good Scotch for when I find myself in a lousy hotel. What do you wear on the plane? I wear clothing that's as loose as possible, especially when I'm on a 36-hour flight to Indonesia. I bring a toothbrush, and I bring an extra shirt and pair of socks to change into midway. After 24 hours, to change your underwear feels like a real luxury. How do you deal with jet lag? Sleep on the plane. The key is to get on the local schedule right away. Tough it up and drink a lot of coffee or tea and hang in there. Then, when it's nighttime there, pull out the Scotch, have a triple, and go to bed. What's the first thing you do when you arrive at a destination? Get to your hotel, adjust to the time zone, and then hit the market. The real news in the country is really the market. In North America, it's the mall. How do you approach local cuisine? If people can make a living on a street corner selling food for 20 cents for a day, it's got to be good. They've got to have hundreds of customers a day. How do you take notes on your trip? I carry a notepad in my pocket and a digital camera. My wife often carries a diary. What are some of the travel tips you've learned? Buy something that you may or may not need. When you buy from people, they're always more talkative. That three dollars you spend is your ticket to a 15-minute conversation about what there is to do. People just want to tell you about themselves and their country. Listen to them, and never ask a leading question. Take a taxi driver's name and number in case you need him the next day. What sorts of tourist etiquette tips have you picked up? Learn 30 basic words of any language. Hello, goodbye, thank you, please. You should know those words. All travel books have a do's and don'ts page. Read it! And learn how to say sorry. You're a foreigner. They'll forgive you. Read on to see Rick Steves's top tips >