April Fools’ Day is coming up and that got us thinking about travel experiences that have left us feeling foolish or ones we promised we’d learn from for next time.

Whether almost missing our flight or not booking a popular activity well in advance, we’ve learned a lot about traveling over the decade we’ve been doing it together.

So you don’t end up looking like a fool next time you’re planning some travel, we thought it’d be fun to share some of our favorite foolproof travel tips so you don’t make the same mistakes as us!

Triple-check your passport’s expiration date

Check the expiration date on your passport well in advance of an international trip. Passports have to be valid for six months after your trip, which honestly what’s the point then of having an expiration date… but those are the rules.

I do think it’s in case you get stuck somewhere your passport will still get you home if you’re facing delays. Now a six-month delay is a big one, but do make sure your passport is more than valid before you drive to the airport.

Make copies of everything

When we travel internationally I print out copies of everything: Photocopies of our passports, our itinerary, hotel information, airline tickets, transfer information, pretty much whatever I might need should I lose my phone or something happens to it. You never know when a paper copy can come in handy.

I also do keep a digital copy of everything as well. We have photos of our passports, all the travel info we need, and credit card information, especially the phone numbers of the credit card company and our banks so we can call if we lose a card.

Prepare to stand in line for quite some time

This is one that got us recently and we almost missed our flight because of it. We were coming home from Spain and connecting through JFK and somehow we fell into a timewarp and two hours flew by as we waited to get through immigration.

Then we had to pull a McAllister family as we ran through the airport to get to our gate. We just made it but we learned that day that it’s always better to have time to kill at an airport rather than cut it super close.

Prebook activities and tickets

Many attractions are moving to timed entries and only have a limited number of tickets per day. If you have your heart set on seeing something, secure your tickets in advance and online. Most of the activities we did in Spain let us put our tickets in our Apple Wallet which made it super easy.

Plus, some places offer discounts when you buy online and ahead of time. What a win-win.

Look up cash customs and tipping culture

We’ve been fortunate that some friends have helped us learn this travel tip. Before we went to Iceland we were told they were very credit card friendly and our friends who had been said they didn’t even get cash. Which was our experience as well.

But then we had the opposite experience in Japan that is a very cash heavy culture and we needed to hit an ATM a few times to get more cash. Look up what to expect when paying for things and tipping while dining out before you go as you can often get a better exchange rate from your bank than a currency exchange at an airport.

Pack light 

I had to wear a tank top, a t-shirt, a sweater, and a sweatshirt on a flight home from Europe as I had not taken my own advice and packed light. And like hell I was leaving any souvenirs behind.

Packing light has so many benefits! You can carry your suitcase right on and off the plane so you don’t have to wait for it to spin around on the luggage carousel at baggage claim, then you don’t have to lug a heavy bag around town before getting to your hotel, and you have room for souvenirs!

No one is going to notice or care if you rewear the same outfit. If you really find yourself in a bind then you have a great reason to go shopping and take home a new item of clothing that has a story behind it.

Keep some items on you

I always keep a spare set off clothes in my personal item just in case we do check a bag. I also make sure to keep my medications on me, chargers, and some snacks and water.

I’d also say it’s always a good idea to have a travel first aid kit in your bag that includes pain relievers, pepto or antacids, tweezers, scissors, and bandaids.

Learn a few phrases 

You’re not expected to be fluent in every language but having a few key phrases memorized can go a long way in getting help from the locals when you need it. If you’re able to at least greet people, say thanks, and ask a few basic questions before switching to your native tongue, it’ll show that you care enough to make an effort and immerse yourself in the culture.

Use your perks and points

When we have time to kill at the airport we are looking for a lounge through our airline credit card or though Priority Pass. We are not going to let this perk slip through our fingers when our fingers could be snagging some snacks or wrapped around a glass of wine.

We also make sure to check if our points can cover flights or hotels or severely offset the costs before booking any travel. It’d be foolish to not use our benefits to our advantage!

Take the first flight of the day

If possible and you’re willing to be an early bird, opt for the first flight of the day as it’s less likely to have any delays or major issues. Especially if you’re connecting. One delay can really throw off all of your other travel plans.

We also tend to check a travel destination’s weather history around the time we think we’re going to travel. We’ve been caught in some serious storms in Texas that delayed our flights which delayed our arrival in Jamaica and we lost like half a day. Now we see if weather tends to be a problem before flying around that same time.

Prep your home while you’re gone

Knock on every piece of wood that we’ve never had a problem with this but we know of people who have: Water pipe bursts.

We make sure to do a thorough clean of our house before we travel so we don’t come home to a disaster zone. We’ll also shut off our water and schedule a mail hold so we don’t have packages sitting outside our house telling people we’re not home.

Learn to laugh about it all 

Lastly, learn to be flexible, embrace the crazy adventures that come with travel, and just try to have fun.

When we came home for our honeymoon we were impacted by storms in Dallas (seriously, what’s up with Texas and our bad luck?). We would not be flying home to Denver and had to stay in a hotel. Then our Uber dropped us off at the wrong hotel. And we walked as it was only a few blocks away. Then it started raining.

It was not funny at the time but now we laugh about it when we tell people about that experience. Find the good in any situation and remember that one way or another you will get to your destination and you will get home. It will work itself out so you might as well try to have a good time.

What lessons have you learned from travel? Share yours in the comments below!