Solotravel tips

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

Get to the park early, by at least thirty minutes, and that does not include time to park. The earlier you get to the park, the closer to the front of the admissions line you will be and the quicker you will get in to start your day, ahead of the crowds. Take advantage of the first couple hours after the park opens to ride some of the busier attractions. Like hinted at before, this does not include parking, and you should save yourself additional time to find a parking spot and get to the entrance of the park.

Pick the Perfect Day(s) to Go

Just like any other amusement park, there are days when Universal Hollywood Studios is almost guaranteed to be completely packed with people. There are a few different sites you can use to check out which days are the best. Of course, it is understandable that there are times when you and your group can only go on certain days. As a general rule, some of the busiest times are the first week of the year, MLK Jr Day, Spring break, pretty much all of the summer, and the week of Christmas. Hipster Power Tip: If you want to see special holiday attractions, you can still see them, but maybe avoid going the week of the actual holiday.

Buy Tickets in Advance

While it is always an option to show up the theme park day of and buy admissions right there, this is not your best bet for a couple of reasons. First of all, you will end up spending more money on your actual ticket price. Purchasing your Universal Studios Hollywood ticket online you will allow you to find the top-notch deals to help you get your tickets at the best price possible. If you wait to buy your ticket at the park gates, then it is very rare that you will not pay full price. This is one of the Universal Studios Hollywood tips you’ll want completed before your trip. Secondly, you will waste time. If you buy your tickets at the park, you are just giving yourself one more line to stand in instead of trying the food, watching shows, and riding rides. Watch: My Full First Time Visit to Universal Studios Hollywood HERE!

Look both ways before crossing the street (Seriously).

I had a friend tell me about a time he was on a business trip with a few other colleagues. They were American and doing business in the UK. One colleague went to cross the street, and being American, looked to the left to see if any cars were coming, out of habit. As soon as he stepped into the street, a bus came from the right and killed him. He forgot which side they drove on.Develop a habit of looking both ways before crossing the street no matter where you are, and it might just save you an injury.

Pick up a business card from the hotel/hostel you're staying at.

This is your "return to start" token in a foreign city, where you may not speak the language. Pretty much any card will at a minimum have the address in the local language, and probably English too. Get lost, phone died? Hand a taxi driver, tuk tuk, etc. the card, and you won't have to say a word.My favorite: had a few too many drinks and want nothing more than to pass out on a halfway decent bed? Again, no trying to articulate Thai words with an alcohol induced slur, just pull out the card.Anyway, hopefully that's useful!

If you're ever in Split, Croatia, make sure you go to Vidilica for a drink

Resign Yourself to Spending More Money Than You'd Like To Before Boarding the Airplane. That Way You Can Relax & Enjoy Yourself Instead of Penny Pinching.

No matter what your ideal budget is, allow for a 20% overage to cover unforeseen expenses, changes in your plans and most importantly, fun shit you didn't realize existed or that costs more than you'd hoped.I'm not saying to throw all caution to the wind and put yourself into massive debt...I'm saying to use your budget as a guideline and not a hard-and-fast rule that prevents you from getting the most out of your trip.If you're going to skip out on beers at the pub, don't do it in Barcelona, wait until you get back home.You're much better off to come home a little fucked financially so that you've got to hunker down and pay off your credit card than you are leaving experiences on the table.My 2 cents, at least.

Jetstar offers price beat and 10% reduction for flights in South East Asia and Australia.

If you're planning on traveling in South East Asia or Australia, then Jetstar's price beat feature can save you quite a lot of money. If you find a flight that's cheaper and leaves within the same hour, Jetstar will not only match that price but also take 10% off. They might even add free luggage if you're lucky. Jetstar itself is a budget airline but you're always going to find a Lion Air flight that's much cheaper. This just saved us heaps of money for flights from Singapore to Jakarta, so I wanted to spread the word :)

Get a Charles Schwab debit card.

I'm currently in Europe and lost my Charles Schwab debit card. I contacted them immedialtey after I lost it. They shipped another the next day. Took about 5 days for it to get here. All you have to do is pay $15 for expedited shipping. Also, they reimburse for international ATM fees. They have great customer service too.