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If you want to get work done while you’re away, it’s crucial to start the day with your work rather than save the work for later.

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The hotel staff are nicer and more generous towards you when you travel alone, too, and that may or may not be because you’re more polite to staff when you’re a solo traveler.

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When planning the perfect vacation, it’s not just about where you go – it’s about when you go.

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“Excuse me,” I said to the flight attendant. “The guy next to me, do you know where he went?” I extended my finger towards my seat, the row of which still remained empty. Just then, the plane started to shake, and the “seatbelt sign” illuminated, accompanied with a small yet terror-inducing ding.

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Travel is full of risk. And at times, you’ll feel inadequate, you’ll get lost, you’ll wonder why you put yourself in this situation to begin with. So let the guilt go– it’s not serving you. Feel what you’re feeling.

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So often it seems we are worried about how immigration might erode our communities. This experience left me imagining what a greater, international community has the potential to be like.

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Coming from the Philippines, I have what the world considers a “3rd world” passport. Every time I pass through immigration, I spend that extra five to ten minutes having to explain how I can afford to travel and how I managed to get my visa.

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If you’re like I used to be, packing light seems like an oxymoron. Every time you walk by your open suitcase you throw something else in.

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The cheapest ticket is not always the best option.

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I’m no travel guru, but here’s what I learned from three weeks across the pond.