Pink’s Travel Tips — Intro
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #1
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #2
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #3
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #4
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #5
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #6
Pink’s Travel Tips — Tip #7

32 Responses to “Pink’s Travel Tip #8: 1 Thing You Should Never Do”

  1. Pixie Stevenson says:

    OMG! TV is one of the reasons I don’t like traveling with my husband. It goes on the minute he’s in the room and stays on every minute he’s in the room!

    Throwing the remote is priceless!

    I’ve not only wanted to throw the remote but I’ve also fantasized about putting the fire ax through the TV set.

  2. Avatar photo Dan Pink says:

    @Annalie –Thanks. And interesting point about the TV watching. While I’ve (mostly) eliminated the television vice on the road, I still haven’t shaken the email addiction. Notice that “Check your email” wasn’t one of the three alternatives!

  3. Minh Nguyen says:

    I take a lesson from the first “Die Hard” movie. First thing I do in the hotel is take off my shoes and make little fists with my toes. Damned if that doesn’t just feel awesome. Next thing I do is iron my shirts, as I never carry a garment bag. There’s a zen relaxation thing going on when it’s just you, the wrinkles, and the soft hissing sound of steam.

  4. Whew. So glad that upon arriving here at the Grand Hyatt Singapore at 2 a.m. and instead of turning on the TV, I turned you on. You don’t count as TV, do you?

  5. Matt Blair says:

    Well said, Dan!

    A ‘pop evolutionary psychology’ thought: I wonder if the instinct to turn on the TV in a hotel room isn’t the modern mind reacting to habits our nomadic ancestors developed when making camp. Pick a nice spot and start a fire for light and warmth.

    A suggested adaptation to avoid those pesky charges: ask the front desk to store the remote in a safety deposit box for the duration of your stay!

  6. Christopher Sweeney says:

    This has been a great series and tip #8 is great for business and family travel. (Plus, I love your sense of humor.) My six year old son already has learned to turn on the tv when first walking into the hotel room. I hadn’t thought about the brain mush factor, but it’s true. Now we get out or read. Safe travels!

  7. Dave says:

    I’m like Pixie’s husband (comment #2). But the first station I turn to is the news, preferably local. So perhaps I do it to get up to speed with the world after being trapped in the ‘travel bubble’ for the better part of a day. Moreover, I want to know what’s going on in my new locale.

    I admit I’m grasping though, because that doesn’t explain why it goes on whenever I’m in my room throughout my trip. And the first comment provides a solid theory, but I do it when I have company on a trip, too.

  8. Eric says:

    So true. I carry a simple Indian shawl in my suitcase. Toss it over the TV and place a picture of my family in front of it on the dresser. Now, it looks lovely and reminds me of something I love rather than loathe.

  9. Bryan says:

    I find the TV indispensable when trying to get to sleep. I have trouble sleeping in hotels. Need your advice there!

  10. jeremy says:

    Priceless! The best tip to date. Love the remote throwing…that’s made to stick. well done.

  11. Jason says:

    This is great /life/ advice too.

  12. Cassyt says:

    Looking back at your tips on staying healthy while traveling, I’m wondering how many hands have touched that remote in the last week. I can’t imagine that they are ever cleaned!

  13. Avatar photo Dan Pink says:

    @cassyt — Ick. Good point. Glad I’ve got my Purell.

    @eric — Brilliant strategy. Love it.

    @bryan — Try vigorous exercise 4 or 5 hours before bed time. Some people swear by a warm bath and a glass of milk an hour beforehand. If you want to try harder stuff, pop some melatonin. As it happens, I’m a champion sleeper. I can sleep anywhere anytime. In fact, I’m getting drowsy right nowwwwww…….

  14. Jake says:

    Love #8. My favorite thing to do in a new town, given that it’s not in a warzone, is get a map and go for a walk or a run around the neighborhood. (I got really, really, scared-to-death lost in Teipei one time, which is why I recommend the map part.) If it’s late at night, though, let’s be realistic…a Seinfeld rerun is awfully tempting to fall asleep to.

  15. Pat says:

    Could you print the name of the stuff you push up your nostrils? I couldn’t hear it clearly. For many years now I have used a similar technique, smearing the nostrils with an oil (a base oil) to which I have added drops of the following oils: tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus and bergamot. Same effect.

  16. Avatar photo Dan Pink says:

    @pat — It’s Bacitracin…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacitracin

  17. I just came to the same conclusion having spent several hours (ok, all said, maybe days) watching CNN International or Portuguese Soap Operas. How much news can I possibly consume? And, I hate soap operas and I don’t speak Portuguese. What am I thinking? No more TV while in the Algarve! Period! It is now unplugged for the rest of the month. I hope I can maintain my new habit once back in the states.

  18. Dan – Love your travel tips series – all so true!
    Re TV, though… I’ve got a little different take.

    First, re Rodney’s comment on Portuguese soap operas – I LOVE international TV. Traveling in Japan, Portugal, Italy or anywhere – it’s a great place for a marketer and language-lover like myself to get a feel for the culture, the advertising, the hot topics, etc. The best was in Sweden, where a lot of US shows are broadcast with subtitles – a great way to pick up a little Swedish while you’re there!

    Second – I LOVE movies. My idea of a relaxing evening is room service (or, in New York, bringing in take-out) while watching one of the new movies on demand. A treat!

  19. Doug Miller says:

    And in the spirit of breaking bad habits… hide the remote. Put as many barriers between you and the bad habit as possible while removing barriers between you and good habits.

    Translated into actions:
    1) put the remote in a drawer or in the bathroom under a towel.
    2) keep the cabinet closed where the tv is located.
    3) place a good book on the night stand.
    4) pack your exercise clothes last so they are right on top when you unpack.

    And for those of you that need to turbo charge your barriers:
    1) Unplug the TV from the wall.
    2) call your loved one and tell them that you will not turn on the TV – or that you will call them before you do… (Then instruct them to talk you down off the ledge if you do end up calling.)

  20. laanba says:

    I did it! I’m back from a trip to Chicago and it was my first chance to put this advice into action. I wasn’t so sure I would make it because I’m a television addict, but it was easier than I thought. My trip was purely for tourist reasons and I wanted to maximize every minute of my short stay there. Not having the TV on really helped because I was much more efficient in my hotel room in the mornings and evenings.

    I do think this will be hard for some people. I have many friends that absolutely can not be alone with their thoughts. For me, an only child, I grew up having to entertain myself and spent lots of time by myself. I think some people have a hard time with this and the TV acts as another person in the room.

    Thanks so much for this post! I’m going to challenge my friends to do it.

  21. laanba says:

    Oh.. I wanted to add that the one thing I had that made this easier was the Weather Channel iPhone app for my phone. I think the weather is the one reason why I might turn the TV on and of course that is a slippery slope. That app had all the information I needed so it made it much easier to stay away from the TV.

  22. Mazyoyo says:

    Great tips thanks,,

  23. Dan,
    Good tips. Thanks for you sweet email. I’ve blogged today at the Boomer Muse about Drive and a book, a road warrior like you would love called Lunatic Express.
    Happy trails…

  24. Nebulos says:

    I wish i’d seen these tips before :/

  25. DarkoV says:

    Love tip#8…with one corollary.
    When you leave the room at night, turn your tv set on. Gives the room an occupied sense while it’s unoccupied.

  26. Nils Davis says:

    Get a Tivo at home. Once you watch TV like that, watching TV the old fashioned way – like in a hotel room – just doesn’t work anymore.

  27. adora says:

    Not when you travel to a foreign country! You haven’t experienced Japan unless you’ve watch few hours of TV show. You might also see ads for food that you might want to try. Like some fish cakes pizza at Pizza Hut or Shrimp Burger at McDonald’s in Japan.

    • Avatar photo Dan Pink says:

      Actually, that’s a good point, Adora. Japanese TV is a wonder to behold — as is TV most places outside the United States. (But a half-hour should suffice!)

  28. Kathleen says:

    If you can locate them, I do like locally produced travel stations that showcase local people, local events, chefs, and stuff to see when you’re there.

    Otherwise hitting the streets is great. Get your bearings and figure out what places you might want to check out later if they aren’t open at that time. Take some instagrams…