I’ve been traveling quite a bit recently. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that over the past year or so, I’ve visited Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Egypt, New Zealand, Tunisia, a bunch of U.S. cities, and the Caribbean islands. I’m loving every minute of it, and I’m lucky to have been able to take the trips. I’m heading out for Mexico City in a few weeks and will hopefully stumble across some inspiration and ideas I can send your way.

As I’ve been traveling, I’ve come up with a list of tips that have made my trips easier and more enjoyable. Today, I’ll pass them along to you so you’ll have them in mind as you prepare for your upcoming vacation.

1. Stop waiting in the immigration line. Ever had to wait in line for an hour when you re-enter the United States? How about the line at immigration when you enter Australia? If you’re an American, your waiting is over when you enroll in Global Entry. It’s a U.S. government program that gets you through the process at a kiosk. Entering the United States involves inserting your passport into the kiosk and placing your fingers on an electronic scanner. The machine prints out a pass, and you’re on your way (there’s a similar process for Americans entering Australia). Global Entry also comes in handy when you’re heading through security. TSA is rapidly expanding its new Quick-Screen program, allowing passengers to move through security without taking off their shoes, belt, etc. Global Entry gets you into Quick-Screen automatically.

2. Carry a carry-on. I haven’t checked a bag since I went hard-core on the travel. It saves me time waiting in baggage claim and eliminates the risk of losing my bag. Of course, everyone else is trying to avoid checking a bag as well, so the overhead bins are crowded. Space can be an issue on domestic flights, but it’s less of a problem on international flights, which usually have larger overhead bins. For the domestic flights, the key is to use a bag without wheels. Even when the flight attendants claim the bins are full and require a gate check for the remaining bags, they’ll often let you squeeze in your wheel-free bag since it can fit in spaces where wheeled bags just can’t go. I’m having great luck with the Aeronaut bag from Tom Bihn.

3. Wear some tight socks. Compression socks keep your feet from swelling on long flights and supposedly help prevent deep-vein thrombosis. They work, and they’re not at all uncomfortable. I’m using a sock from 2XU, and my feet are exactly the same at the end of a 14-hour flight as they are at the start.

4. Medicate your way to sleep. Some folks can’t sleep on flights and require drugs. I sleep pretty easily, but taking a couple of Benadryl a short while into the flight really puts me into a zombie state. You might need to get a prescription for something stronger. Whatever you use, if anything, should be tested before you fly. Getting a good night’s sleep, especially in economy class, is tough, but it makes your first day at your destination far more valuable and pleasant.

5. Get a deal on your room. We’ve now used Airbnb more than 10 times to find and rent an apartment. This service matches those with rooms and apartments to rent up with visitors. It’s dramatically less expensive than a hotel, and it puts you in a neighborhood rather than a hotel/tourist area. We rented a Manhattan apartment for a week for about $1,000 and had the whole place to ourselves last fall. We really felt like New Yorkers when we bopped out in the mornings right in the middle of a terrific part of SoHo. I’ve used Airbnb in other cities as well and done the single-room thing on occasion. Airbnb has the added advantage of connecting you with locals so you get the inside scoop on restaurants and things to see. Many places come with a clothes washer, making it easier to pack light. Be sure to determine the availability of Wi-Fi if you’re going to stay in touch with the office.

6. Unlock your cell phone. Let’s face it; you’re going to want to check in with the office. E-mail and Skype will mostly get the job done. You can likely use your smartphone in much of the world, but you’re going to pay a hefty surcharge for every minute of talking and even more for data. In Tunisia, the data on Verizon costs a few thousand dollars per gigabyte. The solution is to purchase a local SIM card along with prepaid voice, text, and data. Unfortunately, Verizon claims its phones are unlocked when what it really means is that they’re unlocked for voice and text but not data. Be sure you understand what you’re really able to do with your phone before you go. In some instances, it makes sense to buy a new phone or an extra phone just for use on the trip. Rentals are also a possibility.

7. Find the best flight deals. ITA Software (owned by Google) doesn’t sell plane tickets. However, it does show you the best prices and the least expensive days to fly. Its Matrix Airfare Search can show you the fares for particular destinations for a month at a time. This is the best place to start your search for a deal. Enter your departure city, destination, and trip length, and you’ll get a calendar showing you the days to use as you search for your flights.

8. Go platinum. The American Express Platinum cards come with a range of benefits in exchange for a $400 annual fee. They pay for your Global Entry application ($100). They also give you a $200 airline credit, which you can use on airline gift cards, baggage fees, etc., and they give you access to some airport lounges. It’s the lounges that help you stay profitable while you travel. The card gets you into US Airways clubs, Delta clubs, and American Air lounges, plus it gets you something called a Priority Club card, which gets you into hundreds of other airport clubs. The card paid for itself when I took a long, hot shower right after landing at LAX after a long flight from Sydney. The hot coffee and free breakfast didn’t hurt either.

9. Avoid foreign transaction fees. Get an ATM card and a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. The Charles Schwab Bank checking account comes with an ATM card that reimburses the fees incurred for using other banks’ ATMs, and there’s no surcharge for the currency conversion. The account is free and pretty easy to set up. Chase has quite a few credit cards with no foreign transaction fees—some credit cards charge a fixed percentage of every transaction. Some of the Chase cards also come equipped with the new chip and PIN cards required of many train kiosks and other credit card machines in much of the world.

10. Use airline and hotel points. I’m a big fan of The Points Guy, who blogs on the latest ways to get and use points. Following his advice has netted me 19 free hotel room nights (in expensive places like Sydney, Washington, New York, and Chicago), three free tickets to Rome and Paris, plus six free domestic tickets, and I haven’t used half of the points I’ve earned. There are dozens of bloggers covering the points game, but this guy is among the best. There’s no reason to pay for hotel rooms and flights if you can easily get them for free.

Those are my best tips for you right now. I’ll keep traveling for the rest of this year and see what else I can learn and pass along to you. I’m committed to your best interests, and if I have to keep traveling all year in order to help, then I’m willing to sacrifice myself for the cause. Hopefully, I’ll see you on the road.