Best travel advice and tips you have received?

What are some of the best pieces of travel advice and tips you have received? Sure, most people have gotten tips from friends and strangers on what to pack and what to do in a certain location but which have been extremely helpful/useful to you and that you would recommend to other people?Best travel advice and tips you have received?
try to blend with the locals. example learn a few phrases in the language, dress similarly and respect local customs.





Locals are much much more willing to help and be nice if foreigners make even the tiniest effort to speak the language same for local customs you don't want to be the ones taking pictures and stomping all over burial grounds with out realizing where you are or that taking pictures is considered very bad.





I have been to every Continent and find these 'tips' come in very helpful and are pretty universal. I discovered y tips growing up outside the USA and one could pick out a foreign er a mile away without them even speaking, their inappropriate behaviors (the burial grounds example) made it clear they were making no effort and had no idea what they were visiting.Best travel advice and tips you have received?
smile and talk to everyone





act like you are a guest in someone house (country)





obey local customs ( find out what they are!)





keep copies of all important documents


a paper copy in more than one bag


an Internet available copy on a web site or your email folder





copy some of the tiny maps from your guide book and then enlarge them on a full page. Then you can see them and be able to pull them out on the street without the whole guide book.





Try to dress like a local. You do not want to stand out as a tourist. It attracts the thieves.





Keep you important cards, money and papers under your cloths. Do not walk around with a camera strapped around your neck.





Sorry, I could go on and on. Also, have fun. No need to stress with security and what to bring along.





Most of these tips I have read about or someone told me. I have tried them and they work.