People who count how many countries they’ve been to are the worst, I know. But after a decade of travel writing, I’ve lost my passport for the first time, which has me in a reflective mood about the wild adventure I’ve had.

I’ve swum between tectonic plates in Iceland, flown over Victoria Falls in a microlight, and ziplined through the clouds of a cloud rainforest in Costa Rica.

I’ve visited 59 countries – some at least annually (I could possibly get from Dublin to London Gatwick with my eyes shut); others for just hours (it was a whirlwind, Panama). Along the way, I’ve collected a rake of tips, tricks and learnings like fridge magnets. Here are 59 of my most-used – and, needless to say, “don’t lose your passport” trumps them all.

1. Bring a pillowcase: they don’t take up much room, and can come in handy in many ways: use it over a hotel’s pillowcase for extra hygiene. Shove in clothes for a makeshift pillow while in transit. Or use it as a bag to store dirty laundry.

2. Play “check-in chicken”: it’s stressful to wait until close to flying time to check in, but if you’re letting the airline gods choose your seats, waiting until everyone else has been assigned their seat is how you can get the aisle, window or premium options for free.

3. Airline loyalty schemes are only for business flyers. Flying economy, you don’t gain much from airline points, and now, loyalty schemes are even less generous. So spend the points on everyday perks rather than flights.

4. Aisle seats on day flights (to get up freely). Window seats on night flights (to lean on while sleeping).

5. Travel intentionally.