Traveling can be a lot of fun, but it’s also stressful. We’ve all been there- the flight is delayed, you don’t have any clean clothes with you or you’re not sure what to do when your dinner plans are canceled for some unforeseen reason.
Do you have a bucket list of destinations that you want to visit? Want to save time, money and stress while traveling? You are not alone. The travel industry is booming with people who want to explore the world but don’t know how. This blog post will provide 15 tips from an experienced traveler on how to make your travels enjoyable, safe and affordable!
Pack Light
Packing light saves time in lines at airports and on the plane. It also keeps you from having to lug heavy luggage all over town while sightseeing (you’ll be walking more than enough already). Most importantly, packing light avoids baggage fees which can add up quickly if your trip is several weeks long or involves multiple flights. One of my favorite tricks for minimizing what I pack? I wear bulky items that take up space during the flight so they don’t have to go into a suitcase when we land including boots with a lot of room inside them, sweaters that double as pillows without being stuffed down completely, etc.
Do Your Research
Traveling with a plan, even if it’s vague, is much more relaxing than winging it — you’ll avoid wasting time in places that are crowded or not worth your visit. And do research on culture norms before you go to make sure you’re dressed appropriately and don’t accidentally insult someone who doesn’t mean any harm by his comments (for example), which can be awkward later when the situation isn’t easily resolved.
Don’t Forget To Pack Snacks!
When I’m traveling long distances alone by plane/train/bus without stops along the way for meals, this means I have to pack my own snacks so no one else has to feed me. That might sound weird for some people, but I actually love it. It’s my chance to bring along the kinds of snacks that are healthy or indulgent depending on what kind of mood I’m in and there is nothing better than being able to munch while watching a movie without worrying about bothering anyone with food smells during their meal.
Avoid The Rush
Unless you have an actual reason to be somewhere at a certain time (a wedding reception right after work? A business meeting?), try not set your schedule so tightly around others’ schedules unless absolutely necessary. That includes flights/trains/buses as well, which all tend to run behind schedule anyway even if they’re supposed to arrive early. If you can’t avoid rush hour traffic between two destinations, at least try to leave earlier so you have a little bit of wiggle room in case something goes wrong.
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help
It’s hard for some people especially men like me who are more introverted than extroverted (and also don’t really want strangers to think we’re helpless or stupid). But if there is an official looking person around and/or someone speaks English well enough that they would be able to help us even with our limited language skills, why not ask? This can save loads of time when searching the internet seems hopeless because everything says different things. There is no shame in asking for directions out loud instead of peering down your phone screen trying desperately to decipher what Google Maps has to say.
Seek Out The Locals
Sometimes I think the best travel experiences are those we never expected and these can be found by seeking out locals who know their city/country better than anyone else, even if they aren’t official tour guides or anything like that. Ask them about little known spots for great food or shopping (or both!). Or ask them where you should go instead of wandering aimlessly around a tourist area without any real plan in mind other than checking off some big landmarks on your list so you feel “cultured.” They might have some surprising suggestions based on what’s important to them personally rather than just trying to please visitors looking for popular places everyone knows about already.
Pack Light
I’ve been guilty of this one before, but it’s definitely not a good idea to pack too much for your trip. It might seem necessary at first because you think you can’t live without all your favorite things from home until the uncomfortable feeling of lugging around way more than you need kicks in and suddenly trumps any possible comfort level brought on by wearing extra cozy layers or carrying special mementos with you wherever you go.
Make Sure You Get Enough Sleep
This will be tough if there is lots going on during your travel days (which may well be), but take time out every day to get some rest even if that means heading back to the room early instead of staying up to party with other people you meet while traveling. Try not to forget your body is on a different schedule than where it’s used to being, and it needs time alone without distractions from the outside world for at least eight hours each night.
Stay In Touch With The Important People Back Home
I can’t tell you how many times in my life when something has gone wrong that no one else could see coming usually because of some unforeseen circumstance or change in plans but I’ve been all by myself somewhere far away from home wondering what to do next until someone back there finally answers my call/text asking if they might know what went down. Of course this isn’t always possible (for example, during an emergency), but just try to keep in touch with at least one person on a regular basis while traveling so they know where you are and that you’re okay.
Don’t Stay At A Hotel If You Can Avoid It
Sometimes it makes sense, especially if flying is involved (and thus the best option for getting there may be staying close to an airport or train station), but otherwise I would strongly advise giving hostels/shared rooms/budget hotels a shot instead of paying more than $100 per night when it’s not necessary. Even if your wallet doesn’t feel like this is possible based on what money has been allocated for your trip, push back against yourself because chances are good doing so will make all kinds of other things better about the experience (e.g., the quality of food you eat, amount of time spent exploring new places, etc.).
Find A “Local Hangout” To Chill Out At
Traveling isn’t all about running around to see everything possible in a short amount of time, and sometimes it’s nice to just relax for an hour or two without constantly walking/biking/busing somewhere. If you’re lucky enough that there are locations like this nearby the areas you’ll be exploring during your trip (e.g., cafes, bars), find out where they are ahead of time so if the need arises while on the road you can head back easily instead of feeling stressed because you’ve already run through every other place available close by and no one wants to go too far from their current location.
Have An Emergency Contacts Card On
If you don’t, and something goes wrong while traveling (e.g., you lose your wallet/passport), it can be very tough to get back on track without any mentionable credit cards or enough cash with which to do so. I’ve found that most places will accept a photocopy of my passport instead for this reason, but even if they don’t the idea is still there have an ID card available upon demand in case someone has lost their own belongings and needs yours as backup!
Don’t Waste Time On A Bad Location
Even though some cities are more expensive overall than others when it comes time to choose where you’ll stay during your trip, not all of them offer good value at every price point. For example, even though Paris is an expensive place to visit I’ve found that the more affordable options in the city lack a lot of important amenities (and thus aren’t worth their high prices), whereas other places like London tend to be better value for money no matter how much you spend because everything has been made as nice as possible for guests.
Keep A Daily Budget & Stick To It
If this isn’t something you’re used to doing at home and working on every day, it will ruin any chance of your trip being enjoyable if you constantly feel guilty about spending too much or making mistakes with exchange rates/conversions without having had time to prepare beforehand by keeping track of where all money goes each day. This may sound difficult at first, but it becomes easier over time and is something that everyone who travels should work on building into their routine (and thus eventually having a hard time imagining what life would be like if they didn’t do so).
Be Careful With Food
Even though you may be willing to try new things when traveling (e.g., street food), it’s possible that you’ll get sick if the quality isn’t what you expected and pick up something like salmonella or other problems from consuming too much of a bad thing in one sitting. It’s generally better to eat smaller meals at more locations than stuffing yourself with unhealthy options all day long, and while this might seem boring initially having time off your feet can make for an even more rewarding experience!