When you are traveling you need to take care of a number of things to ensure that your travel is sound and safe.
In your initial few trips, you may land up making lots of mistakes but as you travel more, you will gain experience which will help you make better travel choices.
Below are some of the travel tips which will come handy to help make you a savvy traveler and have a great trip:
#1. Start your day early
When you are travelling, you want to make the most of your trip and do not want to waste time sleeping till late in the morning.
Getting up early will lead you to start your exploration of the place earlier and will help you do more, see more and cover more ground.
#2. Hotel opposite your favorite spot
A sure shot way of getting a feel of the place and soaking in the locale’s highlights is a hotel room overseeing the key attraction of the place.
Eg. If you’re in Switzerland, what better way to keep the Alps memories with you than to have your hotel window directly overseeing them.
#3. Research well
Put on your researcher’s hat and do a thorough read of the place to know it inside out.
Instead of just which place to visit, your itinerary must cover what you will be doing each day, places you will be visiting, where you can eat, shop etc.
Don’t just go by the popular guides, but deep dive into each location to know the possibilities, as your tastes might be different from what the regular crowd seeks.
#4. Go offbeat
Instead of just covering a place’s known destinations, get out the explorer in you and keep some time to cover off beat locations and hidden gems which may be a little away from the main town.
There are many places to which you can plan a day trip and cover scenic locales which may otherwise not be listed in the city’s guides.
#5. Experiment with local food
Try out the local cuisine of the area where you are, to gain a new experience and feel the culture of the place.
Instead of only going to high end restaurants, ask around as to which are the ones that serve authentic local cuisine and head out to them, provided they meet the minimum hygiene standards.
#6. Don't shop for things you won't use
Carrying souvenirs from a place is a done practice, but if you’re buying it just because everybody else does, it is not a good idea.
Eg. If you’re buying a local item as home decor but know that it will not fit in with the rest of your home’s decor, skip it.
If you still want to go ahead with such souvenir’s, create a special wall in your room where you can put up souvenir’s of all the places you have travelled to as a memory as well as a decor idea.
#7. Take multiple copies of travel documents:
Have 2-4 copies of your passport and other travel documents and keep them in different places, where they can be accessed if needed.
Leave one copy with a friend or family member from whom you can get it easily.
#8. Learn few words of the local language
It will help if you can speak few words of the native language like hello, thank you, please, sorry, good bye.
The locals will appreciate that you put in effort to learn and speak their language.
#9. Go for long walks
One of the good ways of exploring a place, is to take long walks around the area.
Alternatives could also be cycling, biking or taking pony rides (if possible), as your car might not be able to reach a lot of scenic locations like lakes and glaciers.
It is also a good idea to go hiking one of the early mornings to a place difficult to reach by car.
#10. Eat away from the crowds
Restaurants located in central tourist areas and meant purely for tourists will tend to be run of the mill.
You can grab yourself a good meal at a restaurant further down the line, whose recommendation you take from a local or your hotel.
#11. Go on a solo trip
It helps to venture out on your own alone at least once in a lifetime.
There’s much you can learn about the world, yourself and it can help make you more independent.
One also gets time to reflect on one’s thoughts, strengths and weaknesses and develop a mental dialogue towards becoming a better version of oneself.
A solo trip can lead to the transformation much needed to lead a more enriching and fulfilling life.
#12. Visit the local markets
Local markets will house the place’s unique attractions and offer you something new to try out which you might not get in the city or country you’re from.
You might probably even chance upon a business idea which you can explore if you so wish, with local contacts. eg. Spices and tea imports
#13. Pack Light
Choose lighter fabrics to carry instead of heavier ones like woolen.
Estimate using one pair of clothes for multiple days, to reduce the amount of clothes you need to carry.
Carry minimal pairs of extra shoes, to reduce bulk in your luggage.
#14. Pre-book passes to the city’s attractions:
Instead of wasting time waiting in long queues for tickets, it helps to book tickets before you visit a particular attraction.
Check if online booking is possible and book your tickets online as a smart approach to save on time and effort.
#15. Book flights in advance
Book at least 2-3 months in advance to save on ticket prices and get the best deal on flight tickets.
Book for middle of the week days, like Tuesdays, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s to get the best prices.
#16. Search flights in incognito mode
While some of you may know this, others might not. Booking sites keep track of your cookies and escalate rates if you’re searching for flights and hotels multiple times, but not booking them.
The result in that they inflate prices when you search subsequently and you land up paying more for the same thing you had initially got cheaper; thus a self-called way of money waste.
#17. Opt for Remote Working
Post the pandemic, many of us have taken up work which you can be doing from anywhere in the world.
It might be a good idea to use your spare time to catch up on work and not face the ‘fear of missing out’ syndrome.
Carry along your convertible or tablet, so that you can take some time out while relaxing on a beach to reduce your impending work load.
#18. Managing hard and plastic money
As you are out of home, you need to ensure that you are well covered. It helps to carry extra debit and credit cards in case your primary card does not work or the money gets exhausted.
However, when you are exploring the city, carry a minimum amount of cash and just couple of credit cards to avoid theft and let your journey be safe.
Also, it is important for travelers to have at least couple of $100 in emergency cash at all times. Keep this money aside and use only if absolutely essential.
#19. Use luggage tags
While at the airport, you want your luggage to be easily identifiable amidst the myriad of other luggages that are there.
You want to put a tag on your luggage which will help it stand out and not merge with the rest of the crowd.
This will save you time as well as avoid your luggage from possibly getting lost.
#20. Get your vaccination
It is important to stay healthy while on your trip and vaccination can be useful for this purpose.
Consult your doctor on which generic vaccine you need to take and the local tourist office on specific vaccines to be taken for a particular country.
#21. Carry emergency medication
No, you don’t want to be lying down in your hotel room while feeling sick on your trip.
Remember to carry emergency medication, such as for cold, cough and fever, multivitamins to keep you energetic and any regular medication that you may be taking.
#22. Carry and wear sunscreen
When on a trip you’ll be out most of the time and your skin is constantly exposed to the sun.
This can lead to burning and your skin’s aging process can also be accelerated.
Apply a generous dose of sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun and keep it healthy.
#23. Carry ear plugs and an eye mask
Since we’re all incorrigible youtube watchers, pls carry your earphone so that you do not miss out on your favorite updates and do not disturb fellow travelers in your process of catching up with them.
Getting sound sleep is also very important to keep you healthy. Carry eye masks, especially if it’s a long flight to ward off unnecessary sounds.
#24. Carry a power bank
While out of home, it is important that you are reachable to your family members.
It is also important that you have access to a net connection to search for things that you need information on easily.
It therefore helps you have a power bank which you can use to charge your phone when you’re low on battery or you run out of battery.
#25. Roam around with water
When on a trip you need to keep yourself hydrated and consume water often.
This will help you feel up & energetic.
Fill your bottle while at the hotel and carry along with you to last for the day.