Traveling has always been a fun experience, especially if you’re traveling to places that you’ve never visited before. Knowing different cultures, seeing the way of life of the locals, different malls, architectures, historical places, or nature destinations such as beaches, caves, falls, mountains, and other things are definitely exciting, intriguing, and fun, especially if you’re traveling with your loved ones – because you can tell them your experiences right after visiting a certain tourist spot – Stories that will always be remembered and will always have a place in our hearts.
In traveling, there are lots of things to consider before leaving to avoid unnecessary mistakes and avoiding to forget the most important things to bring. Not only that, but to be wiser in traveling from leaving, touring, until you return home.
In this article, we’re going to list our top 25 tips when traveling.
1. Book the cheapest flights
– One of the most expensive things when traveling is on flights. Sometimes, even if the country is not too far, the flights are still costly. However, there are tips on how to save money for this matter – like for example, booking flights 2-3 months earlier than the target date of the tour, especially if it’s an international flight. You can check the prices online from time to time until you find the best price for you, or consider taking different plane companies that can serve you at a fair price that suits your budget. But, let’s be real. It’s not easy to find one in just one sitting, so pack a lot of patience too, if you want to save more money!
2. Settle things before leaving (work, school, businesses, etc.)
– Now, this is important – you’re not supposed to leave for vacation without anyone else knowing. Inform your boss that you’ll leave for a couple of days – probably a week so that they know what to expect. Avoid bringing your work in your vacation because it’s meant for enjoyment and relaxation (unless it’s a business trip or your natural way of life). Still, there are some people who can’t avoid doing their jobs or watch out how their business is going. In such cases, as long as the time is used wisely and everything’s balanced, it will work. It’s about time management.
3. Learn a few foreign words
– Learning a language is not that easy. However, it won’t harm if you know simple phrases, especially if you’re visiting a country where people cannot speak in English! (nationalistic countries) Not everyone will be willing to speak and adjust, so you must, as a foreigner. Even the simplest things like “Hello,” “thank you,” “good morning,” or “good evening,” will surely be appreciated by the locals.
4. Take an extra wallet, credit card & ATM card
– Bringing an extra wallet, credit card & ATM card is definitely a MUST. Not all countries are 100% safe. If in case there’ll be instances where you lose your money, gets stolen, you’ll be prepared. Here’s the tip when you’re traveling: bring an extra wallet that isn’t exactly meant to be used (only for emergencies!) and keep it into your bag, so if in case something happens with your wallet, you’ll have a backup one. If your credit card gets stolen, make sure to contact your provider to disable the card, so that no one would swipe it for their own use.
5. Write down the name, address of your hotel, including your room number
– Not all of us have the sharpest memory. In some cases, we use our phones to take photos and it can run out of battery, too. That said, it is highly advisable to write down the name of where you’re staying, so that if in case your batteries run out, you know what to tell the taxi on where they should take you.
6. Read books and information that you should know about the country
– Being aware of the culture of the country that you’ll visit is another thing to consider. This way, you’ll have a foundation on what their culture is all about, and you’ll appreciate it even more because you’ll have an idea what to expect. You don’t necessarily need to read an entire history book, but having a foundation would be truly beneficial. You’ll learn more as you explore the place, but being open in knowing their culture is much better than not knowing what to expect.
7. Be flexible and don’t over plan
– Planning everything, especially if too detailed, can ruin the surprises. Listing down the places that you want to visit and know the overview of what to expect in the site that you’re visiting. Be open to visiting other nearby locations such as shops and be ready for the possibilities. Remember, life is full of surprises. Don’t let your detailed plans ruin it. Be flexible. However, if you really can’t help it and you get stressed whenever there are no plans, then feel free to plan. It’s not always bad to have plans, especially if you’re the type who wants to know the history of each scenery.
8. Eat local food frequently
– Try to taste several local foods whenever you travel! If you’re uncomfortable, try to know at least what it’s made of. If it’s something that seems ‘edible’ for you, why not try it? It is also good to ask people for recommendations. The locals know better, so better trust them. However, if you feel homesick with your favorite fast foods and the local dishes in your country, find some around. There surely are available food franchises such as KFC, McDonald’s, etc.
9. Pack less stuff in your backpack
– Maximize your backpack. Don’t bring heavy stuff, because some of those will be available in the place where you’re going. Because let’s face it: it can be quite a hassle if you’ll bring a heavy bag with you around. Not to mention, you might be read as someone who can be robbed because you have lots of stuff.
10. Observe daily life around you
– We know that you want to make the most out of your vacations, but give some room for relaxation. Pause, sit, observe. Slow down your train of thoughts and pay attention to the details around you. How do people interact with each other? Are they having fun? What are the activities that people are trying? What are they eating? How do they spend time with others? Doing this is one way to meditate and reflect after the long day. It gives the mind peace.
11. Get a travel insurance
– You can never tell what might happen when you’re traveling. There are chances where you might get sick, injured, or even robbed when traveling and this happens when you least expect it. But with travel insurance, you don’t have to worry about huge hospital bills. This is highly recommended if you’ll travel for a couple of years or months.
12. Break out of your comfort zone
– There are things in this world that give us anxiety. But, it’s a good thing to explore different activities to make most out of your vacation. There is such thing as ‘calculated risks,’ after all. There are times where we overthink, without seeing the fact that we’re missing a lot. Who knows? Maybe you can enjoy the new things that look uncomfortable at first. You’ll never know unless you try.
13. Wake up early to avoid the crowds
– We want to make the most out of our vacation. Rise early, and you can do and explore more! Rise before sunrise and head to your travel destination to avoid large tourist crowds who are also visiting the same place (for example, you’re going to ride a zip line from island to another island. You’ll need to fall in line if there are lots of crowds waiting, especially if it’s a popular attraction).
14. Bring your own water bottle
– Exploring places can make us thirsty, especially if the activity demands a lot of physical activity (e.g. hiking). Bringing a water bottle or a filtered water bottle (recyclable) would be handy. Not just because you can drink wherever or whenever you want, but because you can save a couple of money for your water.
15. Keep an open mind
– Don’t judge the lifestyles or customs of others if they’re different from your own. It matters to practice empathy and understanding. Not only because it broadens our horizon, but we can learn from their culture, too. There will always be something different and simply respect it. For example, someone is too conservative with their traditional clothing that may be aligned to their beliefs and on the contrary, your known culture is less-strict with wearing casual clothing. You have to understand it. Ask questions if you’re unsure of their reasons. There are lots to learn by asking people around instead of judging them.
16. Consider budget travels
– Traveling doesn’t need to be expensive. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on stuff you don’t need. If you want to explore the place, then maybe spend lesser time in your hotel. As long as the hotel is comfortable, it’ll work. Spend your money wisely and remember what your budget is. You wouldn’t want to use up all the money that you’ve got, don’t you?
17. Take lots of travel photos
– Traveling won’t be complete without photos! Take as many photos as you can! You won’t be in that place every day, and having photos with you will be a good souvenir, especially if you’ve done the most memorable activities for the first time, or the things that you don’t do every day or activities that don’t exist in your hometown. Capture memories.
18. Bring an extra camera battery/power bank/chargers
– One of the goals is to take lots of photos. Now, it also matters that you’re armed with extra batteries for your cameras in case the battery runs out. The same goes for mobile devices. Leave the hotel with those camera batteries and phones in full-charge before leaving, and bring those extra batteries and power banks. Those will definitely save the day.
19. Backup your files and photos!
– We took lots of photos earlier and became armed with batteries to maximize the usage of our cameras. Now, we should also take note that backing up our files and photos also matter. Some memory cards get corrupted when it gets full, so it will be truly wise to copy those in your external storage/laptops/cloud applications to make sure that you won’t lose it. Some people only use their social media accounts as backups for everyone to see.
20. Stay in touch with loved ones
– Have you been enjoying your tours? Then that’s great! You’re making the most out of it. Still, you need to reach out for your love ones who are left back home. Call them or message them to share how things are going with your vacation and lift up their spirits. There’s always a heartwarming feeling whenever you see your loved ones happy seeing you happy with what you’re into.
21. Travel by yourself occasionally
– Traveling with the family or with friends sure is a fun experience, but it is also good to explore and travel alone because as you go further, you’ll know yourself better. How to make decisions and how to figure things on your own. This is one of the ways on how to boost your confidence.
22. Make friends with locals
– One of the best things about visiting a different country is the conversations you had with the people. Be friendly. Make a conversation with the locals. You’ll learn a lot from them, more than the directions of the place that you’re looking for. Make eye contact. Smile more. You’ll never know how each smile can make someone’s day. Be a blessing to others, even in the simplest way that you can give.
23. Treat your body well
– Your body has limits. Don’t be too distracted with the things that you’re seeing and the things that you enjoy at the moment. Remember that traveling is exhausting, and you need to get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat healthy, use hats to avoid the heat and sunscreens if you’ll get exposed to the sun, especially in tropical and humid countries. On the other hand, bring jackets, scarves, boots, and gloves to keep yourself warm in cold countries, especially during winter.
24. Go on free walking tours
– Walking is one of the cheapest ways to explore a city or the places that you want to visit in general. These tours allow you to orient yourself in an unfamiliar city, take photos of your own, learn facts and sometimes, you can make some friends, too.
25. Bring your medicines
– While taking care of your body physically matters, it’s also important to bring your medicines with you, especially if you’re having a maintenance medicine. You’ll never know what can happen.
Better safe than sorry!
With all those said, you can make the most out of your vacation without worrying about your issues back home, because the preparation is done. Make the most out of your vacation, explore more, be more curious, and be a blessing to others! Bon voyage!
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