If you’re looking for tips on how to improve your travel experience, this is the post for you. I’ve put together a list of the 20 best ways to improve your travel experience. By following these 20 tips, you’ll help yourself to a good travel journey.
1. Eat the right foods and drink plenty of water. Just to make sure you’re hydrated enough for your trip, carry around a bottle of water in your handbag, or a reusable bottle in your backpack. If you can’t keep yourself hydrated then you’ll be more likely to get sick.
2. Take plenty of photos. You may think that it’s too late to take your photos when you arrive at your destination, but the chances are that most places have a free photo kiosk somewhere – very handy if you don’t want to pay for a photo. Plus, anything that gets you more familiar with where your travel destination is, improves the chances of planning some great adventures there later on.
3. Get used to taking taxis – it will save a lot of money and time. Don’t be afraid when travelling alone and always make sure that the driver knows why they are taking you where they do – make sure they know how long the journey will take so its not wasted time later on when you need them to take another route or provide any additional services (such as getting into one more venue).
4. Get a travel agent to book transportation , they will work out costs and can even pay for part of the trip for you. Many travel agents are now able to also help with accommodations, so if you want accommodation sorted then book it through them instead of directly yourself before you arrive. They’ll usually do a great job of sorting out all the details, so you can just relax while they take care of everything.
5. Plan in advance how long your trip should last, and how much you should save each day. It’ll help if your accommodation is within walking distance from where your activities are or try to stay near one of the major tourist attractions. A bit more research about what activities are available in your potential destination too.
6. Pack lightly – travel light means you’re more mobile and have less baggage to carry around! When you’re going away, try to avoid wearing your favorite clothes as they’ll just get dirty/muddy on your trip and then have to be packed away again when you arrive back home. Instead, pack a small selection of clothes that can be worn comfortably on the one trip that you can afford the luxury of the getting scruffy.
7. Pay for your accommodation up front – in some expensive locations, it can be tempting to stay at a place for a few days or weeks without paying in advance. However, if you do this then make sure to pay them off as soon as possible (especially in high-end hotels). You want people around who know how reliable and trustworthy they are so if you leave $1,000 behind then it will lead to them losing their reputation along with your money.
8. Try renting an electric scooter or bike (whiles its still cool). This is not something everyone would think of but its great fun cruising around town while still doing the sightseeing tour. Its also good exercise. Be careful though, don’t do this in a large city.
9. Find out what the expected value of your trip is (the average amount you should expect to enjoy per day). Your travel agent should be able to provide this information, but if you’re unsure then try talking to travelers who have been there recently and ask them what they would recommend.
10. Don’t spend money on things that you don’t want/need – read your credit card statement for items you don’t want, or anything new that you haven’t used in the last 2-3 months (such as electric fans or expensive clothes). Try to get rid of it through selling it, donating it or just returning it – if not then always keep things around for when you return home. Think about how much stuff you currently have too, is there anything that can be easily given away? If so, then do so. Don’t keep any unnecessary luxury items in case you do return home soon and might need them again at some point in future.
11. Take a look at your bank account close to the time you’re about to leave home. Currently, there is about $500 in my savings account. If I were to leave tomorrow and head off on a huge trip, how much money would I have left for emergencies/things that might crop up? What would I be okay with throwing away?
12. Try to practice the art of traveling light. Be prepared for situations where you might have to leave your favorite jacket behind so that you can save it for the return trip or be prepared for some relatively expensive souvenir that you might need to buy in order to get back home.
13. Make sure your passport is up-to-date – don’t go off without it! It’s not worth being caught out by an embassy and problems getting back home if something happens! Also, keep track of how much money is in your bank account – just in case. You don’t want to get stuck in a country without enough money to get back home.
14. Get used to checking the news for any possible dangers or problems that might arise in your destination and keep an eye on the embassy website (in case of extreme situations). Alternatively, you could also check out online forums such as TripAdvisor.
15. Because this is a big trip, you might want to consider getting some traveler’s insurance. If anything should happen while you are away, then this will ensure that the burden won’t fall completely on your shoulders if something unexpected happens while you are away. Also, most people have health insurance so that their health is insured when they are overseas and quite often within Europe there is no travel insurance necessary so could possibly save money in this situation too.
16. Consider signing up to some online forums such as TripAdvisor (or similar) as well – this is a place where people can post reviews of their experiences and introduce you to other travelers too.
17. Don’t forget to google your destination before you go. You might stumble across things that you never would have thought of – and can help you prepare a lot better.
18. If you are planning to visit some countries in Europe, try to check out which ones are cheaper than other ones. Some places, such as the UK, France and Germany/Austria, are more expensive than others such as Spain, Italy and Portugal. This will definitely vary depending upon what it is that you want to do while you are there but will give you an idea of how much money you may end up spending so that when it comes down to choosing a place to stay or eat at or travel around in, then there will be no surprises.
19. The best way for everyone to be safe is for everyone travelling together (family) or with friends to take turns going on adventures so that no one person ends up being stuck doing all of the work.
20. When going on safari, remember that the animal you might think of as ‘cute’ is sometimes a dangerous and mean creature – such as black bears.
21. Don’t touch any poisonous plants or animals. Or try to stop them from touching you because they usually carry diseases and other nasty things, such as leprosy.
22. Don’t drink and drive, Remember that if you have been drinking, then it will affect your driving abilities, as well as your judgment. It is not only dangerous to drink and drive but it is also illegal.
