Travel Mistakes & How To Avoid Them
Brief Overview
Taking your first international trip may be both an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. There are frequent blunders that travellers make that might ruin their trip. To help you have a stress-free and pleasurable trip, this post will go over the top 10 mistakes that travellers commonly make and how you can avoid them.
1. Not Researching Your Destination
Not doing enough preparation for a trip is a common mistake. The more you know about the local laws, customs, and traditions, the more likely you are to behave appropriately throughout your visit. Doing some preliminary research on your intended holiday spot will allow you to better organise your travel plans and visit everything that you want to see.
Yet, while a bit of spontaneity is always welcome on a holiday, too much might spell trouble. Take some time to plan out your trip’s specifics. You’ll have a more relaxing trip and be able to see more sights that call for organisation if you make these preparations before you leave. If you plan on visiting a museum, you may need to call ahead and reserve a specific time slot. Putting off preparations like this could mean missing out on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
2. Overpacking
Overpacking is a frequent miscalculation made by travellers. You might want to bring everything you own, but remember to bring only what you’ll actually need. Overpacking might make it tough to get about and cost you extra money if you’re taking a flight.
To minimise weight while backpacking, a traveller should pack their bag as they normally would, but then remove half of the items they had intended to bring. You don’t have to give up your sense of style, you won’t even use all of them, and you can always do laundry while travelling.
3. Not Checking Your Phone Plan
Avoiding data roaming fees requires knowing the limits of your package. You’re not protected? If you want to use wi-fi while abroad but don’t want to use your phone’s data data plan, turn off your phone’s data or roaming before you board the plane. If you rely heavily on your smartphone for accessing the internet, you may want to consider purchasing an international data plan or a local SIM card once you reach at your destination.
If you’re in the United States, you might think about using T-Mobile, since you can now get free data in 200 places. Brits using EE will have to get a roaming data plan for Europe which works out at £10 per month, or you can use it daily for £2 a-day providing you have data within your current plan. Always check with your provider.
4. Not Bringing Cash
In many countries, you’ll need local cash as soon as you leave the airport so that you can use public transportation or taxis. For more favourable exchange rates, use the ATMs in the airport at the destination to withdraw the funds you’ll need, plus some extra in case of emergencies. Or just get your cash from currency exchange places before you leave home.
I carry a credit card (with no international transaction fees) and use it whenever possible, but I also always have cash on hand.
Contactless is common in most countries and you can also grab an Uber (taxi via app) in most cases.
5. Forgetting to Buy Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is something that many people fail to purchase before they leave. Hence, when they become hurt or sick and need medical attention, they have to pay for it out of their own pockets. This might be costly, depending on where you live and the complexity of your medical condition.
A word of advice to anyone venturing abroad: invest in some sort of travel insurance. It’s common for travellers to grossly underestimate the actual cost of care. Being insured will provide financial security in case of illness or injury while travelling and guarantee prompt access to appropriate medical care. Passport and credit card theft, as well as trip delays and cancellations, can all be compensated for by purchasing travel insurance.
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6. Not Checking the Weather
It’s also a bad idea to head abroad without first checking the weather for that time of year and predictions. Finding out what the weather will be like will help you prepare for it, decide what to bring and allow you to plan your activities accordingly.
(see Travel Mistake #1 about packing)
7. Not Informing Your Bank or Credit Card Company Of Your Travels
You should notify your bank that you will be travelling internationally. If they notice any suspicious behaviour, they may freeze your account.
The above happened to me once, just make sure that your bank will allow you to use your cards while on your travels.
8. Creating an over ambitious itinerary
There’s so much to do! There’s a lot to see! The idea of visiting 5 countries in eight days seems fantastic in theory, but in practise, you might not even be able to take it all in, this will make your trip seem like a blur!
If you want to truly experience a location and its people, it’s important to rein in your enthusiasm when you make plans and include some downtime and cultural exploration in your calendar. Let yourself have some downtime to fully take in the one-of-a-kind atmosphere of your travel destination.
Be flexible! As such, it’s crucial to be adaptable on the road. A positive outlook and the ability to adapt will go a long way towards ensuring that you have a memorable and stress-free holiday, even if your flight is cancelled or you miss out on seeing a particular attraction.
9. Not Keeping Valuables Safe
Criminals that are for easy pickings will often prey on tourists. This includes both pickpockets and credit card thieves. Taxi and tour guides often take the scenic but more expensive route. Hotel employees have been known to steal guests’ personal information.
Put on a money belt under your clothes, study the taxi route in advance, and leave your passport and extra credit cards in the hotel safe.
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10. Not Checking Your Passport Expiry Date
This is actually more common than you might think! Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond your return date in many countries. A passport that is about to expire could result in rejection at customs.
It’s important to research passport requirements for both your home country and your travel destinations months in advance.
Always make sure you have enough months left on your passport.
Other Mistakes
- Not Booking Accommodations in Advance
- Not Checking Visa Requirements
- Not Allowing Enough Time in between connecting Flights
- Not Having Enough Prescription Medicine
- Underestimating time required for airport security
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, your trip will go off without a hitch, be more pleasurable, and cause you less stress if you only remember to avoid these top 10 travel blunders.
Before leaving, make sure to check the weather, learn all you can about your destination, and pack light. Prepare for your trip by making an itinerary, notifying your bank of your travel plans, reserving lodging in advance, and carrying a supply of cash. Be adaptable, make sure you have travel insurance, and don’t overbook your itinerary. Keeping these suggestions in mind will ensure that your next trip is one you’ll never forget.
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