TOP travel mistakes that you should avoid.
Have you ever forgotten to take your driver’s license to Europe? Have you ever over packed? Maybe you’ve forgotten your hotel name when you’re out? If you have ever experienced any of these, you will know that it’s truly horrifying. And if you haven’t, believe us, you don’t want to. Luckily, we have you covered, because there’s nothing that takes the stress out of travel like having a solid strategy and action plan – and yours starts with reading this post.
Common mistakes and how to prevent them
Overpacking
We get it, you’ve brought some absolutely gorgeous outfits, and you want to wear them all for this trip. The thing is, if your case is full, how are you going to be able to buy anything to bring back? Not to mention, it’s going to be a lot heavier to carry – and it’s depressing enough hauling your suitcase around after a holiday when you have the blues from it being over and are absolutely exhausted.
So, how can you avoid this? The easiest way is to take things to wear that you want to throw away. You can always wear old t-shirts and sweat pants to bed if you’re going to save the good stuff for the day. You won’t need to pack anything for bed, maybe less for the day, and you won’t have to worry about as much washing while you’re there. Bonus.
Relying totally on Guide Books
Guide books are a great place to pick up a few ideas of what to do, but they’re a snapshot in time. What was once the height of tourism might be run down and not worth rating – and a guidebook won’t be able to tell you that. It also won’t account for things like changed opening times. When you embark on a trip, you want to enjoy every moment, not waste a day traveling on bad roads or finding out the place you planned to see a disappointment – if it’s even still open. There’s also the risk of paid endorsements that aren’t as great as they seem.
We recommend the internet. The reviews are much more likely to be from fellow travelers, honest and recent. If you do want a paper copy, you can always print out the pages you need, which is far less bulky. Alternatively, take a screenshot and keep it on your phone.
Not planning your attractions
We’ve already touched on this, but let’s go a little deeper. When you chose a destination, you probably had a few places to see in mind. Naturally, you’re going to want to plan around these. You’ll get more done (and have more time doing it)
Booking flights with a short layover
Booking a flight with a short Layover might seem like an enticing idea, but there’s a lot higher chance that you’re going to miss it. Wouldn’t you rather spend the extra couple of hours in the airport, drinking coffee and browsing the shops (which are often duty-free by the way), than having the anxiety of being late if there are road works on the way, or the cost of having to book another flight because you missed this one or your connecting one?
Not Buying Insurance
If you think you will be alright without travel insurance, remember that holidays include far more risky activities. It’s not like you go rock climbing, deep-sea diving, or mountaineering at home. Don’t run the risk; you could be saving yourself thousands. Honestly, depending on what country you go to, you could be saving your life because some hospitals will need to see your insurance.
Making large currency exchanges before leaving home
It might seem like a great idea to get organized and have all your currency ready, but it could be incredibly risky. If you wouldn’t carry around that much money at home, don’t do it on holiday. If it gets stolen, you could be seriously stuck. Besides, it’s easy to convert once you’re over there, and it’s often a better-priced way to do it as well: Meaning more spending money for you. Many hotels have the facility. Tripening can find you the ones that can make your life a little easier when you book with us. Not to mention, having extra spending money is excellent.
If you are going to carry lots of money, though, make sure you divide it so that you’ve got more in other places if it does get lost. You could tuck some in your phone case, have an envelope in your suitcase, use your purse and leave them in your hotel room. We really don’t advise it, though!
Not doing research
Not doing your research could lead to some embarrassment, like realizing there’s nothing you will want to eat on the menu. Worse than that, however, it could lead to breaking laws you didn’t know about. Common ones are things like taking medication that is illegal in another country.
If you are planning a trip with Tripening, you can skip that part - cause the agency will do all the needed research for you
Ignoring local’s advice
The real heart of a country is the part about the locals know. Yes, there will be some great tourist activities, but if you want to find the secret spot, which restaurant has the best food or which one is under new management and just gave someone food poisoning, you should definitely listen to the locals. On top of that, they usually have some fascinating stories!
Forgetting the budget and running out of money
Have you ever done that thing where you rash on yourself and say, “I’m just going to spend x amount a day,” only to have it shortly followed by “it’s OK because I spend less tomorrow”? Haven’t we all?
It is a common mistake that travelers make. Don’t get sucked into a trap. If you can set yourself a higher budget, that’s great. If you can’t then, make sure you have an international credit card or backup. There are too many unknown factors that could affect your budget, and there are too many great things to see, so why hold back? You’re on holiday after all!
Lots of mistakes could be avoided if you choose the right agency for planning your trip. Did somebody say Tripening? Yes, thousands of them. Check out our website for more detail.
