Hot Tips For Travellers
Whether you are travelling locally or internationally, these tips will help you make sure your trip is the very best it can be.
These tips are for travellers from travellers, and will be most helpful for you.
- Take one foreign travel adapter and a four gang Aussie power
board. Saves multiple adapters and helps with hotel rooms that only provide one
power outlet… better still use a power board with a couple of USB plugs so you
can charge phone and iPad...all on same plug!
- Talk to locals for the best tips and knowledge
- Look for off the beaten track tours and sites to visit on
your journey.
- Check your passport has enough validity for the places you
are going and that you’ve got the right visas.
- Read the reviews of where you are going to visit, the
accommodation you will be staying and the tours you will be going on
- Always check your insurance covers where you are going, the
activities you will be undertaking, (especially adventure, mopeds etc), and
don’t assume your credit card insurance will be enough, or even the best
insurance.
- Plan ahead. You do not want to spend every day of your
holiday trying to figure out where to go next. This may be okay for a few days,
but if your whole holiday is consumed by making daily decisions, you may come
home feeling like you need a break!
- Write a wish list of things you want to see and number it in
priority. You might not get to see everything but at least you will see your
bucket list items.
- Be polite & respectful to everyone – wherever you are
traveling to, be mindful of culture, clothing and beliefs.
- Make a list of everything you are taking on your trip with
you so that you can check when you pack up that you have everything with you.
Remember to check the safe before you head off and you can even put a reminder
in your phone to make sure you check it the day you are leaving.
- Get a travel agent to book your connecting flights so you
don't mess up by having to run from one terminal to another because your flight
was late.
- Book your flights with the same airline wherever you can to
make sure they are empathetic if your previous flights were delayed. If you are
on another airline carrier, the next one you are booked with has no idea where
you are!
- Always learn the fundamentals of the language of the places
you will be visiting. Please, thank you, hello, goodbye, where are the
bathrooms, two cold beers please… the locals love it and they will work with
you if you are curious about their language and their culture.
- Be mindful of who you take lifts with, and negotiate your
price before you get into a taxi! If it does not have a meter, be mindful!
- In terms of packing, roll your clothes instead of folding
them to fit more in.
- Be sure to stay well hydrated prior to and while traveling
to lesson jet-lag
- Where possible, one to two days before you travel to your destination, start switching to your
destination time zone by adjusting your sleep and wake hours.
- Use a plastic vacuum pack for good, and clean clothes.
- Exchange your money at a specialist money exchanger, and be
aware of the rates before you do.
- Never book a seat near the toilets on a plane as people
queue there.
- For long haul flights, research airline seat sizes before
booking.
- Travel with a half empty suitcase on your trip so you can
fit in all the stuff you buy on the way home
- Use Packing cells to help with your packing!
- Take a wrap or shawl on your flight in case you get cold.
They are multipurpose, and light to carry around.
- Take an eye mask on your flights with you so that you can
turn out the lights whenever you want to.
- If you don’t have a phone plan that allows you cheap access
to data get an international SIM card when you land. Remember to take your I.D
in with you as many countries require you to show this to buy a sim card.
- If you are travelling in the in peak season, book everything
in advance, from your tours to your car hire, to your accommodation.
- Many cities across the world charge a city tax especially in
Europe so be prepared to pay an additional amount per person per day.
- On lots of international flights, your internal flights do
not include baggage, especially in America. You can only purchase your baggage
inclusions when you check in.
- Don’t be in a hurry to get where you are going, whatever can
go wrong, probably will, so just sit back and enjoy what comes.
- If you have a smart phone just take that, leave the big
camera at home. Your smartphone can take photos, videos, store essential
passwords, link up to Wi-Fi for WhatsApp or Facebook chats or sharing photos
with friends back home, allow you to access copies of key documents you have
stored in Box or Dropbox and provide maps.
- Use free Wi-Fi wherever you can when you are travelling
- Book all of your travel through reputable websites, not
third party. If anything goes wrong, you want to be able to access help.
- Scan a copy of all of your relevant documents, or even just
take photos. Include all documents you would need if you had to re-apply for a
passport.
- When you book your flights, make sure you have enough time
to get from one gate to the next. Anything under an hour is not sufficient. In
some airports, 3 hours is the minimum you would want to have.
- Make sure your carry-on luggage contains everything you need
for a couple of days in case your main luggage goes on its own short holiday
without you. This is also important if you are stopping for more than a few
hours on your journey. This means taking any medication that you will need
access to in this time too.
- Always book a day or two more than you think you should so
you don't feel rushed home from your holiday. If you have the option of 10 days
in Cairns rather than 8, you will be so much more relaxed on day 7. Or if you
can, book a nine night cruise rather than a 7 night one. Turn a 3 night trip to
Melbourne to 4. And stay at a cheaper place (but still nice enough) to cover
that extra cost.
- Take noise cancelling headphones with you. You will get a
good rest on the plane, and you can even use them when you are sleeping in your
accommodation if you have noisy neighbours!
- Travel with a backpack instead of a handbag. You keep your hands free while shopping, and
you don’t have to put your bag down. It can also double as a pillow!
- Download as much as you can onto your phone so that you are
not using data when you travel. This includes maps, music, and much more.
I hope you have taken a lot from this blog.
If you would like to book your travel with me, that would be great...
"No matter how fast you are going, if its in the wrong direction,
you will never get there"
Jacque Opie
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Please feel free to comment with your favourite tips!
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