7 Common Travel Mistakes And How To Avoid Them
I know you have read too much about traveling. You know what you should do to experience the best tour. But have you ever wondered if there is anything you should not do when traveling? Sometimes, it is easy to make simple mistakes on your trip. These mistakes may cause minor inconveniences or go as far as being disastrous for the whole adventure.
This article addresses seven top mistakes that almost every traveler makes. You might have been a culprit in one or two of these scenarios. However, by avoiding such simple mistakes, you can make your travel experience better.
1. Being too Ambitious with a Fixed To-do
Everyone has a reason to travel. Whether it is for leisure or a new experience, there are a few things you would want to do on your tour before going back. Creating an itinerary will help you to manage your route and the activities you are going to do along the way. In each stop, you can do a fanciful activity before you proceed to the next destination. Or you may want to go straight top a specific destination and engage in numerous activities.
Such planning is commendable. However, you should not make it fixed. For instance, sometimes, you may get discouraged when you realize that the activities you were expecting cannot go on because of interruptions or weather changes. You can always opt for a different activity. For instance, when a storm strikes and you cannot go to the beach, think about hiking or mountain biking to make yourself busy.
2. Eating at the Tourist Attractions
Many tourist attraction centers across the globe have eateries for a quick serving. Maybe it is the only restaurant you see around, and you are feeling hungry. What? You hop in to have a bite of some game or dinner before going back to your hotel. You will find all types of luring adverts or convincing messages of how the food is delicious.
What you will forget at the tempting hour is that food is extremely expensive in restaurants and tourist sites. You could find the same type of food on the outskirts of the city at half the price. Because most tourist hotels prepare food in a hurry to ensure that there is a consistent supply, it is easy to find it not so delicious as you expected.
3. Booking Your Flights, Cruises, and Hotels on Popular Portals
We know that sites like TripAdvisor and Booking.com are key players on tours. There are many websites with travel guides, booking offers, and information you may need about various destinations. The bid domains are easy to locate and make your booking on the spot, choosing from numerous destinations and listed hotels. If you plan far ahead of your trip then finding cheap flights isn’t hard, since there are lots of sites that can assist you in finding cheap flights to your destination.
However, there are some not-so-popular sites that offer the same services, only that you may be skeptical because you have not used them. Wait, you can even find some companies that pay you to tour the world. Why spend so much money booking a tour when you can get it for free?
4. Forgetting to Budget Accordingly
Money can get you the best tour in the world. Again, money can ruin your experience and even put your life in trouble. Some tourists visit places and do not plan how they intend to spend their money, and they end up losing their belongings to cons. Consider this case of a Germany man stranded in Diani, Kwale County, Kenya, which happened recently – two years after another similar case happened to a Swedish woman.
When you are visiting a place, go for a specific adventure that can build you and bring brightness to your future. Whenever possible, avoid carrying cash with you. Transfer some money to cover your budget to your credit card and use it to pay. Mosty credit cards can withdraw funds in local currency to spend where card payments are not supported. But remember to keep your cards and travel documents safe.
5. Forgetting a Travel Insurance
Sometimes, it is negligence. When you intend to travel, you are going to spend some time away from home. In most cases, you will be with people you do not know. How can you get yourself covered in case of an emergency? You need insurance. Before leaving home, talk to your insurance provider about premiums required for travel cover. Ask if they provide cover for medical needs and emergency cases like loss of property.
Depending on your tour destination, you can get short-term insurance upon arrival that will take care of any emergencies while you are in the country. But you need to consult them before arrival to determine your abilities before leaving.
6. Packing Too Much
I know you have a culture. One dress a day, 30 for a month. Why? Tell me why you need all those clothes on a vacation. While packing, it is easier to carry items that you think you may use during the journey. You can carry those loads of bags on car roof racks to the airport. However, you may end up paying more at the airport for the luggage.
Instead of incurring so much expense, you should only carry things that you will need. When it comes to clothes, three to four are enough. Your hotel or hostel can help you to find laundry services so that you keep clean. Whenever necessary, you can buy an extra dress at your destination, and that would not impact your return journey.
7. Using Your Phone on Roaming Network
Most networks across the globe support the use of a foreign SIM card to pick a signal for communication. This freedom may give you the confidence to continue using your phone abroad to make calls back home and receive calls from friends. That can be simple until you receive the phone bill that will shock you more than electricity.
Instead of using your phone for data, connect to the internet with the hotel WiFi. Only use mobile data when necessary to minimize the costs. In case you have to talk to people back home, use VoIP services like Skype. Email and WhatsApp also make the best options for keeping in touch and business collaboration.
Summing Up
Traveling is fun and can bring lots of new experiences. However, without proper care, the experiences may be unsightly. Nobody wants to land in trouble, because traveling should bring us peace of mind. The best way to enjoy your tour wherever you go is to avoid common mistakes that could jeopardize your personal and financial safety.