Has it ever happened to you that you have had a struggle to find some place to go? Or maybe could not decide what do you need to take with you? Don’t worry, we all struggle sometimes and that is why I would like to share with you some useful tips which helped me during my leisure and business journeys.
Let me introduce you to the First Tip:
Don’t be afraid
Exactly. A lot of the time when we are unsure about something, feel lost or need some guidance we struggle with basics – to ask someone for help or advise. Especially you can feel this insecurity in the country where you don’t understand language.
Pack light
Most of the time people take too many things which they don’t even use. One of the useful tips which will make your journey easier is DO NOT pack unnecessary things. This could include additional clothes or extra accessories.
Plan what to take
Plan each day: what you going to wear, where are you going to go and which belongings you will need each day including most required things. Plan small details such as how many t-shirts you estimate to use, do you need to take sunglasses or umbrella and etc. That way you will have more space for souvenirs or new purchases in your luggage or backpack.
Save liquids
One more amazing tip to be mentioned is that you can save space with liquids. If you do not want or need big bottles you always can buy them in the place where you go. Although, if you have any reasons why you can’t buy or want to save money and environment you can reuse small bottles from previous products.
Bring extra money
You never know what can happen during your traveling. You might find the dress of your dreams or would like to stay for an extra day. Or maybe you will need to pay extra for some unexpected services or purchases during your trip.
Bring cash
It is always good to have some cash in required currency. Most of us use our debit or credit cards but there are still a lot of countries and places where people do not accept cards or simply don’t use them.
Do some research
Do some research about the destination. It is really important to have a quick overview of the place where you are travelling to, you will be surprised but there are always some interesting places to visit and see.
Plan
Yes. It is important to plan each part of your journey but not only main purpose of the trip. Plan what you want to do in your “free time”. The meaning of ‘free time’ is free from main event or purpose of your trip. Where you want to have your lunch at? Where is the best place to do some shopping? Where you want to stay? Any additional thing you want to do? All of these questions can help you to have most productive trip.
Book in advance
Anything what you need – hotel, car, restaurant and other things should be booked in advance. It is always good to make a booking in advance because it will not only save you some time but also will save you money. Usually it is cheaper to book at least in 2 weeks prior plus you will be able to find more options.
Have a back up plan
Sometimes some unpredictable things can occur which may change your plans completely. Especially if it is a seasonal trip. As an example, if you travel to the touristic place during cold season a lot of paces can be closed. That is why it is always good to have a back up plan.
But do not over plan
Even if in previous tips it was recommended to plan every last bit it is still easy to take it to far. It is nice to have all planned with a back up plan but do not overestimate yourself. In the end you are going on this trip to have some rest and enjoy yourself.
Get up early
Some of us find it quite strange to get up early especially when you are on your holidays. There are a lot of people who like to sleep till the lunch time or just rest in bed and not rush anywhere but it can be advisable to wake up earlier. Mainly, it is because in the morning all tourist still sleeping or just getting out so you can save a lot of time by getting before the main crowd hit the streets. As well as be able to do more activities through out the day.
Visit local places
To understand and dive into the culture of the country you need to visit at least one local place – restaurant, district, market or anything what can help you to create a bond with local community. Usually, locals do not like crowds of curious tourists and have their own hidden spots where you can talk to them, discover history and try something unique.
Do not eat in tourist places
Most of the time you end up with overpriced or poorly made food until it is not a high quality restaurant. Of course, there some exceptions but in general it is always better to go a little bit away from this areas.
Walk
Walking rather than taking taxis can be a great way of finding hidden gems and engaging into the culture of your destination.
Learn some vocabulary
Sometime it can happen that there is no way how you can find what you need or explain what you want. Learning a couple new words or downloading some phrases on your device can be very useful and help a situation.
Improvise
This tip may be one of the most helpful on this list. Depends on the situation, you always can use your imagination and knowledge to come up with some new ideas especially when your plans changed all of a sudden. And sometimes you can end up in a very nice place or create a unique memory and experience.
Mark local police station and hospital
You never know if you will need any special help during your trip in case of emergencies.
Travel Insurance
Make sure your insurance works in valid for your trip and be aware of the circumstances of your insurance. Most of the time you will be protected but there may be reasons when it may be invalid.
Enjoy small things
This tip can me used on a daily basics. Remember to enjoy small things because life keep going and every moment is your own memory. Make it special.
I hope you enjoyed some of presented tips and found them useful and helpful. Most of them helped me to save and utilize a lot of time during trips and save good amount of money. Moreover, I met a lot of incredible people who shared with me their stories and traditions which were unique, breathtaking and memorable.
