To travel, to experience and learn, that is to live. Traveling is one of the best teachers that allow you to discover new things about different parts of the world, yourself, the family and brings many amazing benefits. Despite the jet lag, we still enjoy every moment of it. However, there are a lot of factors that can go wrong whenever you travel because of the not-so-fun amount before traveling, which is the preparation. With this in mind, you need to learn how to travel smart.
Even though there can be so much to do, just relax and breathe. We also have helpful safety tips when traveling with kids covered. Don't even think about getting stressed because we got your back! We are here to share the best travel tips and tricks that will give you a hassle-free travel experience and enable you to travel smart!
Table of Contents
Travel Advice: Planning
Create an Itinerary
Before the trip even begins, you have to look at it in the long haul. It is smart to plan out your whole stay beforehand. Travel smart by keeping a travel journal that contains your schedule, hotel room, and other essential details that will keep you and your company on the right track. Even a simple hotel room mishap can cause such huge stress!
Bring a Pen
For a successful trip, this travel tip is a smart thing that you must follow. It is a simple travel hack that will save you from a lot of trouble! But even though it is such a primary task, a lot of travelers often forget about it. Make sure that you have a pen with you at all times. Place a pen inside your bag or pocket. Make sure that you can easily reach for it at any given time because, whether you like it or not, you will fill out a lot of forms while you are traveling.
Book in Advance
Next time, you need to know that there is a difference between booking your flight in advance. There is such a vast price difference between flights that you book in a few months versus a flight leaving next week so call your airport now and save money! Your airport offers free breakfasts and snacks for advanced bookings so you're pretty much getting a bang for your buck. Not only can you save money, but you're also being smart about your choices. So, from now on, you will get the best deals!
Join Travel Clubs
Did you know that you might need less money if you just join a travel club? • Airport discounts • Free accommodations • Free vehicles • Free tours • Cheap travel packages There are a lot of different travel clubs that will ensure that you will travel smart! By joining some clubs, you will have the best travel journeys of your life. A little bit of membership fee will not compare to the money you'll save!
Learn Your Destination's History
Before going to a specific place, it is always a great idea to learn about its history. So that you can fully appreciate the location, you also have to know more about its story. Learn more about the customs, the tradition, how they think, and what the norm is. Learn about a country's history by watching movies, videos, and by reading. So that pretty much, you already know what to expect.
Travel Advice: Packing
Carry a Sweater
No matter how hot it is outside the plane, do not let it fool you into thinking that you can survive 12 hours of an aggressive air condition situation in the airport! Trust us, your sweater or jacket that you bring on the flight can act as two things:
First, it can be your personal blanket because let's face it, the blankets that airlines provide are just so tiny. And most of the time, they are not effective when it comes to warding off the cool breeze that the air-conditioner emits. Fight off jet lag by sleeping comfortably! Another function of your trusty sweater is that it can act as your pillow.
Sleeping while you are 5.9-7.2 miles above the ground can be quite uncomfortable, mainly because you are in a sitting position for the whole duration of the flight. So as much as possible, do the things that can make you feel a little more comfortable: use your sweater as your pillow to get a good night's sleep.
The airport does not have to be such an uncomfortable place, you just have to be smart about utilizing your things to make yourself comfortable!
Roll Clothes While Packing
This would be the smart thing to do! It would be best if you learned how to save space whenever you pack your clothes. Folding your clothes the traditional way is not the best whilst traveling Why don't you try rolling your clothes instead of folding them
Rolling instead of folding will surprise you with the amount of space that you can save and how much stuff you can put inside – get the best out of your bag! Check out our tips for packing and traveling light blog for more packing tips.
Pack Lightly
As much as you want to bring everything, resist the temptation to do so as you will most likely only wear one set of clothes at the end of the day, so why bother bringing your whole wardrobe? Plus, airports enforce weight limits for check-in luggage. If you exceed the allowed weight limit, you might have to pay an additional fee to accommodate your luggage's weight.
Put Clothes Inside Your Carry On
Sometimes, you have to be extra careful in the airport because even though you did your part in labeling your luggage, other people might still mistake it as their own. With this in mind, make sure that you have spare clothes inside your carry-on because you might not get your luggage for a few days. In the long haul, it will be easier.
Bring Your Own Essentials
Instead of spending extra money on your essentials once you reach your destination, why don't you bring your own to save money? You can never go wrong by bringing the following:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo
- Body wash
- Deodorant
- Sanitary Napkins / Tampons / Menstrual Cups
- Towel
- Water Bottle / Water Jug
- First aid kit
Sometimes, people take advantage of tourists and sell them everyday items for an absurd amount of money. And since tourists normally do not have an idea of the average price range within the area they visited, they will willingly pay for it. By following this travel tip, you can be sure that you won't run out of your essentials any time soon – even your first aid kit!
It is better to be smart about it rather than spend unnecessary money on things you already have at home. Pretty much, you'll be able to save money.
Put a Label on Your Luggage
No matter where you go, it is always smart to label your luggage. Make sure that each bag contains a clear label with your name and contact details. as there is always a probability of lost luggage in the airport due to the large volume of passengers.
The airport is filled with people with identical bags and searching for a piece of missing luggage when you should be focused on enjoying the beautiful place that you are supposed to travel in is such a waste of time, money, and energy. To save yourself from the hassle, make sure that your luggage is appropriately labeled.
Bring Important Documents
As you travel, you will learn the importance of carrying photocopies and original copies of necessary documents such as your passport and another valid ID. Always pack important documents because the more exotic the location is, the stricter the people will be. You might be asked to leave a photocopy of your passport before entering the premises in some areas.
Another important document to have is a bank statement. Usually, it is produced in immigration in a particular case where you will enter and exit a country multiple times. The reason behind this policy is for them to identify your source of income.
Other than having these documents on hand, you should also have a digital copy on your smartphone, together with your credit cards, debit card, and other supporting documents.
Always Have Baby Wipes
To travel means that you have to come in contact with various objects that might be vehicles for bacteria or virus transmission. With this in mind, the greatest travel hack of all time will always include: carrying several packs of baby wipes and alcohol disinfectants because water and soap are not always accessible, especially in more concentrated places.
One common rule of thumb is never to touch your face (eyes, nose, lips) without washing your hands first. Even though you've washed or wiped your hands, it is still better to be safe than sorry, so try to avoid touching your face.
Put all Cables and Adaptors in One Pouch
Have you ever experienced having a hard time finding a specific cable that you need while traveling? Because cables and adaptors can get tangled with each other, it is a common issue to lose or misplace some whenever you travel.
To avoid this, place all cables, cords, and adaptors in one pouch. Ensure that you use cable ties for each one because this will keep them tidy and easier to find. You can also color-organize your cables.
Travel Advice: Cameras
Yes! a camera definitely still has it's place.
Bring a Strapped Camera
Whenever we travel, we always want to capture every beautiful moment with a photo. Supposedly, you can just bring your smartphone and use it to take pictures but if you prefer to use a camera, it would be smart to bring one that has a strap so that you can avoid accidents such as losing it or dropping it from a high place. Think long term, not just for the next 2 days.
Save yourself from the trouble of fixing a broken camera. It can totally spoil the best travel experience of your life.
Carry Extra Camera Batteries
There is nothing worse than having a dead camera during the best part of your trip! To avoid this from happening one of the best travel tips is to be smart and always pack an extra camera battery or two so that you are prepared for sudden battery malfunctions because you really need to be prepared.
Most batteries are not meant for long-term use, so be mindful!
Bring Extra SD Cards
If you think that one or two SD cards will be enough to contain all of the photos you will take while traveling, you thought wrong! Always carry at least five extra SD cards because trust me, you will run out of space pretty quickly!
Equip Yourself with an Adaptor
Adaptors are lifesavers when it comes to being travel smart. It encourages a traveler's preparedness and ability to handle unusual situations!
An adaptor is a great device that connects all of your electronic gadgets to your destination's local power supply without having to purchase a converter. It will save you both time and money.
Travel Advice: During Travel
Try the Local Food
One way to fully experience a city is by tasting the local food. Indeed, it is a smart way to explore a new destination! The thing I love about local food is that you never know what you are going to get. Save the credit card because you might need emergency cash. For example, Japan gave us live squids!
Bring Emergency Cash
Yes, credit cards make payments as easy as possible. However, there are times when a store does not accept credit cards; This travel tip aims to tell you that it is a must to carry some local currency for all of your transactions especially in more remote locations.
Although there are a bunch of ATMs almost everywhere, you can never be too sure! Keep in mind that some areas are too remote to even have electricity, do you think there will be ATMs there?. Remember, it is better to rely on real money than on a credit card!
Travel Advice: Miscellaneous
Utilize a Trip Advisor
There are literally thousands of available trip reviews, advice, experiences, and tips that will help you decide on your travel destination. A smart travel tip that we can advise is to filter and process all information within tripadvisor so that you can see raw and unfiltered reviews.
Just a tip: be slightly skeptical about places with both 5- and 1-star reviews because chances are, the thoughts are a mixture of real and paid ones. Sometimes it can be hard to decipher which one is which, so it would be best for you to look at other accommodations instead.
Download an Offline Map to Travel Smart
Being in a place that you are not familiar with means there is a chance you will get lost! Keep in mind that the smart choice is to use offline map applications that you can download directly on your smartphone. One of the most reliable maps is from Google Maps. It allows its users to toggle along with the map without any internet connection, so these offline maps are perfect for outdoor adventures.
By having an offline map, you can be sure that you will be in your desired location at all times. It will save you the headache of asking for directions.
Be cautious using free Wifi
We know, while on a trip we are always excited to hop on social media and post photos to update our friends. You might be tempted to use the free WiFi for your social media escapade but free WiFi does not always mean it is free from the catch. You can never be too safe, so just be cautious when using the free wifi.
No public wi-fi is totally secure. If your wi-fi connection isn't encrypted, others using wi-fi in your area may be able to monitor information passing between your device and the network. Here are some ways to stay safe:
- Avoid sensitive transactions like banking
- Maintain anti-virus protection
- Install a trusted VPN app
- Keep software updated
- Have strong passwords
Dress Accordingly
It is always a smart choice to dress appropriately. Make sure that your clothes will match the destination and the activities that you will be doing.
For example, you should wear casual clothes if you are going to walk a lot. e.g. not high heels at all! And if you're going somewhere cold, maybe you should skip the tank top and the shorts and opt for a coat and jeans. Maybe bring a water bottle just to be sure!
Have Fun!
Lastly, make sure to have fun! This is the most crucial aspect of traveling. Ensure that you enjoy every moment of it because you will look back and remember the good stuff. You would not want to spend tons of money just to be stressed out, right? The smart thing to do is to enjoy your time off work and relax! Follow all of these tips and tricks on your next journey and notice how hassle-free it will be.
The Sunshine State is one place on Earth where you can enjoy a family getaway whenever, wherever. Your kid's heart will be filled with joy and their minds instilled with knowledge after taking a long winding plunge in the tropical landscape of Florida. For additional tips on how to enjoy vacations with kids check out our article on family travel secrets.
Stay well, be well and stay social.
