Traveling is exciting and can be a great time for you or one of the biggest headaches you will ever encounter if not done right. Read on for some great ideas on how to travel smart and take care of all the little things that if you don’t, will leave you wishing you stayed home.
If you are planning on spending a large amount of money on your trip or vacation, consider investing a small amount more on travel insurance. It will insure that you are protected in the event that your trip must be canceled due to personal illness, natural disaster, or other uncontrollable events.
Pack an extra bag for dirty clothes. No one wants to pack their dirty unmentionables in with all their nice things. Pack a small, collapsible bag to pack dirty clothes in for the return trip. Alternatively, bring a garbage bag. You can wrap dirty clothes in the garbage bag to keep them separate from everything else.
To save money when booking airline flights, check the round-trip prices — even if you only want to fly one way to a destination. Thanks to quirky airline policies, sometimes it’s less expensive to purchase a round trip to your desired locale than to fly one way. At least if that happens, you can save money by buying the round-trip tickets anyway and simply not take the return flight back.
Before buying a travel guidebook, look online. Much of the information available in expensive guidebooks is also free online. You can print out this information and carry it with you, saving both money and weight in your baggage. This method also allows you to pick and choose which pieces of information are vital for you, and only carry those.
Plan clothing for your trip so that everything can be worn together. This reduces the need to pack individual “outfits” and allows you to plan for the number of days you’ll be traveling. If all of your clothes match, you don’t have to worry about which are clean when you’re doing laundry.
Be careful when getting into a taxi in another country. Do not hop in if you get a bad feeling. It is not hard to put up a taxi sign on a car; if you get into the wrong vehicle, you don’t know where you will end up.
If you will be out of town for a few days or more, consider having someone you know drive by your house occasionally to make sure that everything looks okay. You may also want them to go inside and turn lights on at night. This will let anyone watching know that the house is being cared for.
If you are traveling to an area where the tap water tastes strange to you, try using the hotel ice machines to get your water. The ice machines make use of water filters, so the quality is better but you don’t have to cover the expense of bottled water. This can be used for your coffee maker in the room as well as other drinks.
If you are traveling with other people check and make sure they have everything they need. Sometimes people you are traveling with can remind you of items you may be forgetting to bring. They could also give you some advice on what to bring as they too are probably thinking of what items to bring on the trip.
Keep a rain cost on hand at all times. You never can predict what the weather will do. A great example of making the most of what you have is using a raincoat for cold weather, any rain that arises and even possibly as a bathrobe!
National Parks are usually open all year, but it is best to check with the park you are wanting to visit to confirm that it will be open when you are planning on going. During the summer and winter the parks are generally more popular. If you want to avoid crowds, go in spring or fall.
When you travel by air, pack a few items in your carry on that you will be able to use if your luggage is lost or sent to the wrong location. These items should include a change of underwear, a pair of socks and an easy to pack outfit such as yoga pants and a shirt. This way you will have a back up supply of clothing in the event of mishaps with your luggage.
To exchange currency for traveling abroad, it is best to wait until you are at your destination. International airports will have kiosks to exchange your money for the country’s currency. Exchanging at your own bank often comes loaded with extra charges. Using a credit or debit card abroad incurs high fees as well. Withdraw cash before you travel, and exchange it at the airport before you start your adventures.
To best plan your travel, do research ahead of time. People often read guidebooks, but there is a new spin thanks to the Internet. Check out feedback of local establishments on review sites, search for blog posts on the city you are visiting and read information on travel forums.
Try to be flexible about your travel dates. If you can search for a day before and a day after a particular date, you will likely see that prices can vary. You may save some money by flying out a day earlier or later. These savings could easily add up to well over, a hundred dollars.
Keep your bags on unupholstered furniture to prevent any kind of bed bug infestation. Check the room thoroughly to see if there are any but if you are feeling at all unsure, keep the baggage up. That is the way that the bed bugs are going to hitch a ride back to your home and begin their infestation there.
Hopefully this article has given you some tips and tricks on how to be a wise traveler. In this day and age you really have to keep your eyes open and your wits about you to keep traveling safe and smooth. Check your list before taking off and keep these smart tips in mind.
