It’s common for people to make a few careless travel mistakes when traveling to unfamiliar places. It happens to everyone. But when you’re in unfamiliar territory, those slip-ups can become expensive mistakes. Here are 15 of the most common travel mistakes. Let’s hope these tips help you avoid turning your good trip into a bad one.
1. Overpacking:
Pack what you need and know you’ll use as a rule of thumb—not what you think you’ll use. Bring along extras of the most essential items to your trip (such as your toothbrush), but don’t bother bringing extras of things that aren’t crucial (such as your nail clippers). Once fully packed, review everything you have and reduce the load a little more by leaving behind any unnecessary items.
2. Passport Issues
When traveling abroad, most of us neglect to check the expiration date on our passports. This is smart because U.S. passports last for 10 years. But what about that foreign country you want to visit? Do they accept a passport that has expired? What about those blank pages? Most countries require at least two blank pages for entry procedures. Check the passport rules for any destination long before the trip begins.
3. Advance Booking
Isn’t it better to book a hotel room in advance and avoid the hassle of not being able to find a hotel room when you arrive? Isn’t it better to get tickets online beforehand, so you don’t have to run around trying to find them in person?
4. Don’t trust locals Easily
Instead of asking one person for directions, ask several. If they all hesitate or look up like searching for an answer, then so should you: accept their help, and look for additional help at the next street.
5. Bargain
Getting a bargain can be great, but it can also be downsides. You probably won’t be glad you booked the cheapest hotel or spent 14 hours on the bus from hell rather than paying for the more expensive but better option. Some things just shouldn’t be done on the cheap.
Also Read: 10 Essential Tips For Planning An Adventure Travel Trip
6. Always Back up Your Travel Pictures
Avoid the heartbreak of losing your pictures by backing up your pictures on a USB drive or cloud storage like iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive regularly. Or host them online on sites like Google Photos, Flickr, and EyeEm, to name a few, or at your own blog’s FTP. Back up more than once to ensure that you don’t lose everything if something happens to your primary source of backups.
7. Consider Low Fare Taxi Rate
The best way to avoid being overcharged for a taxi ride is to ask for the price in advance. Even if you’re sure you won’t be ripped off, asking for the price in advance can save you from being taken advantage of if you get into a taxi without asking for the rate first. Many countries don’t have meters in their taxis, and the price is negotiable if done in advance but exorbitantly expensive if neglected.
8. Buy Travel Insurance
If you’re traveling, it’s worth the extra few dollars to get travel insurance. It gives you peace of mind if something happens (lost baggage, trip delay or cancellation, medical emergency, etc.) while you’re away from home.
9. Notify Your Bank Before You Fly
When traveling abroad, it’s essential to notify your bank that you’ll be making purchases in a foreign currency. This will prevent your bank from putting a hold on your account or preventing any transactions. If your bank suddenly notices foreign transactions, they may put a hold on it as a temporary measure. This is done to avoid credit card fraud. There’s nothing scarier than being locked out of your bank account when you’re in a foreign country without access to cash.
10. Move Away from the Crowd
When you visit a tourist-packed city in the dead of summer, you’re bound to find crowds. Take a walk—six blocks or so—away from Old Town Square, and you’ll find fewer people and better eateries.
Read Also: 10 Best Places To Travel on a Budget in 2020
11. Consider Taking Reusable Water Bottle
When you’re on the go, you need to stay hydrated. A reusable water bottle is one of the most environmentally friendly ways after extensive, hands-on testing on various bottles on the market.
12. Beware of Pickpockets
When you carry expensive gear, use common sense to protect it. If you don’t need to have it with you all the time, lock it in a secure pack and only take it out when you need to use it. People with flashy items in tourist destinations will try to sell you at a meager price, but we highly recommend that you do not engage with such people.
13. Do Your Research
At least do a small Google search before you arrive at your vacation destination. Learn about its exciting history, things to do, and places to see. The more research you do in advance and the more you know, the more chances you have to enjoy your vacation.
14. Pack Your Essentials:
Count and pack your electronics carefully. Consider purchasing a power bank, handsfree, selfie stick, hair dryer, long shoes, warm clothes, probiotics, and a medical kit. Make sure that you have packed all these travel essentials properly.
15. Try to Understand and Do not repeat mistakes
When tourists make mistakes or get ripped off, it is best to move on with their travel experience. The joy of travel is not the sights; it is the process of having fun with people from a wider world, laughing through mistakes, and learning from them.
By avoiding these common travel mistakes, you can stop wasting money, save time, find more rewarding and cheaper travel experiences, get off the beaten path, and be a better traveler. People end up paying more by following the guidebooks and just “clicking and going” when they book online. If you put in some extra work before you book online, you’ll save big and be able to travel longer!
Read Also: 6 Best Free Travel Guides and Why To Choose Them
James is a co-author with one his friends at Travelistia. He loves to write adventure stories and explore adventure filled destinations.