Travelling Tips
Most people aren’t born savvy travelers. It’s something that only comes with on-the- road experience. In the beginning, you make a lot of travel mistakes.
Travel savvies are a process born of missed buses, foolish behavior, cultural unawareness, and countless tiny errors. Then, one day, you begin to seamlessly move through airports and integrate yourself into new cultures like a fish to water.
Some of these travel mishaps can be avoided and some of them are just a part of traveling. You simply cannot plan for everything. However, keeping a few important things in mind will make your travels much easier.
I’ve gathered the best travel tips and tricks to help you save money, avoid mistakes, and travel like a pro!
Be Flexible
We always plan for delays and try not to get upset when things inevitably go wrong. Patience is extremely important when traveling!
Make a List
About a week or so before each trip, make a mental list of items you don’t want to forget — endeavor to note them down which may lead to forgetfulness if you don’t write them down. I’ve learned that when I think of something, I need to write it down.
Make Extra Copies of Your Passport and Important Documents
Don’t forget to e-mail a copy to yourself too. You never know when you might need to have some sort of documentation with you and might not want to carry your original. Additionally, if your passport gets stolen having a copy will come in handy for your police report.
Vaccinations and Immunizations
Before you begin traveling another thing that you’ll want to consider is whether you’re up to date on certain vaccinations and/or immunizations: MMR, Tetanus, Polio, etc. Then there are other vaccinations and immunizations you’ll want to have as a preventative measure. Some countries require proof of certain immunizations when entering the country. This is necessary if it’s a high-risk area for certain diseases. An example of this is yellow fever, which is a mosquito-borne viral disease, so if you’re traveling to countries in South America or Africa, this may be a vaccine you want to get whether it’s required by that country or not.
Find the Cheapest Flights
International flights don’t have to be expensive if you use the right websites and book enough in advance to get a good deal. Also, if you have some flexibility when traveling, you can also save yourself some money.
When booking flights, sometimes it is cheaper to fly into airports close to your final destination, and then take a train or bus to where you need to go. Be sure to shop around your flight and know that direct isn’t always the cheapest route.
Here are some tips to use when searching for flights:
- Search for flights at least 1-4 months out. This is normally when you’ll see the best prices for tickets.
- Set up fare alerts if you have months before your scheduled trip. This will allow you to receive notifications when deals become available.
- Use better travel search engines: Sky scanner, Google Flights,
- Don’t be afraid to use budget airlines. This is another great way to save on travel. Trip Savvy has a very up-to-date list of budget airlinesfrom all over the world.
- If you can fly during the week, you can usually find cheaper rates during the week than on flying on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
- Flights at inconvenient times may be more difficult to make but they’re usually cheaper, so take the 6am trip and know that extra $20 will contribute to another flight one day.
Find Cheap Accommodation
Once you’ve decided on where you want to go, now is the time to start deciding where you want to stay. Depending on how long you plan to travel, hotels can get a bit pricey once you start adding on all the taxes and fees.
If you’re fine with sacrificing luxury for affordability, stay in hostels. If you’re eager to meet people from all over the world and have an epic time, DEFINITELY stay in hostels.
I can’t stress enough how amazing hostels are, though I was a bit nervous to stay in one at first. Everyone has this image of hostels being sketchy, dirty dorm rooms where people steal your things, but this is rarely the case.
Part of choosing your accommodations are deciding what kind of experience you want to have on your trip. If a nice hotel stays with maid service every day and room service is what you’re looking for then use sites like: booking.com, Agoda or hotels.com to find a good deal on a hotel room.
Learn Basic Phrases in the Native Language of Your Destination
The locals will appreciate it and it will make your interactions easier. You don’t need to master the language but learning a few things like “Hello,” “Goodbye,” “Thank you!”, “Where’s the bathroom?” will go a long way to endearing yourself with the locals.
Travel Does Not Have to Stop Once You Have Kids
There are three key essentials to having a stress free family vacation. 99% of the time your child will be irritated, cranky or screaming because they are either:
- Tired
Provide enough opportunities for them to rest, and an environment for them to get a good night sleep.
- Bored
Choose a kid-friendly destination that has enough activities to keep them occupied, and bring along a few home comforts such as a stuffed toy, reading books, or activity packs which can be a lifesaver on flights and road trips.
- Hungry
Pack enough healthy snacks to keep them satisfied, especially on flights, buses and road trips. Long road trips or flights can leave kids feeling cranky and hungry.
When eating out, go out for breakfast or lunch as we find it easier to handle than dinner as they tend to be cheaper and more casual affairs.
A hungry or tired kid is a grumpy kid, much like me actually!
Plan It Together
Sit down with all members of your family and talk about your trip.
The best way to get your kids interested and excited is to have them involved in the travel planning process.
Talk about:
- How many days will your trip be?
- What types of places will you visit: beaches, mountains, big cities, small towns?
- Do you want relaxation or adventure?
- When will the trip start?
Memorable trips are those where each member of your family gets to experience something they love.
Grab a few brochures or travel magazines and flick through the colorful pages. Everyone gets to choose a destination and activity they’d like to see and do.
Go through the list as a family, discuss the pros and cons of each and vote.
Next, jump online or on the floor with a big paper map and plot out your basic route with a highlighter, leaving room for flexibility.
When you plan a trip it’s important you choose a destination and activities that suit the interests of all family members. If your kids (or you) are bored or dislike a place it’s not the recipe for a memorable vacation.
Put Electronics, Medications, Toothbrush, and an Extra Pair Of Underwear in Your Carry-On
A few important items should always go in your carry-on. A swimsuit is also a good idea if you are going on a beach vacation. You can buy most of these things if your bag gets lost, but having them in your carry-on will save you money and time if your luggage gets lost in transit.
When to Go
December to April is the best time to visit the Caribbean, with hurricane season over and the wet season yet to start. Expect temperatures of around 30°C year-round.
Temperatures in Indian Ocean destinations stay fairly constant too – think lows of 26°C and highs of 30°C – but the Maldives get their best weather between December and April.
The situation is similar in Thailand. Bali’s dry season coincides with British spring and summer, so head there in May, June or September to avoid the crowds. Temperatures in Bali dip to around 22°C at night all year, making it a more comfortable option for restless sleeping, in May you can expect daytime highs of 28°C.
To keep your baby cool, make sure they’re drinking plenty of fluids. Not all toddlers are big water-drinkers, so offer snacks like cucumber and watermelon. Air conditioning is a good idea, if available, as hot weather can make napping more difficult.
SUMMARY
Travel is full of major decisions — like which country to visit, how much to spend, and when to stop waiting and finally make that all-important airfare purchase. But beyond the big picture, it’s the little things that can make a trip easier and less stressful.