Traveling is meant to be a relaxing vacation, but without proper planning, travel can make you more stressed than your normal daily life. This article has easy to follow tips on how to make any kind of traveling fun, simple and stress free. Be prepared before you leave, by reading this advice.
Before you go on a trip, ask around for tips from friends and family. See who has been there before and/or what they’d recommend you either visit or avoid. Are there particular restaurants, sights, or shows you should see? You can also check out sites on the internet that provide advice from fellow travelers.
As an important safety measure before leaving on a trip one should always tell a close friend or family member when they plan on returning and any other key information about the trip. By doing this one is guaranteeing that someone will know something is wrong when nobody shows up on the expected date.
If you are traveling light and planning to wash laundry as you go, use your daily shower as an opportunity to wash your underwear and even your lightweight shirt. It only takes a few moments and prevents you from building up a pile of laundry that needs to be washed all at once.
When selecting luggage, pay attention to the ease of carrying it over long distances. A rugged metal rolling suitcase is usually ideal. Some rolling bags even have straps that allow them to be worn as a backpack through areas where you can’t roll them. You and your luggage will be walking longer distances than you think.
If you know you have to fly, do yourself a favor and wear shoes requiring minimal effort to take off. Don’t pick that day to wear your eyelet wingtips with hard-to-tie laces. Women can wear clogs or slip-ons; men should choose a casual shoe style that can be easily slipped on and off with one hand.
You always want to make sure there is a barf bag accessible to you. People can become nauseous and throw up at the drop of a dime on an airplane. Even if you are not feeling ill, you never know how the person sitting next to you is going to react to the turbulence.
A lot of hotels offer discounted rates to locals, especially during the off-season. If you’re going somewhere where you have family or friends, you should have them ask about a local discount. If there is one, you can have them book the hotel for you and save yourself some money!
Don’t hoard your frequent flyer miles. It’s hard to know if those miles will be worth anything in the future, especially since many frequent flyer programs expire miles if they have not been used in eighteen months. If you don’t want to use them on flights, most programs also offer magazine subscriptions and product discounts.
If you travel with multiple people, distribute everyone’s items across multiple suitcases. Usually every person has their own suitcase, but by packing each one with a little of everyone’s items, you can be sure that nobody will be left without all of their belongings if one of the bags is lost.
When you are traveling by cruise ship, bring a carry-on bag with you that has your swimsuit in it. Most people like to immediately check out the pool or the hot tub, but it can take a while for your suitcases to arrive in your room. A carry-on bag with a few items in it allows you to begin experiencing the fun right away.
If you are trying out a new restaurant during your travels, watch how the other patrons act. They can give you clues as to how to eat unusual dishes or which condiments to use on your food. This is particularly helpful when eating overseas, where the food is probably very different from what you are used to.
When traveling by bus, make sure to check the bus company’s luggage policy. Many companies have a limit on how many bags you can bring with you, and how much these bags weigh. By finding out how much you can bring with you, you can avoid unnecessary delays at the bus station.
When you enter your hotel room, check for bed bugs. Even though this is probably the last thing on your mind, it is an important factor. These pesky bugs can get into your luggage and attach themselves to your belongings, meaning you can end up bringing them home with you.
Make sure that your passport is current and is not going to expire during your travels. If it is getting close to expiring you will need to apply for a new one. This process could take some time to get through and so you should apply for one three to four months prior to your travel date.
A great travel tip if you’re planning on going for a cruise is to ask to get a map of the ship. There are so many different levels and areas on cruise ships that it can get really easy to get lost. Having a map handy can keep you from getting lost.
If you are traveling overseas, purchase a local newspaper to wrap the souvenirs up in that you buy for family and friends. Foreign newspapers make an interesting and unique wrapping paper for small gifts, especially if the newspaper is in a foreign language. If you know someone that is particularly interested in the country you are visiting, consider buying them a whole newspaper as a souvenir.
If you follow the helpful tips in this article, you will find that traveling does not have to be stressful. There are many simple ways to make sure everything is taken care of before you leave, so your time away from home will be more relaxing than you can imagine.
