To have a successful and a good trip, it needs to be planned well in advance. Little details need to be focussed on, so that there is very little room for anything to go wrong. Even though no trip can be 100 percent safety proof, but enough can be done to make sure that your best trip turn into your worst nightmare. So here is how you can save yourself from making these unfortunate mistakes.
1. Carrying Extra Cash
While travelling, many people like to carry extra cash, just so that you don’t run out during the time of need; which is fair too. But carrying extra cash means being more careful to manage it. Specially when travelling abroad. That means not keeping all of it at one place, distributing it well. This makes your wallet unnecessarily thicker. The easiest way is to carry Forex cards. A lot of companies now offer zero fee for transactions. And if you lose the card, you don’t lose digital money, but if you lose cash, then that cannot be retrieved.
2. Carrying Bags And Baggage Upto Full Capacity
There is no point in carrying bags upto full capacity. Carry bare minimum essentials and keep some room for things that you can buy. When travelling to winter destinations, many of us, carry jackets, muffles and pullovers. In fact, it would be better if you buy woollens from the same destination that you are travelling to, because there is a possibility that you might find a good deal, and you can buy something that can be discarded after 3-4 days of use. You don’t have to pay excess baggage fee and will have room to shop at the Duty Free too!
3. Staying In The Outskirts To Save Money
One of the biggest mistakes that travellers make is booking accommodation on the outskirts of the city. What many people do not realise is that what you save on the room cost, you end up paying for that in transport. The right accommodation in the heart of the city can be well within your budget. This would make ‘places to see’ even more accessible. You wouldn’t end up spending much money on cabs and local buses, most of the major attractions will just be a walk away.
4. Paying For Things That You Can Get For Free
If you didn’t know this until now, then this is probably going to save you a lot of money. To explore a place, you don’t necessarily need to always ‘buy a ticket’. There are numerous cities where guides take you on free walking tours. There are multiple museums as well, which you can visit for free, and so many other public places of importance that do not have any entry ticket. Yes, this requires a bit more research but it is worth it.
Also read: 7 Hacks To Have The Ultimate Vacation With Social Distancing
5. Travelling During Off Season
Yes, the best time to travel to a particular destination is during the season. But also travelling to a particular destination during off-season, has its own charm. There are no long queues, gorgeous sites are not crowded by shutterbugs, and you ca actually watch the sun-rise or the sun-set in peace.
6. Not Buying Tickets Online
For many international destinations, it is best to buy tickets for museums or tours that you want to visit, online. This allows you to save time standing in the queues, and simply walk through. Many times, it may happen that you reach the particular spot and the ticket counter would be closed or the tickets would be sold out. That would be a waste of time.
7. Not Interacting With Locals
A lot of times, you will not get all the information about a particular place online. Sometimes, locals can tell you about hidden gems or secret parties that you wouldn’t find any mention of anywhere. In some countries, you might be hesitant to talk to people, in others, gathering the courage to walk up to a stranger to have a chat would really help. If you are stuck and don’t know what to do, you’ll be surprised by a random act of kindness.
Also read: Traveling Internationally: 15 Tips And Tricks For First Time Travelers
8. Packing Up Too Much In The Itinerary
Just because you are travelling for 10 days or more, doesn’t mean that you have to fit everything on your to-do list. The aim should not be to tick-off everything from the list, but to explore and experience every it of it. Therefore, we suggest, make easy itineraries that allow you to make a lot of memories from a particular place. Otherwise, the only thing you will remember, is being in transit.
Make sure you refer to this, the next time you start planning your trip. It will save you a lot of time, effort and money!
First Published: July 08, 2020 2:50 PM