Traveling is supposed to be fun, but many people lose this basic fact from sight. They try to get the most out of their travel. They make a list that they want to cross the numbers off, make as many Instagram posts as possible, and see the traveling as a chore. Others just tend to complicate things unnecessarily. To avoid these negative behaviors, here are the top seven tips to help you travel more comfortably than ever.
1. Learn how to pack more lightly
When you start packing more lightly, you’ll carry less weight on your trips, have fewer things you can lose or misplace, and generally increase your overall traveling organization.
The easiest way to pack more lightly is to learn how to prioritize. Now, some people research to get all the answers. In an ideal world, you use personal experience as a guiding beacon. Still, if you don’t have personal experience, the experiences of others can be just as useful. So, start looking for travel blogs and guides to find answers.
When prioritizing, one of the best tips you could ever receive is to make a list and ask yourself – if I was one slot short, which of these items would I leave behind? Then, reduce one more item. This battle-royale type of elimination system is quite effective when trying to prioritize.
There are also so many items you can buy on location, which means that carrying them (even if it is a bit cheaper) isn’t worth it.
2. Organize a less tight schedule
One of the reasons why people are the most under stress while traveling is because they know that the trip has a finite duration, and they try to cram as many activities as possible to get the most out of it. This means that they’re constantly stressed because they’re behind schedule.
They usually have no time to rest before heading to the next location, which makes them even more tired. Now, being sleep-deprived and tired ruins your fun. If you take some time to rest, everything will look, feel, and taste better. This is important for your safety and well-being.
You also want to give yourself more time for spontaneous actions and exploration. The last thing you want is to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because you’re rushing to the next checkpoint on your itinerary. Traveling is not supposed to be a race; a travel itinerary should be a general guideline, not a to-do list. This robs your trip of all the fun.
3. Keep some habits from back home
The best way to avoid being consumed by nostalgia or feeling lost is to keep some habits from back home. For instance, you should still be talking to people you regularly talk to. Chances are that the majority of these conversations take place via social media messaging services and IM tools, so it makes no difference.
Now, geo-restrictions are a serious concern, and if you’re used to some platforms, you might not have access to them abroad. The best way to go around this restriction is to find a good VPN for Android or your iPhone and start using it. Not only will this unlock these restrictions, but it will also increase your cybersecurity.
The last thing you need to keep in mind is that there are some habits that you can maintain if you just make an effort. Sure, it will be harder to keep the same diet in a culture that focuses on different nutrients, but even if you have to make small adjustments, it’s usually worth it.
4. Use travel apps
Travel apps are all-in-one tools for the information you need at the target destination. They’re a navigation and review site in one.
At the same time, there are many other apps that you should still try/use while traveling. For instance, navigation and offline maps are great when knowing an unknown location because they minimize the risk of getting lost. Getting lost is not just a security hazard; it also wastes time.
Then, there are the translation apps that you should seriously consider using. After all, you’re traveling to a new and exciting location, and you can’t expect all the locals to be proficient in English. Sure, translation apps may not be 100% accurate, but they’re more than good enough when translating simple phrases.
When in a new and exciting location, you’ll know little about the local reputation of businesses. This is why databases like Google My Business and Yelp are so helpful. They allow you to do a quick reputation check on these businesses.
5. Research your target location
Previously, we spoke against being too strict when planning your trip. The thing is that you want to explore things and don’t want to be too restricted. However, every place has unique possibilities that are easy to miss. For instance, to make the most of your Hawaiian adventure, you need to see your available options.
Then, if you plan to explore on foot, it would be wise to check the reputation of the neighborhood you plan to visit. In your home town, you know exactly which areas are unsafe, but it will not be so easy to tell in a different region.
6. Sample the local culture
One of the most important things any traveler should remember is that people make the culture. This is why you need to mingle with locals, make local friends, and generally try to emulate their behavior and habits.
First, you should eat where locals eat. There are a lot of restaurants that greatly profit from tourists and prepare meals that they’re adjusting to the cosmopolitan zeitgeist. The foods that locals eat are usually different (more authentic). You’ll probably be able to tell the difference, for instance, between Hawaiian food in Hawaii and that at your local Hawaiian restaurant.
No matter where you go, you should probably sample some of the nightlife if you’re outgoing. Now, unless you do some research, this could be a hit or miss. In other words, having a good time is one of the most subjective things ever. This is why, even if a place has all the recommendations in the world, you won’t know until you sample it yourself.
7. Take care of your budget
You must manage your budget while traveling, which can be a serious problem. First of all, there’s a lack of predictability regarding your daily spending. You won’t eat the same meal every day; you’ll get to pay a lot of tickets and passes and buy souvenirs whose prices would be completely random and arbitrary.
To make things even more difficult, you’ll have to deal in a foreign currency. Even if the conversion is not that hard, from a psychological standpoint, it will be really hard to evaluate instantly whether something’s overpriced or underpriced.
The simplest way to handle these things is to get a budgeting app. Some budgeting apps are developed for travelers, meaning they have an automatic conversion. This is especially important for those who travel for work since they must justify their expenses to the accounting.
Even being good/efficient at traveling is a skill that you can improve in
In the end, traveling is an activity, but being good at traveling is a skill. By learning how to organize while away, spend smarter, and get the most out of any destination, you’ll be much better at traveling. This maximizes your experience and minimizes your problems. It’s a clear and undeniable win-win scenario.
