Regardless of whether you are traveling to a nearby location for the weekend or taking a week-long destination vacation, you are always going to benefit from some tips and ideas on how to make the whole process, more fun and less stressful. Keep reading for those tips and more.
Don’t over-schedule your vacation. While it is important to plan some activities, especially ones which require tickets or additional travel, leave yourself plenty of free time. There is no better way to see a location than to just wander around. Take the time to explore and see where you end up.
Pack an extra bag for dirty clothes. No one wants to pack their dirty unmentionables in with all their nice things. Pack a small, collapsible bag to pack dirty clothes in for the return trip. Alternatively, bring a garbage bag. You can wrap dirty clothes in the garbage bag to keep them separate from everything else.
For more exciting, memorable travel experiences, consider cutting down your budget. Traveling on a shoestring, exposes you to novel situations and will show you people and places that you might otherwise miss. Restricting your spending to bare minimums will allow you to get a realistic impression of the way locals live, at your chosen travel destination.
Request samples online. Instead of paying for miniature travel-size versions of all your toiletry items, do an online search for free samples. Companies regularly offer samples of new products that will be mailed right to your home. Request everything from toothpaste to shampoo to cosmetics and keep a small stash in your travel bag so you are ready for your next trip.
Locate a restaurant near your hotel if you plan to stay longer than overnight. While many hotels have restaurants built right in, such eateries will be sad, generic affairs offering little to remember. By finding a local restaurant within easy travel distance you will gain access to a little bit of local color.
Before you leave home, make multiple copies of your travel documents. Store these in separate bags. It may also be a good idea to scan them onto a flash drive, and carry it with you. Emailing them to yourself can be another method. Make sure you have several backups. You do not want to get stuck in a foreign country!
Read the fine print on all travel purchases you make. This ensures you will always get treated fairly. For example, sometimes airlines try to tell you they can not change your flight, but their contract often states that they can. Companies try to hide this information from you because they want more of your money. Be a prepared consumer so that businesses will not be able to take advantage of you.
If a hotel charges for internet access, ask for a room on a lower floor. Sometimes you will get lucky and be able to snag wireless capabilities from nearby cafes or lobbies. The bottom floor is the best to be able to do this, but it is not unheard of to be able to reach it from the second floor.
If you’re going on a road trip, bring an extra gallon of water with you. While you may think to bring bottled water, you probably wouldn’t think of bringing a jug. A gallon of water can be useful for brushing your teeth, washing sticky stuff off your hands, etc. You never know when you may need to wash your hands and not be close to a rest stop or worse, to be near a disgusting rest stop.
If you are traveling abroad, it’s a wise idea to sign up with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), a free government service for citizens of the United States who live in a foreign country or are planning to visit one. Providing STEP with your contact information and some details on your trip allows them to contact you in the event of an emergency and to advise you of travel warnings and alerts.
Want to relax early in the morning when you travel? Check the alarm clock as soon as you check in. Often the alarm was set by a previous guest, or possibly even the hotel staff. Not checking it can mean a six a.m. wake-up when you’re hoping to sleep until eight.
If you are traveling overseas, find out whether the country you are in, offers a menu of the day. This option introduces you to inexpensive food, that is native to the area that you are visiting. Most menus have several courses that even include a glass or a bottle of wine. You can save a tremendous amount of money, eating out this way.
Traveling with a pet means you must prioritize the pet in all conversations and reservations. You need to bring proper vaccination records for your pet and you will also want to inquire about regulations regarding pets with any hotel, car rental agency and any other facility your pet may be using/visiting with you.
Great deals that are available are in many cases limited. You can sign up to receive emails from different companies to find out as soon as the deal is offered so you can get first dibs on these deals. Sign up for these emails for your favorite hotels, rental cars, airlines and many other activities that can be done on vacation.
There is a lot of world to see, both in our own backyards and around the world. Exploring these places is great fun and should be a source of relaxation. The tips and suggestions in this article, are meant to make your trips more enjoyable and less stressful when you set off for your travel destination.
