Despite what you may think, how good your travel preparation is, it’s always good to do a recheck. If you are planning to go on a trip, here are 19 things that you should know to have better and successful traveling experiences.
Traveling is the most beautiful experience you can have, but it can turn into a nightmare if you don’t do it in the right way. With proper planning, you can make it an enjoyable and memorable one.
When I completed my first few trips, I wish I had known these 19 things that I am aware of now.
1. Willing and ready to adopt travel habits
When you first plan to travel to a new destination, you must prepare yourself for a different environment. I have been traveling on the road for more than 07 years. And, by now, I have realized that I can’t wait for more than three months for my next travel.
In the past few years, I have noticed that I am evolving as a better person day by day while traveling. The first thing, you must know before starting your life as a traveler is to develop a practice to adopt some travel habits.
Few travel habits that you can adopt for a better life on-the-road are:
- Be a morning person to enjoy the morning life of that place.
- Being on-the-road is a real challenge that requires physical efforts. Stay Active.
- Pay attention to what you’re eating and enjoy local fresh fruits and food.
- Learn to travel with an open mind and explore.
- Don’t use your phone and social apps too much, believe in face-to-face interactions.
2. How to pick your destination
As you have realized that travel experiences are important to give your life a new direction, you can decide where you want to go for a trip. But, it is not good to pick your destination randomly.
Your travel budget and time will undoubtedly play a crucial role in your decision-making process. You can choose your destination depending upon your interest and travel mode. Are you going on a solo trip or have you everything organized and planned by a trip planner? Are you planning to go on an adventurous trip or for relaxation?
Start thinking about the kind of trip you are planning to experiences so that it can be easier for you to choose the destination you would like to travel to.
3. How to stay safe while traveling
Proper preparation is essential for a secured trip before you leave your home. I never had encountered serious problems of theft or snatching during my travel but it’s important not to be careless.
Nothing can ruin your trip as quickly as being injured, robbed, or scams. From my experience, I can say that the world is certainly a safe place for traveling. But, remaining careful and attentive to potential dangers is necessary to get the most out of your travel plans. Before stepping out, make sure that you have updated your emergency contact list that you may require in emergencies. There are many other safety measures and guidelines that you must update yourself before traveling.
4. Things to keep in mind while planning your trip
There are various things to keep in mind when you are planning your trip. If you don’t do your research about the place you are going to visit, it may result in a disappointing trip. Also, consider your health before planning your trip to the mountains or seas. If you are having any asthmatic problem, it may not be a good idea for you to plan for Ladakh.
If you belong to the Jain community or pure vegetarian, do your research and mark those places where you can eat at in the city you are going to explore.
5. Before You Leave Plan your itinerary
For an organized trip, you can prepare your itinerary. I have prepared my itinerary list several times. It’s not an easy task but with an itinerary in your hand, you can enjoy your trip without any travel woes. Make the list of major dates, events, and tourist places you are planning to visit in a priority-based manner. Check your dates and events from the website to avoid visiting the place when it is closed.
6. Check and update your travel documents
When you wish and plan to travel to any country, you will need some basic travel documents at the time of travel. These basic documents are required for identification purposes. Basic documents include your Passport, Visa (if required), Identity Card, a valid ticket, etc.
Before leaving your doorstep to board on the flight, make sure that you do the last check and confirm that you are carrying your travel documents.
7. Avoid overpacking while traveling
As a traveler, you should at least know the difference between packing to travel with comfort and overpacking. Don’t be too harsh on your shoulders and back. By avoiding packing your entire wardrobe, you can enjoy a comfortable trip. Proper packing of your travel bags gives you freedom and easiness in moving from one to another.
Choose your travel bag smartly to avoid overpacking. Make a list of selected items you think you will need for the trip. Then, try to reconsider carrying those items, remove which is manageable. While packing your travel bag, use the rolling method and organizers.
Pack less even if you are going for a long-term journey or a week vacation. Just 6 sets of clothes can make 16 unique outfits which are enough for days and months’ long trip.
Think again before packing more than 2 pairs of travel shoes. 2 pairs of travel shoes is a good quantity to pack for any kind of trip. For general use, you might need a pair of flip flops or sandals too. You can carry one.
Don’t pack those items which you think belong to the “Just in case” category. Pack items based on your travel absolute needs and priority basis.
8. Fix your travel budget, but stay ready for splurges
While planning your trip, you should know the pros and cons of the travel budget. Make sure you check with your savings and income before you decide to travel without a budget. However, traveling without a budget is never a good idea. You may end up spending more than necessary.
9. Don’t let anyone wander near your bags while you are on the move
Whether you travel with a regular backpack, duffel, or any other luggage, you will find that most bags have uncovered zipper lines that can be tempered easily. If you are planning to leave your valuable items unattended, then you should consider the safety measures to keep them safe. You can wrap up your travel bag or can consider traveling with carry-on bags only. Also, prefer buying travel insurance for a safer side.
10. Before leaving, check you IDs
Before you fly, make two copies of your documents. Keep one copy at your home and one with your travel agent or friend. Make sure to have soft copies uploaded on your secured drive. Valid National Passport and photo identity issued to your Government is necessary to travel or book your air tickets and accommodation. Travel documents are also required to book your activities during the trip.
11. Carry your favorite book or music player with you
Sometimes you may plan a vacation or trip to take a break from your hectic routine. Traveling fills up with excitement right from the beginning. Moreover, traveling with certain things along with you adds a cool element in your travel experiences.
Travel gadgets like a camera, your power banks, headphones, music player with updated tracks are common electronic gadgets that almost every traveler carries. You can some other travel gadgets such as Kindle if you love to read while traveling. You can also add a water purifying bottle or Milton water bottles.
For a traveler, staying connected with friends and family is important while passionate travel bloggers keep on updating their websites and social media platform as they travel. Although it is a better choice to disconnect from the online world while you are on trips, it is not possible to stay away from social media. Consider carrying a portable internet device with you. It is handy and you share your travel photos with your online friends. Above all, you can stay connected with your urgent mails and reply with priority.
With the growing digital market and sharing trends, it’s no secret that when you travel you would like to make good videos and take pictures for sharing and showing. You can also consider adding Gimbal in your cool travel gadgets list to carry while traveling.
When you are on-the-road
12. Have some time to stay in fewer places longer than others
Sometimes it is possible to cover more than 15-20 tourist places on a One-day trip, but some destinations need more than weeks to explore them. If you are not planning to travel to many destinations in a short time, extend your vacation to enjoy those places that you are interested in.
13. Keep yourself ready for unexpected events
It is the unexpected things that make the travel exciting. You may encounter unexpected events, either in a good or bad way. However, you can always minimize the impact of such events with good preparation. Prior planning is always necessary for good traveling experiences. But, it is not good to have too many expectations for the travel plans.
So, before you step out for a journey, prepare yourself to deal with surprises and unexpected events. What steps do you take to cope up in such situations?
If I share my ways to deal with such situations, I will advise you not to panic or get stressed or angry. There are people out there who find it difficult to face negative experiences.
You may be in a situation like unexpected flight delays, losing money, or misplaced travel documents. What you can do?
The best way is to have an acknowledgment that unexpected events are part of life. All you can have is a positive attitude and an alternative plan, in case your plan doesn’t work out as expected. Wait for some time before concluding. Traveling means remaining focused on the present and learning the most from it that you can for further travel plans.
14. Eat locally with awareness to the quality of your meals
Relax, I am not asking you to cut on your favorite Burger or Pizza. But, it is great to taste the food of the land. If you are traveling to Mumbai and avoiding Vada Pav, are you traveling Mumbai?
Don’t miss the local taste while traveling. It’s easy to get used to street food that you eat in your native place or the meals you eat at home. But, consider if you continue eating in the same meals, won’t it kill the entire thrill of the traveling to a new destination.
A smart traveler keeps “Staying healthy and keep traveling” as one of his travel goals. I understand that it can be tough to maintain your diet while traveling on-the-road.
Traveling is also considered as having experiences of local flavor. If you pay attention to the daily diets of the locals, you will find that their diet is full of fiber-rich vegetables, and healthy foods.
While I am talking about eating locally, don’t ignore your water consumption. Always carry a reusable water bottle and use it at frequent intervals.
15. Carry a diary to use as a travel journal
Traveling has the potential to give you exposure and learning of new cultures and different perspectives. It also provides you unique experiences. Traveling makes you forget your comfort zone and discover the real skills within you. While traveling, you get an opportunity to develop your perspective towards the world.
By having a travel diary along with you while traveling, you can keep all those new experiences and learn in one place where you can refer back anytime.
A travel diary provides you many benefits while traveling. You can note down the things that you want to do and experience from a trip. It can also be used to note down the things and places you do or visit. Use it to write down on observations while exploring new places about customs, culture, and people.
Write down your good or bad experiences, your ups and downs during the trip. At the end of one trip, you can mention where you want to go next. If you are not in the habit of writing a travel journal, start by writing one. It may also be helpful at the time when you made up your mind to be a travel blogger.
16. Stay ready for adventures and participating in events
Without adventure, while you are enjoying on-the-road life, traveling is not going to give you its greatest result. If you are ready to participate in events and enjoy the adventures, you can easily enjoy the travel the way you planned it.
With an adventurous journey comes health benefits such as mental and physical health. But, before you indulge yourself in any adventure, make sure that you have good health. It is good to consult your physician before going on a trip. Take necessary precautions if you have any health issues and participate in adventurous activities with safety measures.
17. Capture the moments, but avoid overdoing it
Traveling adds color, exciting moments, and adventurous activities in life. You will feel like capturing those moments and share them with your social media friends. A travel blogger needs to take photos and make videos while traveling.
Before you step out to travel, make sure you have multiple memory cards, portable backup devices, extra battery, and cloud storage facilities with you.
It happens that like me you may be shooting from your smartphone too. In such cases, do backup your photos on cloud or transfer in your laptop for keeping them safe.
Always remember that your travel blog, Instagram, and Facebook all are important but don’t forget to enjoy your trip. Prefer just enjoying the beauty of a place or moment rather than capturing it.
18. Manage your Credit Cards
In the excitement of travel planning and packing, if you miss calling your credit card company, there’s a good chance that your card may get blocked. Let know your credit card companies that you are traveling outstation. Also, you can inquire if there is any promotional offer running on your card for bookings of tickets and accommodation.
19. Don’t miss the travel insurance
You can opt for budgeted traveling insurance from the market. Mostly, having travel insurance is mandatory for those travelers who are traveling outside the country. Learn more in details about the travel insurance you plan to buy.
These are the 19 selected things that should be considered before starting your life as a traveler. And I always keep these points in my checklist while planning for the next trip.
If you want to add some insights to this article, feel free to write your thoughts in the comments box. Bon Voyage!
