In the world of travelling, there are plenty of great resources available to both new and experienced travellers alike. There are many websites, guides, books, videos, and other resources available. This article contains some of the best tips for helping a new traveller become a smart traveller.
The first step is to pick your vacation destination. Then, research your destination. Choose a good map of the area, and pore over the museums, sightseeing destinations and the general region. By studying a map now, navigating your way around will be much easier later.
Always make sure that you have a set location for your important paperwork and documents when travelling. It is easy to lose or misplace these things. Determine a safe pocket or pouch ahead of time, and always take them out and put them back in this same location.
Use plenty of plastic when packing. Putting your clothes, toiletries, and other items in clear plastic bags is always a smart way to pack when travelling. Not only does it help you organize, it also keeps your possessions safe. If the bag should be exposed to the elements on the tarmac, the contents of your bag will stay dry.
Don’t spend your money in local cheap gift shops. Find out what your travel location is famous for, and invest in a quality item or two. While gift shops may be more affordable, they build on the idea that tourists don’t know what they’re buying and take advantage of it. You are usually sold items that are poorly manufactured and are sure to fall apart once you get home. To avoid being swindled by locals, invest in something of quality.
Everyone knows that airplane food is not exactly gourmet. A good tip is to take along your favourite spice or hot sauce and dress up your rather bland meal. It will add that extra kick to your food and will help it go down a little bit easier.
If you’ve ever travelled with young children you’ve undoubtedly been asked far too many times how much further it is. One way of solving this is to get each of the children a map and instruct them how to read it. They’ll be entertained, and you’ll be teaching them a skill that they will use for the rest of their lives!
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.
Even if you don’t have a digital music player, bring headphones on your flight. Many airlines have in-flight entertainment systems that are free to use but require headphones. Instead of paying $5 for the crummy airline headphones, bring your own and enjoy your flight in comfort and style.
When you are travelling, try to pack everything in one carry-on bag. Airlines have started charging for things that they used to include in the price of your ticket, including checked bags, snacks and entertainment. There are two airlines that do not charge you to check bags, but they often have long waits in their baggage areas. You’ll save time and money if you can keep everything in a single bag.
When travelling by car there are many ways to save money. First, pack your car as lightly as possible, this will help save on gas. Next, if you are renting a car for a large group, rent one SUV and it will save on gas and the cost of renting two vehicles. Also, assure your tire pressure is adequate, as this will help to save on gas, too. Last, use your car’s cruise control function as it will run the engine efficiently and is yet another way to save on gas.
You can conveniently create almost all your vacation and travel plans online. You will find that your itinerary will be much easier to plan with the aid of a travel site. While sitting in front of your computer, you can book your flights and your hotels and arrange for rental cars. You can even review pictures and critiques of hotels online. You can also find deals on travel sites, and they often offer great last-minute deals, too.
After reading these tips, you can begin to understand what it takes to become a smarter traveller. There is a lot of information and you need to know how to use it. Keeping that in mind, you can refine your own travelling plans so that you can relax and enjoy your next trip.
