If you’ve got a trip coming up, then you’ve come to the right place. Preparing for a trip can be one of the most stressful things you do. But below we have some advice for stressed out trip goers that can help things run much smoother and not leave you needing a vacation from your vacation.
Packing light is key to making your travels as easy and free of stress as possible. Bring one carry on bag that includes everything you need, not necessarily everything you want. If traveling to cold weather, bring smaller clothes to create layers rather than big, space-consuming coats and sweaters. Your smart packing will pay off when you are happily carrying one bag around on vacation instead of lugging around multiple bags.
Before leaving on a trip, it is vital to make sure that all of your documentation is up to date. This includes identification such as your driver’s license and passport, any necessary immunization or medical records, and credit or bank cards. This way you will not run into any problems when making purchases or during your travels regarding non-matching ID.
When traveling it can make a big difference to travel when it is not a holiday or popular vacation time. If one goes on a time that is unlikely to be a popular vacation time they can avoid many hassles. There will be less crowds and waits for attractions. One can have a much more relaxed time.
Ask family and friends for suggestions on places you should visit when trying to plan your next vacation. Often times they will not only be able to give you good suggestions for places that you should go, they can also steer you away from places that they didn’t have such a good time.
If you’re worried about travelling alone, especially if you’re a female, you should consider taking some self-defense classes before you go. This way you can learn basic ways to get away from a mugger or rapist in the event that you need to. Most areas have a few schools that teach self-defense at reasonable rates.
Check prices directly with your hotel or airline company to save money on your trip. Although it is often small, some search engine sites add a fee to their rates. To avoid the fee, check the airline website directly or give the hotel a call for their rates. You will typically find that the rates are lower when you book directly.
If you’re going on a road trip with kids, try bringing some cookie sheets along with you. They’re great to use as lap trays for eating in the car. The having the edges curved up with prevent any spills too and they’re easy to clean off quickly. You can also flip them over and the kids can use them as desks for coloring, writing, or playing a game.
Use rubber bands when packing. Many people already roll their clothes when packing their luggage for a trip. It saves a ton of space. To save even more space, wrap a rubber band around these rolled clothes. It will allow you to pack more into the same space and ensure that they do not unroll during the trip.
The advice “don’t drink the water” if you travel to a foreign country is, unfortunately, accurate. However, you can also have intestinal upsets any time you drink water from a place other than where you live, even in the U.S. That’s because the bacterial flora that live in your gut (intestinal tract) are very sensitive to the composition of your own water, in your own area. It takes them a while to get used to water from elsewhere, and in the meantime, they want to push that unfamiliar water right through. So until you get used to the local water, wherever you are, sip slowly or stick with bottled H20.
Many coffee drinkers have noticed that making coffee with tap water from the hotel produces a less-than-delicious brew. Rather than using tap water, melt some ice from the ice machines. The machines use only filtered water, which makes it far more ideal for brewing coffee and which won’t turn your stomach.
When buying airline tickets, purchase them as far in advance as possible. Two months in advance is when the cheapest flights are available through the airlines. If you know you are traveling for the holidays, it is especially important to buy your airline tickets as early as you can to get the cheapest tickets.
Going online when making your vacation plans is the easiest and most cost effective way to get what you want. Travel websites can assist you in the planning of your trip’s itinerary. Many of these sites enable you to simultaneously book your flight, lodgings and a rental car. All major travel websites have images of the hotels in their listings. They also include ratings and reviews by users who have stayed at the hotels. These websites also include special deals when your flight and hotel are booked together in a single package. They also offer discounts when vacancy is high or when you are traveling at the last minute.
Reviews that are online are quite helpful but they are not always 100% reliable. Read between the lines to get a better idea if the person who has written the review is being persnickety or if they actually had a bad experience in the place you are researching. You may find other reviewers that say that it was a lovely time there.
Hopefully at least some of these tips will be helpful for you on your upcoming vacation. While each tip may not work for every person and every vacation, you should now be armed with some extra knowledge to make things run a lot smoother and help you avoid any problems.
