Be Flexible
Plan for delays and try not to get upset when things inevitably go wrong. Patience is extremely important when traveling!
Make a List
About a week or so before each trip, make a mental list of items that you don’t want to forget.
Learn Common Phrases of the Local Language
A simple “Please,” “Thank you,” and “I’m sorry” in the local language goes a long way.
Don’t Forget an Extra Camera Battery (or Two)
Have you ever gotten to that epic sunset photo spot and realized your camera battery is dead and you don’t have a back up? So carry atleast extra camera batteries on all your trips so that you don’t miss out on that perfect shot.
Always Bring a Sarong
Sarongs can be used as a wrap when you are cold, a towel, a curtain, or a piece of clothing that can be worn dozens of different ways.
Always Buy Travel Insurance
A medical emergency can wipe out your savings — or even worse. So, do buy travel insurance.
Make Photocopies of Important Documents
It's always good habit to keep photocopies of certain important documents so that photocopies can be presented if originals are misplaced or lost.
Pre-plan Your Outfits
Before going to travel , plan your dresses what to wear , which suits more for you , comfortable to you and weather too. Thus you can snaps of your favorite and well dressed pictures that are great memories instaed of same black and grey clothes.
Pack essentials in Carry-on
A few important items should always go in your carry-on. A swimsuit is also a good idea if you are going on a beach vacation. You can buy most of these things if your bag gets lost, but having them in your carry-on will save you money and time if your luggage gets lost in transit.
Enquire about the price BEFORE You Take Public Transportation
It’s a good idea to ask about the price before you hop on a bus, guagua, or other form of public transportation.
Stay Hydrated on Planes
It’s fun to get drunk at 30,000 feet, but it’s also much easier to get dehydrated. Staying hydrated — especially on long-haul flights — makes it easier to get over jet lag too.
Put Your Room Number & Hotel Address in Your Phone
Are you the only one who can’t remember my hotel room number?? There has to be others out there like you.
Ask The Locals
You can ask the locals to point to the best restaurants, awesome spots to watch the sunset, the best coffee shops, etc. Doing so,you may lead to some interesting restaurants that wouldn’t have been first choice.
Beware of Free Public WIFI
We should always try to avoid logging into bank accounts or entering any passwords while using free public WIFI at a place like an airport or any unknown or unauthorized locations.
Alert Your Bank and Credit Card Company of Your Travel Plans
This is a great habit to get into if you don’t want your credit card company or bank to put a hold on your card while you are overseas.
Wear Sunscreen
Carry face moisturizer that has SPF. This is just something we do have, but it’s especially important while traveling.
Keep an Open Mind
Don’t judge other customs. You are a visitor. Be respectful.
Leave Room for Spontaneity
Don’t plan your entire itinerary ahead of time. It’s tempting, interesting, but those unplanned moments while traveling can be the best memories.
Separate Your Personal Items
People often mix up personal items into each checked bag. This creates messy when accessing each individuals personal items, hence its preferrred to separate the personal tems.
Travel First Aid Kit
Always pack up a small first aid kit with aspirin, Benedryl, cold meds, Tums, cough drops, bandages, Activated Charcoal pills (these are a life saver for traveler’s diarrhea and minor allergic reactions), Neosporin, and other things that may not always have easy access to when traveling.
Space saver bags
You throw your clothes in, seal the bag, then roll it up to push out all the air. It can literally fit twice as many clothes in backpack.Even if you don’t want to carry more things in your bag, it frees up so much space that if you need to pack in a hurry, you can just chuck everything in.
Use a VPN
You’ll be connecting to a whole range of unsecured Wi-Fi networks on your trip, so you need to use a VPN to protect yourself from hackers, malware, and all that good stuff. It’ll also allow you to change your location so you can watch your favorite TV shows online!
Don’t change your currency at the airport
That’s where you’ll get the worst exchange rates.
Get your phone unlocked before you leave
With an unlocked phone, you’ll be able to buy local SIM cards and access cheap data as you travel. Cheap data means getting to use Google Maps when you’re lost, being able to Snapchat your way around a city, and being easily contactable by your new friends.
Scan your important documents and email them to yourself
Scan a copy of your passport, any visas, and any debit/credit cards you’re traveling with. Password protect the documents and email a copy of them to yourself and to a family member. If everything you own gets stolen, you can access them safely from your email account, take your copies to your embassy as proof that you’re who you say you are. Plus, you’ll be able to buy flights home and pay for accommodation with your debit cards to keep traveling/go home in an emergency.
Download Maps for offline navigation
Don’t have data? You can download the entire country or city or state maps through Google Maps and get walking directions for anywhere you need to go.
Be polite and smile often
You’ll be more approachable, you’ll find it easier to make travel friends, and the locals will warm to you. Being rude and looking grumpy will bring nothing good your way.
Mark your luggage so it stands out
You don’t want to accidentally take someone else’s luggage or have someone run off with yours at the baggage reclaim. Stick some stickers on it, put some duct tap along one side, tie some ribbons to the handle — make sure it stands out from a sea of similar backpacks!
A power strip will make charging easy
It’s still common to turn up to a dorm room and find you only have a couple of power sockets to share between eight laptop-toting backpackers. Bring a power strip to ensure you can charge what you need to while allowing everyone else to charge their tech, too.
Practice packing before you leave
Have several trial packing runs before you head off to get the hang of fitting everything into your bag. It’ll help make finding things easier, because unpacking your entire backpack to find something every few days gets old fast.
Track your spending
It’s annoying and time-consuming, but you’ll be better off financially if you’re aware of how much money you’re getting through and how it compares to the amount you budgeted for. You can make adjustments if you’re spending too much or allow yourself a small treat if you’re doing better than planned.
Ask permission when taking photos
How would you feel if some random tourist turned up at your house or work and started taking photos of you? Ask for someone’s permission before you start taking photos of them — it’s the polite and respectful thing to do.
