Traveling is one of the most exhilarating adventures in life! Whether it’s a business trip or a family vacation, preparing for any voyage requires a good deal of organization. Prepared travelers always enjoy themselves more, because they know all their bases are covered. Whether you’re planning a trip six months in advance or two days ahead, you can use these valuable travel tips to check off what you need to get done ahead of time and enjoy an organized and stress-free trip.
Plan ahead and avoid future headaches!
Tip 1: Always Plan Ahead
A smooth and stress-free trip starts well before the real vacation! Always make a checklist of the things you need and start packing. Allow yourself plenty of time, so you don’t forget necessary items or hurriedly over pack things you don’t need. If you’re looking to save money or traveling during a peak season, then book your tickets at least 30 days in advance to get a lower cost. Create an itinerary of your trip, including flight number and time, car rental agencies and travel agents, addresses of hotels, travel documents and more. If you travel frequently create a packing list on your computer or smartphone that you can update to include “must-haves” and keep blank spaces for trip-specific items.
Packing smart save you room and makes items easier to find.
Tip 2: Packing Smart and Traveling Light
Whether you’re traveling for a week or a month, always keep it light! When packing, keep things tidy and organized so that you don’t have to unpack an entire suitcase to find a single item. It’s advisable to keep your clothes tightly packed and well organized. Roll your clothes instead of folding them, and then place them in airless bags, or a clothes compressor. Put your clothing in, seal the bag, and then squeeze the air out. This way, you’ll fit more into your suitcase and will prevent creases more efficiently than folding. Use zip lock bags for shampoo bottles, snacks, medicines, chargers, headphones, loose accessories and more! Shop LC provides an exclusive collection of travel accessories to help you out.
Keep your hotel information accessible for contact or directions.
Tip 3: Know Your Hotel Information
In case your baggage is misplaced or delayed, you missed your flight and will be late checking in, or you’re going to a destination you’ve never visited before, you’ll want to have your hotel information. Before you leave home, take a print out of the hotel’s name, address, phone number, and save it to your mobile phone. It’s also a good idea to print a map of your hotel’s neighborhood, whether for your use or to show to a cab driver for directions.
Get an idea for your luggage weight to avoid surprise charges.
Tip 4: Weigh Your Luggage
It’s a hidden trick to help you avoid giving extra baggage fees at the airport. Weigh your bags to see how close you are to reaching your airlines’ weight limit. If you’re getting close to the limit, consider wearing some of the heavier items or cutting down on what you pack in the first place. You can always buy travel-size toiletries once you reach your destination.
Also check your carrier’s website for allowances on checked baggage and carry-ons. Specifics can vary from airline to airline, and if you use multiple services while traveling, it can help you avoid unwanted and unexpected fees. By packing light and choosing the right luggage, you can easily avoid paying more by down-grading a checked bag to a carry-on!
The right pair of shoes can make any trip easier.
Tip 5: Step in the Right Direction
If you’re traveling to your destination, it’s a good idea to wear your bulkiest pair of shoes on the airplane. It’ll help save space in your bag. You can also stuff socks in packed shoes. Place shoes in bags to safeguard them from the other content in your suitcase, and pack them at the bottom of your bag to prevent damage. It’s also worth considering wearing slip on shoes to the airport to make security screenings easier and time-saving.
Carry cash as a reliable way to always have money available.
Tip 6: Stash Extra Cash
Cash is king around the world! Take a lot of currency with you. If you’re going to a place that accepts only credit cards, then be sure to review your statement online at least once a week to make sure there are no fraudulent charges. It’s far worse to end up short of cash with no credit card option. Contact your bank in advance and let them know what country you’ll be visiting and when so that your ATM card can work there. If you lose your wallet, your card stops working, or the ATMs run out of money, you’ll be glad you stashed extra cash. Some of my preferred stash spots include socks, a toiletry bag, inside an empty shampoo bottle, under shoes, hidden interior pockets of jackets and pants, or around the frame of a backpack.
Spend more time making memories when you carry extra camera memory.
Tip 7: Take Along Extra Digital Camera Memory
Whether you’re visiting with your family or exploring exotic locales alone, vacations are full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, so make sure to capture each moment! Always bring an extra memory card in case your first one gets full. By purchasing memory cards in different capacities, you can easily categorize specific segments of your trip on separate cards. However, having different memory cards isn’t a backup solution in itself; you’ll still need to make extra copies of your photographs in another way to protect against data loss. Remember: magnificent sunsets and spontaneous moments can’t be put on hold for a trip to the electronics store!
A trusted friend can be your emergency contact.
Tip 8: Leave Your Itinerary with Someone You Trust
No matter your age, never underestimate the value of letting someone know where you’ll be! Leave your travel itinerary with family, or friends or trusted neighbors to know where you’re going, for how long you’ll be gone and how to reach you in the case of an emergency. Remember to call them from time to time. Chances are you’re not going to have any issues on your trip, but just in case, make someone knows about your general whereabouts, who can immediately act to help and assist or even attempt to locate you.
Make sure plants, pets and possessions are watched after when you’re away.
Tip 9: Protect Your Home
Plan to leave pets with a friend or arrange to have them boarded. Water garden and houseplants well before leaving, or fix a time-released watering system. You can also set timers on the interior and exterior lights in your home. Hide valuables somewhere in the house rather than leaving them in your jewelry box or a drawer. You may let a confidant know hiding places, in case you forget. Set the thermostat at a reasonable temperature to keep it comfortable for pets and houseplants.
Have fun! Share your trip details once you’re home, safe and sound!
Tip 10: Think Twice Before Posting about Your Trip on Social Media
Last, but not least, be wary of posting status updates about your vacation while you’re still traveling. It’s not a good idea to have your whereabouts posted online anywhere. A thief trolling social media can see your vacation post and easily guess that you’re not at home since you’re posting while on vacation. Also, posting upcoming travel plans and itineraries can be extremely dangerous. If you post that you’re going to be somewhere at a particular place and time, then offenders could be there waiting for you, or it could help them know how much time they’ve got to rob your home before you return. It’s best to keep the details of your trip under wraps until you’ve returned. Only your family and your employer should need to know specifics about your travel plans, and NOONE else!
What are Your Travel Tips?
Now that you’ve seen our top ten travel tips, which do you think are the most helpful? What did we miss? Let us know with a comment!