We all love to travel and crave for a good holiday. The thrill of visiting new places and exploring new cultures is an ineffable joy. However, there are plenty of holiday nightmare stories originating from poor planning and bad decisions.
This article is dedicated to travel hacks that make you a smart traveler. Whether you are enjoying the lofty Alps or the grasslands of Savannah, these simple hacks will help you create the perfect holiday. Read on.
Manage Your Documents Well
Foreigners are more vulnerable to petty crimes than local people. Hence, a golden rule of travel is to keep multiple copies of all your important documents; both in physical and digital form. Keep the photocopies separate from your main documents. When you visit a new city, save the number of the local hospital and police station on your phone. It is also wise to save the number of your native country’s embassy beforehand.
You may not always have internet access. We also advise travelers to buy a new sim card with a call and internet facility once they land at the airport. A native sim card will help you communicate better and rely less on the public internet. You can discard the sim while leaving the country.
Cash Management
A good way to ensure smooth cash flow during your trip is to carry some extra cash along with your credit/debit card. Make sure to carry 10% of your budget in local currency cash. This will let you buy the bare essentials and help you during emergencies.
You can buy the local currency at the airport or in selected foreign-exchange banks. We also advise taking more than one card on your trip. Also, do check the validity of your card for international use before leaving your country.
Manage Your Bookings
The secret to a great trip is optimizing your bookings. While many travelers book hotels and tickets for their entire journey, some travelers don’t book anything at all. We don’t advise on these extremes and instead suggest making a confirmed booking for the first leg of the journey.
This will give you time to settle in, and then you can proceed with your bookings as you stay. If you are getting a good discount, you can book it at that price and center your trip around that booking. Many hotels allow flexible cancellation policies and the option of paying later. You can book those hotels in advance.
Use Apps for Everything
The path to smart traveling goes through the use of apps. Tech-savvy travelers have a formidable edge in trip planning, ticket/hotel bookings, city navigation, and knowledge. With the right apps, you don’t need to carry heavy guides, maps, or even cash. If you are using android, Google Planner is a great app to synchronize your trip in a beautiful layout.
You can browse through what most tourists are doing and create a personalized trip. No need to be a cliché traveler roaming with a huge city map in hands. Google Maps is a great tool that gives you an insight into the cityscape. You can pick out the top tourist destinations, the best restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, and more.
Your phone’s GPS will guide you through everything. We also recommend using a language conversion app like Google Translate that helps you can translate more than 100 languages. Apps like Airbnb and Booking.com helps you scan hotels/homestays and find the best prices. You should also use some local apps like online wallets, online cabs, and lifestyle apps to make your stay in the foreign country smoother. You can also use cost saving apps like JoinHoney or GoMontana to get travel specific deals and coupon
Carry Basic Medication
We advise all travelers to carry some basic medication like aspirin, paracetamol, anti-allergens, pain-killers, etc. for emergencies. If you are on prescription medication, it’s advisable to carry with some extra supply for unforeseeable circumstances. Some countries like the UAE and Japan restrict the import of medication even in small quantities.
If advisable to carry the generic name of your prescription drug and a copy of your doctor’s prescription in such cases. Also make sure to have proper insurance while on a trip because the chances of things going wrong increase dramatically, and you don’t want to return with a debt burden.
The thrill of planning for travel is as exciting as traveling itself. Don’t rush into it, like if you were a horse running in the Kentucky Derby races. Each good decision you take beforehand gives you a comfortable trip.
Make sure to use all the tools available to plan your journey better. With packed luggage and booked tickets, all that is left is to enjoy the trip ahead.
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