Take a break from your daily routine and plan an amazing vacation by yourself or with your family. These tips contain everything you need to know to be prepared, save money and have a great time. Get ready ahead of time and make sure you enjoy your vacation.
Before travelling, make sure you check the projected weather for your destination. You don’t want to be stuck with nothing but winter clothes during a heat wave or only shorts and tank-tops during a blizzard. Purchasing new clothing while on vacation may not only be expensive, but you might not have room in your luggage to take everything home with you!
In order to make the most of travel abroad, try to plan at least a couple of activities that aren’t listed in tourist guide books or blogs. You can do this by getting hold of information designed for and produced by locals, be it from newspapers, blogs or people on twitter. Stepping outside the tourist bubble will make your trip that much more exciting and fun.
If you don’t mind the inbox clutter, sign up for airline and hotel mailing lists when planning your trip. These lists will often tell you in advance about promotions or offer coupon codes – and they’re always free. These kinds of deals will go quickly, so seeing them right away gives you an edge when booking.
If you are traveling overseas and looking for good local food, pay attention to where the locals eat. The presence of a group of cabs, for example, is easy to spot and shows you where the low-cost but good food can be found. The location is also guaranteed to be filled to the brim with local color.
If you are going to be traveling abroad you may want to consider staying in a hotel which offers you a place to cook your own food. Unlike in America dining out in Europe can be rather pricey, and if you’re money minded, it would behoove you to go grocery shopping and prepare your own meals. This may even help you get a better feel for the culture of the country you travel to.
When traveling by plane make sure you take every precaution you can to ensure smooth travels. You first want to make sure your luggage does not exceed the maximum weight requirements by the airlines. You also want to label all of your luggage so that there is no confusion with other passengers who have similar luggage to yours.
Pack dryer sheets into your luggage. If you have ever flown before, you might have noticed that sometimes your luggage can come back smelling just a little odd. To eliminate this problem and keep your clothes and possessions smelling fresh, use dryer sheets. Pack them in between layers of clothing.
On your next flight, chew gum to keep your ears from popping on take off. The pressure changes during a flight can pop your ears. This is not particularly painful. It is, however, rather annoying. Before take off, start chewing a stick of gum. This will often prevent your ears from popping or at least, ease the pressure.
If you’re going on a road trip but don’t have space to keep a cooler, there’s a simple way to make sure you have ice cold water on you trip! The night before you leave, fill some water bottles (but not all the way to the top!) and put them in the freezer over night. Take them on the trip with you the next day and they’ll slowly melt over the course of the day, leaving you with ice cold water.
Try not to broadcast the location of your wallet. Be secretive about where you are keeping your money and precious information. Knowing where it is could give pickpockets an edge. Never put your wallet in your back pocket. If you are in a habit of doing so break it. Your back pocket is very easy to steal from.
Whenever you travel for business or pleasure, research your destination before you leave. Arriving in a foreign city without any idea where to go or what to see can be overwhelming and takes away from the experience. Read a guide on your destination and talk to people you know have been there. You can easily learn some insiders tips.
If you are not interested in striking up a conversation with your seat mates, make sure you bring along big, noise-cancelling headphones. Most people will not try to strike up a conversation with someone who is obviously not interested in talking. These have the added bonus of blocking out the sounds of babies crying or people chatting while you relax.
The quality of a vacation is greatly influenced by how well prepared and informed you are. Reading these tips is just the beginning and you still have some work to do. You should still learn as much as possible about where you are going and be sure to make your reservations on time. Enjoy your vacation!