The 20 biggest travel mistakes to not make | Just Avoid them

The 20 biggest travel mistakes to not make | Just Avoid them

So when I first started traveling back I made a lot of mistakes, a lot of rookie mistake. So hopefully in this video you will earn from my mistakes. So these are my 20 biggest travel mistake, not to make for you guys when you are starting on your trips and travels these are all the mistakes so I personally done and learn from let's get started.

1. Packing too much

That is like number one tip that most people do is they bring too much stuff and then you got to carry all this stuff with you and you have all this extra stuff that you're not even going to use or wear and it's just going to weight, weighting you down Not packing the right shoes. Shoes are so important because you walk a lot when you travel you do a lot of activities. When you travel to really make sure you are planning the right shoes you need, running shoes you need hiking shoes, sandals do you need like evening shoes trust me blisters and sore feet are the bane of the travelers existence because then you don't want to travel anymore you don't walk any more that would suck it really does suck.

2. Not planning out your laundry days

Laundry is a thing not properly planning where you're going to do laundry in your travels is a big rookie mistake. Suddenly you find that you are out of everything clean and you really need to do laundry but your place that you're staying at might not have laundry facilities or it might be super expensive where they charge you like current item. So really make sure that you're on the lookout for your combination and if they have water facilities and really try and plan that more in advance and ahead of time. So you never get stuck with dirty under wear.

3. Forgetting your power cord

Your chargers plugged in because you are currently charging up the batteries on the electronics are charging the batteries on your phone happens all the time to rookie travelers. A lot of the hotels and hostels you stay at probably have a spare phone charger or spare camera battery charger from previous travelers that have left theirs in the hotel room. If you ask the front desk I promise you they probably have a spare set of them because it happens all the time so don't forget these. It's important.

4. Over scheduling

It is a huge rookie mistake because people want to do everything granted I understand because you were in this foreign country. That don't know, if you're ever going to visit again you want to see and do everything. however if you try and see and do everything every day on your travels you are going to be exhausted you are going to wear yourself out and you're not going to enjoy it as much trust me. And also it leads you up for failure so something falls through or if something takes longer than you thought it would, or of you get stuck in traffic then there's no like buffer zone, there's no time off.

5. Invest in a watch or just get a watch

There's a lot of cheap watches you can find and vendors around the world but telling the time and knowing what time it is very crucial it's a big rookie mistake to not know the time, and also just to rely on your phone all the time. Because you don't always want to be whipping out your phone and checking it. when you want to check the time especially when you're traveling and you might be juggling a lot of stuff and you don't want to or if you're just going to sketchy area you don't want to like flash your phone around you're going to be running on a lot of timelines regardless of how your travel schedule is. There is going to be buses or planes or trains or hotel check-in times for show times there's going to be a lot of things that are going to require knowing the time. 

6. Data in Mobile

Data for your cellular device. Have a plan for it whether that be you putting on a data plan when you're at home, so before you go you got data so you know that you can access the internet went abroad or buying a sim card in a local country and knowing that again you have access. And make a sure your phone is unlocked before you do that because data is like the most amazing thing when you travel. When you have data the world is open to you and everything is great and good and things can get solved. then you have a problem you can solve it trust me you live in the age where you can have data everywhere in the world so please figure out how you can access that, or deal with that or if you aren't going to buy data or put a data plan on know your Wi-Fi plan.

What I mean is always be looking for a Wi-Fi I always been looking for a Wi-Fi Make sure wherever you're staying has good Wi-Fi. I've always pick a restaurant and accommodations that have Wi-Fi always and this is regardless if you have data on your phone or not or if you're just doing it on Wi-Fi have traveled a lot with just using Wi-Fi. Amazing Wi-Fi is every wherein the world it's getting better and better but there's a lot of accessibility everywhere that you go. but I always make sure that we're eating I'm staying I have Wi-Fi and I'll make sure I test it out before I sit down. If I'm eating at a restaurant will sit there well ask for the Wi-Fi and I’ll test it out and make sure it works before you sit down and order because sometimes they say they have Wi-Fi and they do not have, Wi-Fi is important.

7. Drinking out

Drinking out a lot and spending a lot of money on those nightspot, now I'm not saying you shouldn't go out or drink or party. I'm saying is being very cautious of how much money you spend at night and try to per drink, because booze are probably really cheap in the country you're in I guarantee. You going to a local supermarket and buying a bottle of wine or buying some hard liquor and mixing some drink sit's going to be a lot cheaper and will save you in the long run a general traveling than just buying drinks when you get to a place.

8. Not understanding tipping etiquette

If you're American used to tipping I think it's like twenty percent. it's what you tip on almost everything I don't know how that came about but you tip for almost everything around the world there are lots of places that you don't tip at all. Yet Americans like to tip and sometimes very touristy places in these countries will put on tips will ask for tips so request tips and make you feel like it's a custom. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. There is like so many different rules in regards to tipping one of the biggest rookie mistakes is, one, not checking your bill for tips sometimes in the touristy parts they add in a tip in your bail without you noticing it I know sneaky, sneaky. 

The other thing is not knowing what percentage to tip because sometimes five percent is like great. If you had an amazing meal five ten percent is like wow, yes, thank you so much it's not required it's only if they went above and beyond. There’s a lot of different rules in regards to tipping etiquette so research it and now it's before you go.

9. Short connection times

When you are traveling, when you are booking your flights that you are going through customs or you're entering another country you are going to be entering that country's customs and sometimes you might even need to do a second line of security this takes time so make sure that you have an adequate amount of connection time. I like to allow domestic no less than an hour connecting time international. So when you're entering another country in your connection two hours at a minimum because custom blind scan become crazy. I know people miss flights I'm not miss why is that crazy about this but I've almost missed flight sit's a rookie mistake don't do it.

10. Transportation Cost

Thinking you're going to save money by flying into a cheaper airport not checking how much or how long or how even to get from the airport to your combination when you arrive at a destination. This is screwed me over many times as they even an experienced traveler for example Panama City $35 US to get from the airport to my connection there was a dollar bus. A 50$ for a bus public bus actually the coach public bus to get from the airport to down town. That’s a big difference from thirty-five dollars to dollar-fifty.

 

11. Not checking in train/bus/metro schedules

Not checking in train/bus/metro schedules before you embark on your day. If you were venturing out anywhere in the city and you're going to be taking public transportation they run on a schedule and you do not want to find yourself stranded in a place because you missed the last bus back, sometimes buses end really early there's been several cities. like when I was in Valparaíso the last bus back was at seven pm, when I want to go visit there I want to make sure that I was on that last bus back so I actually pre purchase the ticket so unlike coach buses you can do that you can like pre purchase your tickets. But make sure you know when the last trains are when the buses back out and have that written down or at least written like in your memory bank so you're not stranded.

12. Not comparing public transportation to private transportation

When looking for transportation around places, a lot of times when you're traveling you're getting to places there are multiple options to get. There is a private way where you can hire a shuttle or private man. There is a public transportation way which is like local buses. make sure you know the difference between the two, what's the better option what's the cheaper option there is generally multiple options so research that because there have been many times as a rookie that I have taken the private transportation to get there and paid an extraordinarily large amount, for like not just a slightly more comfier seat. Then the public way that takes me a little bit longer. but it keeps and heaps cheaper.

13. Taxis

Taxi I mean taxis negotiating with your taxi driver beforehand or watching the meter it's one of the two. Sometimes it's better to negotiate as flat right and sometimes it's better to take the meter but make sure you're watching the meter. This is something that generally the accommodation staff so wherever you're staying they'll know what the best way to go, but taxis are like the biggest rip off in the travel game. Not calling your bank before him and notifying them that you were going to be other country especially if you are just starting with your travel adventures and your bank's not used to you spending money in foreign countries. Now ATMs are the best way to withdraw money went abroad not using currency exchanges ATMs secured ATMs.

So make sure that your bank knows that you are traveling to these foreign countries and you tell them when what country is what dates you're going to be gone so they don't shut off your cards which happens a lot to fellow travelers and to myself this happens because your bank bless its heart is just trying to prevent your money from being stolen it has good intentions. But sometimes you just need your money so notify your bank.

14. Exchanging large amounts of money or just carrying large amounts of money

You don't really ever want to have a lot of money on you. Trust me you can access your money ATMs are all over the world you don't need to be carrying huge wads of cash on you this is what it just set you up for a whole lot of failure of losing we're getting your money stolen, that's a lot of money to juggle. Only, only take out what you need for whatever period of time here and if you're in countries for small periods of time or larger periods of time.

 

15. Not having enough small change

That's right small change is key and king, key and King everywhere in the world maybe they don't always use coins they actually use small bills most places. but ATMs are going to give you big bills everywhere you go there giving you a big bills are really hard for most vendors to take especially if you're not traveling in your traveling in smaller places or less developed places. So making sure you're always changing out and getting the smallest bills possible and changing those larger bills when you have the opportunity to change those large bills, so that means like using large bills in restaurants or places or shopping malls places that that are a little bit bigger that can accept it. So that you can have that small change for things like bus tokens or tips or vendors like market vendors. That only take cash you want to have small bills lots of small change.

 

16. Eating at the expensive doors restaurants

They’re just really expensive tourist restaurant they're always like two times the price of the local restaurants. Big rookie mistake we usually find the tourists restaurants near the tourist destinations you will be able to tell the tourist restaurant when you see it try to avoid those. Eating the foods you are used to versus the local foods you are in foreign countries you're going to gravitate to like your comfort foods you're used to Don't do that, because one, that's probably why you're going to get food poisoning. May be you are used to pizza and pasta at home but in that country is not used to making pizza and pasta maybe their dish is like curry they're not going to know how to make that properly. They’re not going to know the food safety with it and they might not have the ingredients super fresh. so you can get an old ingredients versus the local foods that generally are really well sourced, they know how to make it because they've been making it forever, that’s their food you're less likely to get sick by it and also you get to try new food which is awesome.

17. Unrealistic expectations about your physical fitness

You might think you are really fit and you can go all day walking and you'll come to realize that yes travel wears you out a lot more than you think it does mentally and physically. So don't push yourself too crazy when you were out and abroad, because you're not going to enjoy yourself into it can just meet you into a whole lot of problems. Obviously go out and try two things but just be realistic about your expectations so don't get like to crazy.

18. Hyping things up too much

This is something id when I first started traveling is a hyped destinations, because I wanted to go there so bad. I was like this oh my god this is my dreams my travel I'm so excited to be your Great Wall of China hyping it up and you get there. Sometimes things don't always live up to the expectations you are expecting it because people like the internet is full of these beautiful photo shop photos of these destinations, you like wow this could be so magical and sometimes when you get there you're like okay it's awesome it's cool but you can be slightly disappointed. And you never want to best lightly disappoint. One of the reasons why I don't like to plan, I don't personally like the plan too much because I don't want to have all these like hyped up expectations of these destinations are places because I want to be pleasantly surprised. So you're just starting out don't hype things up in your brain to do much it goes you feel really disappointed, when they don't work out your way and when things don't go as planned.

19. Make Friends

Making sure you leave room for socializing and making friends this is like if you're especially if you are solo traveling, make friends socialize make time to do that, trust me it will make your experience of travel so much more rich you will get to hear other people's stories and it's oh my god seriously like on the best part to travel. So make sure you leave time for that you're not just like running around taking photos and sightseeing everything. Meet some people, have some conversations sit down and grab a beer.

20. Forgetting to say "YES"

Yes you need to learn to become a yes person, especially when you first start traveling are a bit scary so you might be saying no to things so you might be like I don't know what that out oh that's not a good opportunity, but the more you learn to become comfortable with yourself and the more you learn to start saying yes to opportunities and situations. Obviously that the situation so you're not like putting yourself and like something that's dangerous but the more you see yes to things, the more enriching your travel experience will become and you'll start to surprise yourself and all these really amazing things that you get up to and the stories and the people and the experiences that you'll meet if you just didn't say yes you just said no.

So thank you so much for reading this article, I hope you have learned lots of work travel advice for beginners just starting out on the travel journey and and if you have started on the travel journey and you've been doing this for don't know maybe a year or less let me know is there anything that you've learned as a rookie traveler that you would dot yourself you've learned while travelling, down below in the comments. I want to hear them because those I’m really curious because I've been traveling for so long now so rookie like certain things I just comes naturally tome but yeah so.