Even with the best of travel plans something can go wrong. It can be overwhelming, scary, and sometimes even dangerous to encounter something unexpected when you are somewhere new. To help you out, here are travel mistakes and how to avoid them so that you can travel with ease!
Money Travel Mistakes
1. Not notifying your bank of your upcoming trip
When I was 15, before I even owned a credit card, I depended on my debit card. I quickly learned that the PIN I had was too many digits, so I was unable to access my money. Luckily I was travelling with a group of people, so they very kindly lent me the money for my trip and I paid them back later.
Don’t get trapped in a new country with no money! Make sure you notify your credit card companies, and bring cash with you just in case. Most banks will let you do it quickly and easily online.
Documentation Travel Mistakes
2. Not checking the country’s entrance requirements
Some countries require specific documentation depending on where you are going, where you are from, and what you will be doing in the country. For example: you might need a visa, or your passport to be valid for 3-6 months before traveling. Or, you might need to get vaccinations and have proof of it.
Do your homework in advance to make sure what sort of documentation you will need to enter the country.
3. Depending on your phone
Make paper copies of your documentation. Passports, flight itineraries, hotel bookings, booked tours, etc. Bring a copy with you, leave copies at home, and email them to yourself. It may sound like overkill, but it’s good to be prepared in those situations if your phone doesn’t cooperate, dies, or worse- gets stolen! I once saw a traveler stuck at security in the airport because her boarding pass wasn’t loading on her phone.
Flights and Transportation Travel Mistakes
4. Not checking your flight plans
This has happened all too often: the flight gets booked, and then they change their schedule, or the time they are departing. Sometimes they change it multiple times. Double check your dates, times, your flight number and gates. Our airline had mistakenly put one of the people in our group on a completely different flight than the rest of the group! A quick call to the airline fixed this, but if we hadn’t checked beforehand it could have been a really stressful travel mistake.
When you arrive at the airport, there are TV screens everywhere listing the flights, time of departure/arrival and the gates you need to be at. Check the screens when you arrive at the airport! They provide the most up to date information (like gate changes, delays and cancellations).
I was sitting at the gate once, wondering why my flight wasn’t boarding, only to realize that they had switched gates 30 minutes before boarding. Check those screens, and if you are ever in doubt, ask.
5. Not having a reliable ride to the airport
It can be intimidating arriving in a new country and trying to figure out how to safely get to and from the airport and your accommodation. Depending on the country, you may need to negotiate your rate before you get in the taxi. Some taxis might even refuse to take you to the airport. Check in advance of reliable (and safe!) ways you can travel to and from the airport.
Packing Mistakes
6. Over packing
A rule of thumb is that once you are finished packing is to then remove 30% of what you’ve packed. Not sure where I heard this rule, but it seems to work! Bringing clothes that you can mix and match, re-wear and layer will save on space. And finally, leave some empty space so that you have room to bring back things you’ve bought!
7. Not Dressing Appropriately for the Weather
There is a saying “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” It’s a good idea to check the weather and average temperatures of an area before you go, so you can get a good idea of what kind of clothes to pack.
8. Not packing your carry-on properly
Bring a change of clothes with you and any other travel essentials (like medicine and expensive items) in your carry-on. If you are checking your luggage, there is the risk that it could get lost. It can take days before you get it again. Trust me, it will happen eventually.
9. Wearing new shoes without breaking them in
If you are going somewhere new, make sure you bring comfortable shoes that you have worn in! Even if you think you aren’t going to do a lot of walking, you could still hurt your feet.
One travel mistake I made once was buying new shoes for a trip and not breaking them in. Ohhh, I still shudder thinking about the blisters I had. Now I break them in!
Planning Mistakes
10. Not researching a country beforehand
Every country has their own culture and rules. If you go somewhere unprepared you might face yourself in a dangerous situation, not dressed correctly, or not packing something that you would have needed. Doing your research before you go can definitely help. A few things to also consider before going somewhere new:
- Will I be able to use my credit card, or will I use mostly cash?
- Is the water safe to drink?
- Do I need any vaccinations?
- Is the neighborhood I am staying in safe?
- Which neighborhoods should I avoid?
- Do I need a visa to enter the country?
11. Not reading reviews
An activity or hotel may look amazing in the pictures, but without reading the reviews from other travelers you may end up in a less-than-ideal scenario and be disappointed with your experience.
For example, some hostels have more of a party scene than others! Read all about where you are staying to make sure you are staying somewhere that fits your needs and comfort level.
12. Not having ANY plan
I get it, it’s nice to be spontaneous and live in the moment. My favourite trips were the ones I didn’t plan every hour of my day (read about my Iceland trip here). But realistically, there are probably a lot of other people planning to go there too.
Waiting to find a hotel once you arrive could be risky because you may not find anywhere to sleep that night.
If there’s something you really want to do, it will save you time to plan in advance so you’re not stuck waiting for hours and hours to do it, or worse – miss out on it completely!
Look up the activity you want to do to see if there’s anything you need to do in advance (like booking a ticket). Check to see if there are any restrictions on the day and time you can go. You could save yourself a lot of time – and even money – doing this!
13. Trying to see everything
If you have too many activities and places planned during a trip, it becomes difficult to stop and enjoy something that may come up along the way. Don’t try and fit too much in one day.
Give yourself lots of free time, and focus on doing what you really want to do first. You will probably end up spending more time at an area or activity than previously planned.
Final Thoughts: Go with the flow
Avoiding these travel mistakes can definitely help make your next trip go by more smoothly. However even with the best of planning, unexpected things can happen on every trip you go on. It’s important to have a positive mindset, stay aware of your surroundings, and remember that not all destinations may live up to your expectations.
Having a good attitude may help bring about a new experience that you hadn’t initially expected. At the very least, it will give you a new memory or help you with planning your next trip.
Do you have any tips for travelling, or have you made any travel mistakes? Share your story in the comments below!
I got my visa for Vietnam one day off, for the whole family! So, we were in the Hong Kong airport, trying to check in, but our visa for Vietnam wasn’t good until the NEXT day! I don’t know how that happened, but moving forward, I double check all dates. I ended up having to call Vietnam and pay for expedited visas. They got me 4 new visas via email in 20 minutes and it cost me almost $300. It all worked out, but it was extremely stressful. Lesson learned!