25 April, 2016

My Top 11 travel tips

I love traveling. After I saw this prompt in #FridayReflections hosted by Sanch and Corinne, how could I not write a post?

Prompt - Write a list of your top 11 travel tips

1. Have some snacks and water handy, always
Even though I love to travel and explore places for hours, I cannot even walk one step if I am hungry. I am not at all foody, but maintain proper time to eat my food and cannot stay hungry for a long time. I always keep some biscuits and water bottle handy, which save me from hunger. 

2. Keep a few things in hand bag to refresh anytime
I think, all women have these things in their hand bag - A face wash, A moisturizing lotion, sunscreen, lip balm and face tissues. I forget at least one of these most of the time and I suffer a lot due to bad weather. 

3. Leave extra space in baggage
I keep some space free in the baggage whenever I travel. We definitely end up buying something in tourist spots and purchasing another bag for these items is difficult, right? I also carry one or two empty shopping covers to keep the unwashed clothes, in case we don't have time to do laundry.

4. Carry something to engage kids if it's a long flight
A tab/ coloring book and pencils/ puzzles/ books etc., help me to engage the kids. If they get bored, they become cranky and it's very difficult to handle their tantrums. 

5. Carry a few important medicines
It's better to carry some basic medicines for fever, cold, sore throat etc., If I am traveling with kids, I carry important syrups and also a prescription if traveling overseas. 

6. Plan accommodation ahead
If it is a known place/ if I am going to stay at someone's place, it is fine. Else, I always research and book my accommodation ahead. It saves money and it is comfortable to head to the hotel straight after travel to take rest/ to refresh. I prefer to stay in a hotel with breakfast included. It makes easy to start tours with good breakfast instead of searching for food in the morning itself.

7. Carry forex
Purchasing forex in airports is very expensive, so, it's better to get forex from banks/ providers before the travel itself. Carry extra cash while touring, to accommodate entrance tickets and bus and train fares. 

8. Plan the tour ahead or Buy local brochures
Many foreign countries provide free brochures in train and bus stations about the local tourist attractions. This is a good start, if you have not planned earlier. A few places will have hop-on-hop-off buses to tourists, these guided tours are easy to start with. Now a days, we have app for everything - be it a subway route map or an app to plan itinerary by covering maximum tourist spots in less time(like tripomatic app).  So, having a smart phone always helps. 
If it's in India, it's better to research about safe tourist places and plan a trip before hand. 

9. Learn about local language and taste local cuisine
Even if you are like me, who is afraid of trying all new tastes, It's better to try the famous cuisine as it is difficult to get that taste anywhere else. Learning a few words in the local language make the travel experience better. You will have good memories too.

10. Take lots of Photos
I don't think, anyone ever forgets to carry a camera or a smart phone to tourist places. Even though photography is charged at most of the places, do your best judgment to decide on carrying a camera inside the tourist attractions. These photos will someday bring a smile on our faces and help us cherish those moments. 

11. Carry clothes as per the local weather
I made this mistake once. I went to a hill station freezing cold in a skirt and with normal sandals and paid price for it. It's better to carry sweaters, scarfs, gloves, proper walking shoes for walking/ trekking, an Umbrella etc.,

I covered the basic checklist that I use for travel. Is there something important that I missed? Please do let me know in comments :-)
travel tips

Until next time,





Linking this to #FridayReflections. Thanks for the wonderful prompt Corinne and Sanch. Loved writing this post :-)
Write Tribe

Image courtesy: From google, labeled with non commercial reuse

16 comments:

  1. Those tips are entirely too sensible. ;)

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  2. true Ren, I agree.Kind of basic checklist. Thanks for dropping by.

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  3. While going for a trip we always misses something, Specially WE(engineers), because our plans are spontaneous. Now i will save this link. Thanks for sharing with us.

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    1. Yes Arvind. I would be happy if this list helps you as a checklist:-)

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  4. It's amazing how unorganized some people can be. My husband and I are very organized travellers, thankfully!

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  5. Anonymous9:04 AM

    Very useful tips.. thanks for sharing

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  6. Very useful tips. Thanks you for sharing Mahathi.

    Cheers, Archana - www.travelwitharchie.com

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  7. I always make sure I pack a pair of comfy shoes that are meant for walking a long time. I have high arches, so going sightseeing for a whole day in something that doesn't support my sole is a big no no, I'll end up paying it with weeks of intense pain on my foot sole.

    I also make sure all my important documents are not only xeroxed, but also scanned and available on my Dropbox account before an international trip, better safe than sorry.

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    1. True Cynthia. I once went without proper shoes and got caught in cold weather. Uploading important documents to dropbox is a great idea.

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  8. I agree with most of those tips - medicines, baggage, keeping clothes per weather, a face wash remain on my list too. I also don't forget to carry chargers and lip balm :)

    Parul from Happiness & Food

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    1. Lip balm is added in my list. Yes, chargers are very important Parul. Thanks for the suggestion

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  9. Useful tips. I would also add carry an extra foldable bag for additional stuff you might acquire. Carry an empty plastic bag for underwear/ dirty clothes that can't be washed. Keep a book/ magazine to read . Keep numbers / contacts of people you may know or know of ... Local help may come handy

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    1. Thanks belly bytes. Yes, what you said is true. Carrying extra bags for luggage and unwashed clothes are there in my list. Kepping important contacts is very important.

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Thanks for dropping by! please share your opinion :)

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