Travel broadens the mind, so goes the old adage. There are few commonly uttered sayings that are quite as literally true. Traveling the world, experiencing other cultures, encountering new people and ideas, and seeing some of the world’s most famous landmarks are all excellent and worthwhile reasons to travel. There are very few people who have any doubt about the value of exploring the world around them. But no matter how much many of us would like to travel, there are always things preventing us.How you can effectively plan the perfect trip?Take a look at this full survival travel guide where you will love these three travel tips.
Aside from the obvious concerns about being able to finance your travels, arranging transport and accommodation, and arranging to take time away from other personal and professional commitments, there are a number of other sources of potential stress when traveling. Taken together, these individual concerns can combine to deter some people from traveling at all.
One of the most effective weapons that we have against stress is preparation. Many of the worries we have about traveling to new places and doing new things, stem from a fear of the unknown. In order to minimize the amount of stress involved in planning any trip, it helps to have a plan beforehand.
By keeping the following tips in mind from the moment you start planning your next trip, you will be able to put together the perfect plan for making your next trip the trip of a lifetime.
Think About What You Want to Get Out of It
There are all kinds of reasons that people decide to travel. There are no right or wrong reasons, what matters is what you are hoping to get out of it. However, a lot of the time we make our decisions about where to travel to based on different considerations. Sometimes it is an attraction towards a specific country or landmark that dictates where we go.
Like we said, there’s nothing wrong with traveling to another country just to see one particular landmark. But your trip will be much more rewarding if it is undertaken with some deeper purpose. Remember, we are trying to create the trip of a lifetime. That means it needs to be memorable, which it definitely will be if you are able to look back on it afterwards and know that you achieved some special goal.
Carefully Consider Your Destination
In order to create a trip that is truly worthy of the once in a lifetime moniker, you will need to carefully think about every aspect of it. The destination you choose will obviously be one of the most important decisions that you make, but on what basis should you make it? Sometimes this is easy, as some people have a dream destination in mind and a particular experience that they are seeking.
The purpose of your trip, whether it’s to see a particular sight, or something more abstract, will have a big influence on the shortlist of destinations you consider. Some things you will only be able to get to from a select few places on Earth. Landmarks, for example, will require you to visit a very specific area. If you are seeking out something more akin to a cultural trait or a particular local vibe, you will have more potential destinations to choose from.
Whether you approach it beginning with a list of requirements, or with an already good idea of specific destinations that offer what you want, it is best to give yourself as many options as possible. If you want to travel to see a particular landmark, don’t just look at the immediate area. Consider whether it would be worth staying somewhere further away, setting aside a particular day to travel and visit the landmark.
When you are researching the specific characteristics of each place, be as thorough as you can and look beyond the obvious criteria. As well as thinking about what you will do when you get there, consider the cost of food, accommodation etc. You should also give some consideration to the practicalities of your destination.
For example, English is widely spoken around the world. There are numerous countries where English is either the official language, or English is given equal legal status with the main language of the nation. There are also a great many places where a basic knowledge of English is widespread – most of Europe for example. However, if you are going to be depending on the local people to be able to understand your English, and you aren’t planning on learning the local dialect before you go, you should exercise caution. There are still many places where the locals are no more likely to speak English than an English person is to speak Korean, so make sure you check this beforehand.
Avoid the Tourist Traps
Wherever you have a steady flow of tourists, and therefore a steady flow of tourism revenue, you will have people looking to capitalize on the opportunity. In some cases, this leads to some fantastic innovations and businesses, but often it leads to overpriced attractions and poor business practices. If you want to make your trip the best it can be, you will want to get the full experience of the place you are traveling to. You won’t find it in the overly commercial areas that cater mostly to tourists.
This is another area where researching prior to taking your trip will help a great deal. There are a number of excellent online sources for finding out about the hidden gems that are tucked away and out of sight in many of the world’s tourist hot spots. When it comes to finding the less obvious things to see and do when traveling, physical travel guides still have an edge over the internet for most people. There are numerous books dedicated to guiding visitors to various locations around the backstreets and less obvious areas.
That isn’t to say that the internet can’t be useful. One of the advantages of social media is that it makes it easy to connect with actual people from around the world. Facebook isn’t a very efficient way of finding people who are from a particular area and asking them questions, in fact it might seem odd to do so. On the other hand, Reddit is a goldmine of first-hand information. Simply search for the subeditor related to your travel destination and ask the members there for their input.
Don’t Overspend
It would be terrible to have the best holiday of your lifetime, only to come home and be hit with regret over the amount of money you’ve spent. We mentioned above that you should aim to avoid tourist traps, which often exist simply to part tourists with as much of their money as possible. But one of the biggest dangers to your wallet is poor spending decisions. If you know that you aren’t great at restraining your spending while at home, you will want to take extra care when you are on holiday.
Planning your activities ahead of time can help you to secure a better deal than you would otherwise be able to. A great example of this is https://fastpasstours.com, who offer a number of products for visitors to Paris. These packages consist of tickets which grant entry to the city’s top attractions for a reasonable price. Many of their packages include tours and allow ticket holders to bypass the usual admission queues.
The key to putting together your ideal trip lies in the preparation. Carefully consider what you want from your trip, then investigate the options you have for completing it.
