Helpful Travel Advice: Awesome Things You Don’t Want To Miss
So you have dreamed and planned, and the time has come for you to travel to your vacation destination. You paint rosy pictures of your experiences while on vacation and imagine all the activities you could take part in. You forget one thing while thinking about all this; even a well-planned vacation can quickly turn into a nightmare. If you are a globetrotter, you understand what I mean.
You can have fun while on vacation only to learn that you could have had even more fun once you return to your job. Similarly, you can have some bad experiences that may cause regrets you could have avoided. The list of things that could destroy your vacation goes on and on.
With a bit of research, however, you can turn an average vacation into one of the best experiences of your life. Knowing what you should and should not do when traveling can make for a great experience.
We understand how it feels to come back from a long and expensive vacation with nothing but regrets. That is why we have taken it upon ourselves to put together a list of all the things you do not want to miss during your next vacation.
1. Travel Insurance
If you have to do a single thing before you leave for your vacation destination, let that be getting travel insurance. We have all read numerous horror stories of travelers suffering injuries in some of the most remote parts of the globe. More often than not, they end up spending hundreds of dollars and even getting into debt. You may think that it cannot happen to you, but you know what? Those travelers had the same thought.
While it won't help you avoid misfortune during your travels, you cannot ignore travel insurance benefits. The monetary compensation you get after a travel misfortune may not change your experiences during the vacation, but it does help. Travel insurance can help you recover from the medical costs incurred due to accidents or injuries. Medical treatment can cost a premium in some countries, and getting reimbursed for the money spent can help. Travel insurance also protects you from trip interruption and cancellation, tour operator default, accidental death, repatriation, personal liability, travel delay, emergency reunion, and others.
2. Spare Passport Photos
Carrying around lots of passport photos may seem like a stupid idea, but it can save you a lot of time stress while traveling. After all, you do not want to wander the streets of a rural town in Mongolia looking for someone who can snap a passport-sized photo of you. Some people have had to endure this.
You can use the spare passport size photos to apply for a visa or get a new passport when your current one expires while in foreign lands. You may even need one to buy a local SIM card in some countries. Regardless of what you think, carrying extra passport size photos offers a lot of conveniences. You do not have to worry about wasting an entire day from your vacation days trying to find someone who can snap a passport-sized photo of you. When planning for your next summer trip, remember to take a dozen passport-sized photos.
3. Eat the Local Food
Do I even have to mention this? One of the things you will most likely regret has to be failing to indulge in local dishes. You may be a picky eater. Or maybe you get anxious when you think about eating new dishes. That is no excuse. If you want to learn more about the people in your destination, the best way to do it is through food.
Who does not love trying new things? You will discover new dishes that you would not have known about if you do away with supermarkets and fast-food chains. The next time you go on vacation, eat durian mooncake while in Singapore. Trying new dishes does not have to scare you. The more you try local dishes and local street food, the more you gain the confidence to do it during your next trip. Even if you do not know what it is, try every dish, and you won't have any regrets.
4. Carry a Daypack
If you have lost luggage during a trip, you know how stressful it can get. You could carry your backup around, but muggers could rip it open as you traverse crowded streets. You need to take extra precautions, especially with your essential documents, including carrying a daypack.
Is there anything that would upset you if it went missing? Keep that in your daypack and carry it by your side on your travel days. Some essential items you should bring in your daypack include your laptop, passport, external hard drive, extra cash, and credit and debit cards. You can easily get through a couple of days with these items even if you lose other items.
5. Try Learning the Language in All Your Destinations
What better way to kick off an interaction with the locals than saying hello, sorry, please, or thank you in their language? Just a few words could earn you a lot more respect from the locals. Remember, it is your problem if you cannot speak their language and not theirs.
6. Go Sightseeing
How could I forget this absolute no-brainer? Imagine visiting Italy and not going to the Colosseum in Rome. Every famous tourist attraction has a reason for its popularity. Try to visit both the famous and lesser-visited destinations in equal measure. If you feel alien when visiting a new place, you can see why other tourists do not often tour that region. Maybe nothing is exciting about it. Perhaps the locals are not exactly welcoming to strangers and foreigners, and your presence could rub off with them.
You can make your next trip more memorable with just a few tips. First, make sure you get travel insurance. It could save you lots of money if things go south. Also, bring extra passport photos because you never know when you will need them. Additionally, make sure you get a taste of the local food. It is a great way to immerse yourself into the local culture in addition to learning the local language. The most important one is visiting the popular tourist attractions because they are the life of the party.
