Traveling is an extremely valuable learning activity. It opens your mind to new experiences that push your personal boundaries and develop you into a better, wiser person. You get to meet new friends, savor new food, and see places and its culture in an entirely new light.
These tremendous benefits are the reason why it’s crucial that you make every traveling endeavor as seamless and as efficient as possible: the life lessons from traveling hinges on the journey itself. Most of the time, the outcome of your overall traveling experience lies on the smart planning done beforehand. Unfortunately, most travelers are guilty of engaging in lousy travel planning, which saps away most of the value you can get from traveling.
Read on to learn more about 4 bad travel planning habits, how each bad habit affects you, and what you, seasoned traveler or not, can do about them.
Failing to Account For Unforeseen Expenses
One of the many bad travel planning habits that plague most travelers is the failure to come up with a plan B that will handle situations that call for expenses beyond your budget limit. You have no way of knowing beforehand if you’ll get sick while traveling or if you’ll end up lost in the middle of nowhere and the only way you can get out is to hail a cab and pay a hefty sum. You might end up racking up debt with high interest by the time you get home, a situation you don’t want to encounter and might ruin your general sentiment towards traveling.
A good rule of thumb for handling these unwanted scenario is to prepare twice the budget you set every time you travel. By having backup cash, you’ll have peace of mind and confidence to handle unforeseen expenses. Another way to prepare is to bring along a first-aid kid and medicines. As much as possible, avoid getting unnecessary souvenirs: they take up space, add more weight, and may incur more flight expenses due to excess baggage. In this day and age, uploading photos on social media is enough to keep the memory of your travel intact. If you can’t help buying souvenirs, make sure to sharpen up your bargaining skills so you can drive down travel costs and avoid compromising the budget you set.
Constantly Looking For The “Best”
Another bad travel planning habit that you should avoid at all cost is the need to get the best accommodation in every aspect of your traveling experience. This approach will drain your budget immediately regardless of how much backup cash you have in store, considering that the best may also mean the most expensive in the world of traveling. If your budget is limited, this travel plan will constantly nag you with expense worries and may entirely rob you of the experience you’re looking for in the first place.
Fend off this problem by reminding yourself that experience comes in different ways, and that getting the best accommodation doesn’t mean you’re getting the best travel experience. Sometimes, immersing yourself completely with the locals is the best way to make the most out of your travel. For example, if you intend to visit Boracay, a pre-Boracay planning accommodation checklist will help prioritize what you truly need. As much as possible, try to lessen the number of times you eat out, look for economical or budget rooms, and ditch the complicated travel packages. Not opting for a travel package can be easily addressed by sufficient research. Let the power of internet, social media, and forum boards work to your advantage. Before heading to Boracay as an example, using apps for Boracay beach travel can improve your experience tremendously. Besides, being on trips of your own accord is more enjoyable and more insightful with the help of some travel planning tools you can find online.
Travel Promo Frenzy
One of the bad travel planning schemes most people fall for is the promos travel agencies and airline companies dish out on a daily basis. Most of the time, the offers are so tempting that it’s hard not to jump in at the first chance you get. But herein lies the danger: you’re not traveling because you intend to, you’re traveling only because there’s a chance. While this is okay in the most fundamental level, it makes you vulnerable to schedule compromises and insufficient travel preparations. Yes, you get to avoid paying for plane tickets in full, but you’re not in control. You’re just going through the motions. You may end up regretting the travel.
Counter this alluring problem by being on the offensive. Instead of looking for promos right off the bat, check your schedule first. At the very least, make a rough estimate of your schedule for the coming months. Better yet, for the entire year. From there, backtrack through promos and look for the ones that run around your determined free time from your rough schedule estimation. This way, you know that you’re in control, as you know that the promo is aligned with your schedule. Always check for travel planning tips. For contingency, double check cancellation policies to know where you stand whenever something comes up that requires you to cancel or change the trip. Make sure to double up the protection with flight insurance for an easier flight cancellation or flight change process. You’ll never know when the weather is against your favor.
The Wrong Traveling Mentality
Avoid setting yourself up for disappointments or a lackluster travel experience by having realistic expectations and a flexible travel itinerary. A rigid travel itinerary might deprive you of spontaneous activities that might amplify the whole experience and garner endearing memories. Unrealistic expectations of your hotel resort might offset an otherwise wonderful trip. No matter how good the trip went, when you compare it to an unrealistic standard, it will always pale in comparison. Keep your travel itinerary open and flexible. Welcome detours as an inevitable part of the traveling experience. After all, spontaneous moments are what makes traveling insightful and memorable. To keep yourself from having unrealistic expectations set by misleading travel ads, make sure that you did a thorough research about your destination. That includes the good parts and the bad parts of the place. It also means knowing the tips and tricks on how to navigate around while having fun and getting the best bargains. Don’t forget to look up the place’s history so you can fully appreciate all its quirks. This way, you can make the most out of your trip and return home brimming with satisfaction.
Everyone deserves a satisfying and memorable traveling experience, that’s why you should avoid bad travel planning habits through the proactive solutions provided above. After all you’re a traveler, a person who faces challenges head on and overcomes them. Ditching bad travel planning habits should be a simple thing to do. Next time you travel, make sure you come thoroughly prepared. That way, you know you’re getting the best value whenever wanderlust hits you.
