Collaborative post / contains gifted items
If you are an experienced traveller or have recently been inspired to see more of the world, we have 4 practical travel tips for you to consider. As someone who has travelled near and far, I have tried out so many different things to make my actual travel experience swifter. Sure, it’s great to discuss the destinations and give suggestions on what to see or do, but getting to and fro is just as important to discuss. Usually the better the actual trip the better the holiday, so let’s get started!
Pack light
This may be an obvious one, but I can’t tell you how many suitcases I have seen with unnecessary objects that are packed “just in case”. Spoiler alert: you won’t need it! You won’t actually wear that jumper that you don’t like but keep because it’s kinda cute (yeah, that was me). In all fairness, it was kinda cute. It was form fitting, with a pink, black and white abstract patter. It went great with jeans, skirts, or trousers. But guess what, I didn’t actually like it enough to wear it. If you don’t wear it at home, you won’t wear it away.
You won’t need a million accessories for your hair, or to take all of your beauty gadgets either. Hotels will provide a hair dryer, and if there isn’t one in the room you can easily ask for one. You also don’t need to take matching jewellery for each outfit, etc. Sure, some people are more high maintenance than others, but if you know you usually stick to the same style of earrings and don’t like statement necklaces, you probably won’t wear them on your holiday. That is unless you are going out to an event or nice dinner. But overall, it just won’t happen.
Keep your luggage safe
I do travel light, and have been knowing to go on transatlantic trips with only a carry on suitcase. Of course, it does help that I usually go to visit family and can keep things at their house, but that hasn’t always been the case. There are occassions though that I do travel with checked luggage. This can be when I need to take chunkier bits, like winter clothes, or when I need to take gifts or bring bits back too.
I don’t even want to say this too loudly, but to this day I haven’t had any lost luggage issues. But, I do know that it is something that happens to a lot of people, unfortunately. This is why it could be a good idea to invest in a GPS tracker. One wouldn’t think of a tracker for everyday use. Usually you think of trackers in films that are used to trace someone’s vehicle location. But if you have valuable bits then why not use a tracker to see where your suitcase is at all times?
We were gifted the PAJ-GPS which we are keen to use on our next travels. There are no plans for international travels imminently but we will definitely be testing it during the next few months on some domestic travels. It’s actually quite simple to use. You download the corresponding app, attach the tracker to the object you will be tracking, and the tracker will send the location to the PAJ FINDER app. It’s that simple to track your items in real time! There is live tracking in over 100 countries in 4G or 2G-4G depending on the location.
I like that even though the tracker is quite big, it comes in a small felt bag for you to pop it into and then slide it into a pocket of your suitcase. Check out the PAJ-GPS page to find out more and choose the best tracker not only for your luggage but whatever else you may need to track.
Go at your own pace
We all want to be able to get as much packed in and see all of the Insta worthy locations. But as you may know if you have been through this, these locations can be quite daunting to actually see as you can find many more like minded individuals who want to get that perfect photo.
Don’t do it. Don’t plan your holiday around a photo.
If you are really keen on seeing a landmark, that’s fantastic, but don’t push yourself to see and waste time at places that will more than probably be chock full of other tourists and “influencers” trying to get the perfect photo for their social media channels.
If you are keen on seeing something as beautiful as the colloseum, then do;
- make time for the queues,
- don’t hold the queues by holding a photo shoot,
- try to find a unique angle for your photo,
- don’t waste an entire day trying to get the perfect photo.
Give yourself time
I try to enjoy each aspect of my travels. From chilling out at the airport to factoring in wait times for trains and buses. It is important to give yourself time and make sure that you have plenty of time to do what you need to do. Many novice travellers tend to complain and be surprised by the time that they spent going through security at the larger airports or even how annoying it can be to have to queue up for a taxi.
This could lead to travel anxiety for newbie travellers. The reality is that there is nothing better than being able to factor in the time you may need to get things done. If you give yourself the time then it’s actually great to be able to have free time available to either rest up or squeeze in a little bit more into your day. It’s all about planning ahead.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed these 4 practical travel tips that are perfect for beginners and those of us who travel often too.
