Vacation is meant to be a happy and relaxing time, but in reality, it is still life and it can be stressful and mistakes are made. And as in life, everyone makes mistakes when traveling. Some are bad while others can be taken more philosophically "you live and learn". There are some common mistakes that people make that can easily be avoided. Other mistakes just come with experience and travel. There are many aspects to mistakes made but here we will cover just a few of the common travel mistakes.
Overbooking
Many people want to plan their trip down to the finest details - and that's fine, everyone has their preferred style. But planning and prebooking all the activities, accommodation, and restaurants will have the impact of giving zero flexibility.
If it is a new destination, one may not know the best amount of time to spend in a location until one gets there. One cannot account for weather or spontaneity. E.g. on a trip to the South Island of New Zealand, one may prebook a scenic flight of the glaciers, but the scenic flights are canceled if it rains. One can't reschedule for the next day because there is another activity already booked on that day.
Of course, all that being said, some activities need to be book far in advance - but many don't.
- Tip: Keep Some Flexibility In The Itinerary
Airport Taxis
If flying abroad, then one needs to know something about taxis. If the destination is Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, etc, then forget this section. But for many countries, there are many formal and informal taxis waiting at the airport for tourists who are not familiar with the pricing of the country. E.g. the standard price of a ride to one's hotel might be $10.00, but they will tell the new tourists $150.00. It pays to do some research on the price before one arrives or ask a worker at the airport about the price. Also, download the local hailing app.
- Tip: Download The Load Hailing App: Uber In New Zealand And South Africa; Yandex Taxi In Russia; Bolt In Vietnam; Bolt And Uber In Kenya Etc.
Over Packing
Often when traveling - especially for the first time one wants to have full comfort and take everything one could possibly need. This is generally a mistake. Just always take less stuff, this way one's stuff will be more manageable and one will have more space to do some local shopping and buy gifts and souvenirs. Remember one can always buy everything at the destination as well. Forgot the socks? Well, people buy and wear socks in Switzerland too! Just if the traveler has large-sized shoes etc. - they are unlikely to find their size in places like South East Asia.
- Tip: Don't Over Pack
- Tip: Don't Sweat About Forgetting To Pack Stuff (Except For The Passport)
Carrying Cash & General Money Mistakes
Generally one should carry a few hundred dollars or euros around the world in cash. But this varies massively on the destination. For example in many countries like Kenya, the visa on arrival fee is $50 and must be paid in cash. While in Mauritania it is paid in Euros. If one is visiting Uzbekistan there are almost no credit card facilities and only a couple of ATMs that probably aren't working. So one will need to take all the spending money in cash to Uzbekistan. While if the destination is Europe or New Zealand, then there's no need to take any cash whatsoever.
- Cash: Consider The Destination For The Right Amount Of Cash To Take
Tourist Traps
In many locations in the world, there are tourist traps. These may be very expensive restaurants targeting foreigners, expensive guides, etc. While highly touristic destinations can be touristic for a good reason, not all the time. Just because a place is touristic, that doesn't mean that it's especially good. Conversely, just because a place isn't touristic, that doesn't mean that it isn't good and destined to be the next big thing. Instead of looking only for the "top ten most popular destinations/activities," look for blogs or other sites that show some of the less-known destinations. Some of these could be really good. Also, ask locals where they go when in the country.
- Tip: Consider More Things To See Than Just The Most Popular
Haggling
Haggling and bargaining, this is a tricky one as it depends on the country being visited. So in South Africa, there may be a tourist price for wares but generally, things are fairly priced and fix priced. The same throughout Europe and Australia etc. But if visiting Morocco, India, or Egypt then haggling is the name of the game. Often tourists ask the price, the vendor says a price 10x higher than the going rate, and the tourist just says "ok".