7 Travel Tips For Non-Travellers, Beginners, And Everyone In Between

1. Do your research

You wouldn’t want to travel blindly, AKA travel without knowing at least a bit about the place, such as where to get the best food, what activities you can do there, and so on. The very important thing you have to do before travelling is to research your destination. You wouldn’t want to land and realise unexpectedly that the locals don’t speak your native language, right?

Also, it is very important to research airline restrictions, such as baggage fees and restricted items. And, of course, researching the weather, the traffic conditions, and any dos and don’ts is always strongly recommended for a smooth trip.

2. Travel on off-peak days

Ask any frequent traveller and they’ll agree that travelling on off-peak days is always a better choice. Not only are fares cheaper, but it’s just easier in general. You won’t have to deal with crowds and never-ending lines at the airports. Flights delays may also be minimised. For instance, statistics show that the day before Thanksgiving is the biggest travel day of the year, so that’s perhaps one to avoid where possible!

3. Book early-morning or late-night flights

Recent studies have shown that planes have better on-time performances if they travel during the earlier and later hours of the day. Also, if you take a morning flight and it gets cancelled or delayed, you can take one later in the day and not feel like you’ve wasted so much time. And night flights normally mean fewer people at the airport, which leads to shorter lines at security checks.

4. Pack light

This is especially important if you’re heading to a shopping destination. It is also suitable for short trips, and may not apply to long-term travel. Adopt the idea that you’re going to buy your clothes there, so you won’t have to pack so many pairs of outfits in your suitcase. Be savvy when packing shoes too; you don’t really need many pairs!

Toiletries such as shampoo, towels, or body wash will often be provided at the hotel so don’t bother packing those! If they’re not, they’re easy to buy once there. Try to avoid checking in your baggage on your flight to your destination. But if you do check in your baggage, always make sure valuables such as electronics, documents, and medication are in your carry-on, in case you encounter lost baggage.

5. Have a back-up plan

Anything can happen when you travel. Always make sure you have a back-up plan in case anything goes wrong. For example, let’s say you’re all geared up for that 1-week hiking trip, which was actually what you travelled for, only to have it cancelled because of the weather.

So you’re left heading back to the hotel and heading out still in your hiking attire because you didn’t pack any other kind of clothes. You didn’t think anything could go wrong, and you’re now walking around the streets aimlessly, clueless on what to do for that one week you’re there. Or, a very common incident would be arriving at your hotel only to realise that your booking didn’t go through because of some issue, and the hotel doesn’t have any extra rooms left.

Coming up with a Plan B (and maybe a Plan C and D!) will always be useful, whether things go wrong or not.

6. Trust the locals

So many times we choose to trust what we read on the internet rather than asking the locals themselves. They’ve definitely been in that place longer than you have and they definitely know better. Also, the websites that you read from while doing your research are mostly those of other travel writers, and the writings are based on their personal experiences and opinions.

Researching is good when it comes to the general stuff like dos and don’ts, traditions, and festivals. But in terms of the best restaurants and the best shopping deals, it’s invariably best to ask the locals. Also, head to the shopping district or restaurant that is swarmed with locals, and not tourists, because a place with an abundance of locals is always better than a place with an abundance of tourists. And, it’s usually cheaper!

7. Always bring extra cash

Say hello to impulse buying! Bringing extra cash will be useful not just for when you see something pricey and out of your budget that you really like but also for emergency cases. For example, medical emergencies. You might actually get a fever or something more serious during your trip and if you only have just enough for your travels, you’ll be in deep trouble. Also, stacking extra cash will come in handy for last-minute souvenir buys and, of course, excess baggage fees.

And there you have it!

With these travel tips, you’re good to go. There might be several other travel tips that you’ve heard from people or read on other websites, but these are the basics when it comes to travelling happily. They are useful for people who aren’t frequent travellers. Also, the more you travel, the more tips you’ll come up with.

Travelling is both an adventure and a learning experience, and it doesn’t take one to travel to a minimum number of countries to be able to say that they love travelling. So go on, grab your passport already!