Traveling is supposed to be fun and relaxing, but sometimes it can become the opposite of those expectations. Even as an experienced traveler, there is a lot to manage when it comes to vacation planning and getting ready for a trip. I sometimes forget things as well and it can be an inconvenience while I’m trying to appreciate my carefully planned vacation. So what should you do to prevent headaches in order to really enjoy your trip abroad? Here are 8 tips that I found useful to incorporate into your vacation planning to take the stress out of traveling every time.
1 – Plan Ahead
Whether you rather book your vacation with a travel agent or book everything on your own, you’ll need to plan ahead in order to take the stress out of traveling. And plan early if you can – there will be more availability and you’ll also be able to save some money! You’ll need to take into consideration seasonality, holidays, the best time to book your flights for the best prices, the visas you may need, and even time off from work. There’s a variety of things you’ll need to take into consideration and you’ll want to be fully prepared. As soon as you know when you want to travel, start looking for flights and hotels so that you can budget for that time of the year. Certain accommodations or even restaurants can be fully booked many months in advanced, and if you really want to visit a certain location, you should do the same.
To get started on your vacation planning, I’ve created the Ultimate Guide To Planning Your Trip Abroad and a free downloadable Pre-Trip Planner And Checklist to go with it. These tools will help you brainstorm when and where you want to go on your trip and take into account your interests, what you need to prepare for, and how to stay safe while you’re away.
2 – Budget For Your Trip And Save
If you haven’t done so already, budget for your trip and save money ahead of time to make sure you can cover all your expenses. This is why planning early is always good and helps the stress that comes with traveling. You also never know if something unexpected comes up prior to your trip that you may need to suddenly pay for and you want to be prepared. As soon as you know where you want to go and when, you’ll have an idea of how much things cost during that time of the year. From there, you can start budgeting and make a plan to save.
Not only do you have to consider how much it is to pay for everything before your trip and during your trip, it’s important to have an emergency fund in case anything happens on your trip. Of course none of us plan for anything to go wrong, but if it does, you want to do your best to be ready for it. We can easily lose something while on our trips since we can have so much to take care of, or a lot of bags to hold. Not to mention, some countries are highly known for theft. And in case, God forbid, that you get into an accident (hopefully you have travel insurance) and need to pay out of pocket, you want to be prepared.
3 – Make Reservations
Whenever and wherever possible, make a reservation. Aside from the obvious booking of flights and accommodations, making a reservation or booking for popular restaurants you want to try out, admission into a theme park, or an exciting excursion is important. When you’re traveling so far and spending your time and money to go there, you want to be able to see a certain attraction or experience a specific event. But most of all, you’ll want to make sure you’re able to have access. There’s been times, even on road trips, where I didn’t know I had to make a reservation ahead of time for certain things and ended up not being able to visit the place I want to.
It’s not always easy to save up enough money or take enough time off for your vacation, much less revisit. Making a reservation will guarantee your spot and give you peace of mind. As usual, the sooner you know when, the better. With the pandemic happening and restrictions in certain areas, a lot of places have made it easier to guarantee your spot by providing reservation tools which you can book online.
4 – Check The Weather
Weather can change everything on a trip. I don’t think anyone likes it when it’s too hot, too cold, too rainy, or too snowy. And especially if you are traveling during hurricane season, you can never know what to expect. Depending on what weather you get at your travel destination, plans can be cancelled and you may even have to hide out indoors all day. Remember to check the season when planning your trip and know what to expect. And as the days get closer to your departure, check the weather to know what to pack and which days are better for your excursions and whatnot. Rain is sometimes unpredictable and random in more tropical areas and it can come down hard, but luckily it doesn’t last long. However, it can still be inconvenient.
I remember my hardest hike had been in Iceland to visit the Thríhnúkagígur Volcano when it started to rain nonstop with 129 km per hour winds. When you’re on limited time with a specific schedule, sometimes it’ll be hard to rearrange your plans. Occasionally, if you can brave it, you’ll encounter some bad weather that may be unavoidable on your once-in-a-lifetime excursions. It may be inconvenient or tough, but it’s worth it.
All you can do, is do your best to prepare and schedule things you want to do according to the weather if possible and even leave room for rearrangement. Another way you can prepare for the weather is to pack for it – this is what I usually do. Whether it’s an umbrella, a rain jacket, or snow boots – they’ll come in handy when you need it. These days, companies make many items travel-friendly and easily packable so it won’t take too much room. For example, I like bringing my Vessi’s as they’re stylish shoes for all types of weather since they’re waterproof.
5 – Pack Smart, Pack Light
I can say, one of the most annoying things when traveling is heavy luggage. A majority of the time when I travel, I only use carry-on luggages. This means, that I am literally stuffing everything I can into 2 handheld luggages so I don’t have to check my bags in and risk losing my things or wait at baggage claim. This prevents a lot of headaches and stress when traveling. Not only is it important to pack light when only using carry-ons, you want to pack light for check-in luggages too.
If you’re one to bring home a lot of souvenirs, you want to be have some room leftover. Pack only what you need, and maybe a couple extra outfits for emergencies. There has been times when I packed 4 or 5 pairs of shoes, but only end up using 2. This takes up a lot space and weight which becomes a burden. And if you’re really on the go, sometimes you have to take your luggage with you while touring around. You want to make it as easy as possible for you to be mobile.
I know this may be excessive for some, but I plan my outfits for each day of my trip according to the weather and occasion to make sure I don’t over-pack. But of course I’ll have a few outfits as backup as well to be safe. I also like to pack items I can throw I while I’m on my trip – this includes toiletries and even some makeup that I’m about to finish. And depending on which country I’m visiting, I pack clothes that I’ll wear one more time on my trip and give them away to the locals. They actually really appreciate this and I feel happy knowing that I can help them out and not have to waste something that is still in great condition. Doing this also helps lighten my bags. In the case you are doing a one week trip, here’s how you can pack for a week’s vacation to fit in a carry-on.
6 – Give Yourself Extra Time
When it comes to traveling, it’s always safer to give yourself extra time and be early. You can encounter traffic, unexpected delays during security checks, or some other problem that can make you miss your scheduled flight, ride, or reservation. If you miss your flight or the last bus – whatever it may be – it can really mess up your itinerary.
Sometimes, it’s even hard to fly out the same day as a lot of flights are fully or over booked. And other times, it may be your only chance to get entrance into something that you had your heart set on. You don’t want to miss anything you’ve planned and paid for while on vacation, so plan out your time wisely. So instead of stressing out during your ride to your destination, you can “stress out” at your gate while boarding your flight knowing you’re way ahead of schedule!
7 – Don’t Overbook Yourself
I’ve been guilty of this, especially when it comes to road trips. I don’t want to miss anything that’s in the area so I want to visit all the hot spots I’ve mapped out. This isn’t always possible as traffic can happen, a place you want to visit isn’t opened that day, or an exploration took longer than expected. Even with GPS’s today, you can still get lost – especially when hiking. But this ends up putting a lot of pressure on yourself and adds to the stress of traveling.
I would say pick your top must-see places that you absolutely cannot miss and make those a priority. Plus, if you plan too much and do too much, you can really exhaust yourself. Speaking from experience, a lot of times I feel like I need a vacation after my vacation. I’m the type to go all out – but if you like to take it easy and want to actually be able to relax during your vacation, don’t overdo it. I know it’s hard when there’s a limited time, but…priorities. You also don’t want to plan everything out and end up not even doing half of it and being disappointed.
8 – Be Prepared Before You Fly
This encompasses a lot of things including knowing your baggage allowance, which airport and terminal you’re flying in and out of, the time you need to be there, and your itinerary. One time, I got my excursion date wrong when I was in Belize and actually arrived at the meetup location the day after! Luckily, we were the only ones on the tour so they were able to easily accommodate us.
Be sure to look over all your important dates, times, and locations to make sure you know when and where you need to be. Knowing details of your itinerary ahead of your takeoff date will not only give you reassurance, but take the stress and anxiety out of traveling. Aside from that, you want to be prepared for important things like travel insurance, emergency and embassy contact information, or even have enough medication for your trip.
Do a last check before you fly to make sure you have everything you need. Here are 10 important things to do before you board the plane.
With these 8 tips to help you take the stress out of traveling and all the resources I’ve provided to help with that, I believe that it will definitely make your well-deserved trip more smooth-sailing and fun like you intended!