Top 4 travel mistakes to avoid

Top 4 travel mistakes to avoid

Whether it is for business or pleasure, traveling calls for meticulous planning and execution. Frequent travelers probably have their own set of tried and tested tricks to easily move through airports, avoid being stranded or stuck in a foreign place, and have an altogether safe and efficient trip. As most of us resume travel after a long break, it is important to revisit and avoid common traveling mistakes for a smooth journey.

Overpacking
This is a common issue for most people regardless of the number of trips they have taken in the past. The art of packing light doesn’t have to be complicated. It is okay to repeat a few outfits to make space for the essentials. Also, wouldn’t you want to set aside some space in case you decide to go shopping on your trip? To avoid paying an excess baggage fee, review your itinerary and pack accordingly.

No cell phone plan
One of the common traveling mistakes is completely relying on Wi-Fi. However, not every café, station, or hotel is likely to offer free or reasonably fast internet. So, when you have no access to the Wi-Fi, you wouldn’t want to be stranded and have no means of calling for help. This is why you must always look for affordable cell phone plans while traveling. You may get a local sim to avoid any exorbitant traveling fees/prices on your original plan.

Not notifying your bank
You must always check if your cards can be used internationally, and if they are not activated for international travel, you can either do it through the mobile app or ask the bank to provide access. Credit cards can get blocked when swiped in another country if your bank has not been informed about the travel plans and destination beforehand.

No buffer between flights
International travel could mean that there is no direct flight to your destination, and you might have to book a connecting flight. You should check the connection time or duration of the layover and ensure that you have enough time to board the second flight. Not including a buffer period of at least a few hours is a serious traveling mistake that would result in missing the next flight if your first trip is delayed or canceled. You should account for such uncertainties in the schedule for all modes of travel.

If you’re planning to visit Iceland, you can go on a tour in your own vehicle. These tours start directly from the airport and have flexible durations. They range from day tours to three-week long drives, covering everything from Reykjavik to Westfjords.

If you are traveling through Europe, there are many walking and hiking tours that you can choose. Experiencing the wild trails is an adventure on its own! You can also skip lines when visiting historical monuments like The Colosseum, Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, the Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. You can also hire a private guide and book skip-the-line tickets for various tourist attractions in Italy like Rome, Venice, and Florence.

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Hotel booking – 6 common mistakes to avoid

Booking a hotel room online before is a pretty straightforward and quick process. In fact, it's so simple that many travelers overlook a few crucial aspects before booking, which ends up costing more time and money. What's even worse is that a seemingly-minor misstep can spoil your entire vacation. If you want the best deals and make the most out of your trip, here are some common hotel booking mistakes you must absolutely avoid. Booking at an inopportune time When you book a hotel at the wrong time, you often end up paying a lot more. "Wrong" here means you're booking too early or late. That being said, there's no single best time to book, but you must consider the popularity and seasonality of your destination and monitor rates for a few days before booking. Assuming there's no better deal Nearly every booking website claims to offer the best online hotel deals. But taking their word would be unwise. Compare prices across different sites and check if they're offering promotions. Sometimes, the lowest prices are available on a hotel's official website, so you might want to check that too. Not paying with a credit card Always use credit cards for hotel bookings. This path is typically the only means of getting cash-back bonuses, rewards, and free stays, among other benefits. More importantly, credit cards offer fraud protection and immediate refunds for mischarges, which are not offered for payments made through debit cards and cash. Booking without checking reviews Most hotel rooms look spacious, luxurious, and spotlessly clean in pictures, but the reality can be quite different. Reading reviews helps you know whether the hotel is how it looks. In addition, reviews can give you an idea of the quality of service and overall stay experience. Booking non-refundable rooms Non-refundable rooms are cheaper than regular ones, but keep in mind that booking such a room is a high-risk option. The hotel will not refund a single dollar if you have to cancel or amend your stay for any reason, be it a flight delay or medical emergency. Overlooking the location In search of the best deal, many travelers ignore the fact that their hotel is too far from the places they want to visit. If your hotel is located in an inconvenient or isolated location, it could ruin your whole vacation and cost you more money and time while traveling.

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The ultimate guide to booking cheap flight tickets online

Flying can be super expensive, and there’s no doubt about that. Even after using all your miles or various discounts, flight tickets can burn a hole in your pocket rather easily. So, how do you get affordable tickets without compromising on your in-flight comfort? Well, here’s a complete guide that will help you with just that: Go incognitoA lot of online websites use cookies to inflate the prices of flight tickets. No, you did not make a mistake when you saw the prices the first time, it truly did change. Multiple sites use these cookies to check if the route has been searched before. With that information, they hike their prices and scare the customer into buying the tickets as soon as possible. Book the tickets as early as possibleBooking the flight tickets at the last moment means high prices. Instead, plan your trips in advance and book the tickets at least three months before the trip. This will help you save a lot of money, and you will be able to choose better seats. If not three months, book the flight tickets at least 30 days before the trip. Ticket prices see a hike during the final three weeks before a flight. Set a price alertYes, flights are cheaper if you book them in advance, but how will you know you’re getting the cheapest possible flights? To do this, set a price alert to get notified when the price increases or decreases. When the price hits the level you want, you can book the ticket. Even if the dip in costs of the flight ticket is small, you will have major savings if you’re booking tickets for a family. Compare prices on different airline portalsChecking the prices of flight tickets on the carrier is good for research purposes. You can then use this information and check for flight prices on travel and planning websites to see if you can avail of major discounts. Do not just check one or two websites. More is always better. This way, you’ll know if you’re actually saving money by getting a discount on your ticket. Take the connecting flightIf you’re in no hurry to get to your final destination, book a connecting flight. Connecting flights are always cheaper than non-stop flights. To top it off, if you can book the connecting flight yourself, you’re bound to save more than you can imagine. That being said, don’t forget to ensure that the two flights have enough time apart or may end up missing your flight. Mix airlines and airportsWhile traveling, it is also important to remember that certain airports are more expensive than others. The same goes for airlines. This is why it is important to check nearby airports while booking a flight. You can end up saving around $30 by choosing the next airport instead of the first one. While searching for connecting flights, you may only receive results showing flights from the same carrier or its partners; you want to avoid this. Choose different websites and different airlines to get the best discounts.

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