The one great thing about traveling is you learn from each trip you take. The good the bad, and the mistakes to avoid for the future. One reason I love traveling so much is to help educate others on mistakes that I have made and help others avoid making the same mistakes. However, you also need to set realistic expectations when traveling and know that things will go wrong, there will always be minor or big bumps along the way. Most people fail to prepare their trip and themselves or they set unrealistic expectations which is usually why some may come home disappointed. Now, at times, there are exceptions where a trip went wrong and it really was a failure of a trip. I have to admit that I have had a few of those trips in my lifetime, but the majority of my trips have been fantastic even with a few bumps in the road.
So, what I have learned over the last few years traveling that will be relevant in this current travel year? Keep reading below for my top failures that will you save you heartache when booking your next trip.
- Planning
- This is the biggest and most important tip to consider. Sure, a few years ago pre Covid it wasn’t a big deal to hop in the car and have no itinerary and fly by the seat of your pants. However, Covid really changed the way we travel and how we can travel.
- If you want as much of a stress free trip as possible, you need to have a plan and an itinerary.
- If you aren’t a planner or planning gives you stress, consider using a travel agent (such as myself) to help with those details that just make you want to pull your hair out!
- Not sure where to start when planning a trip? Follow my rules of WWH. Where, where are you going. When, when are you going. How, how will you get there. (e.g. car, plane, boat, etc.).
- Once you have the layout of your trip with WWH then you can move to budget, lodging, transportation, and excursions. It’s important to understand how much you can spend.
- Budget
- I’ve learned my lesson on this a few times and am still learning this! Failing to have a budget will leave you lost and 100% guarantee you will overspend.
- It’s important to outline costs for a trip and break it down. This will help you prepare and plan and it gives you increased control of where your money is going. I’m not a very detailed person so I don’t get way down in the weeds, but you can make your budget as detailed as you like. I break my travel budget by air/car, car rental/transportation, lodging, food, and spending. Depending on what type of trip I take, I will break out the food by meals/days and the spending by person.
- Again, I can’t stress the importance of having a budget. It is an awful feeling coming home from a trip and having no idea what you spent and being surprised when you spent an abundance more than what you thought.
- If you do go over your budget, it’s not the end of the world. Learn from it and determine how you went over. Do you need to make tweaks to your budget? If I go over my travel budget, it’s usually due to food or an unexpected expense that I didn’t factor.
- Lastly, with the increase of inflation, it’s important to keep in mind things are going to be more expensive this year in years past, budget accordingly.
- Not checking requirements
- Ok, so I have not personally made this mistake, but I have known a few friends that have over the last few years. So what requirements am I referring to?
- Requirements entering and leaving a country. Thankfully, many requirements have been lifted, but as you know in this economy, things are extremely fluid and can change at the drop of a hat. Always check the requirements for any country you are visiting. I would rather be overly cautious then get to my gate and be turned away.
- Cruising? Always check their most up to date protocols and requirements. Many cruise lines have dropped the Covid vaccine, but most will still require a negative Covid test and some still do require a vaccine such as Disney Cruise Line. Again, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
- Traveling to another country? Have you checked your passport expiration date? Some countries will not allow entry if your passport is set to expire in the next 3 to 6 months. Always, check the passport requirements for the country you are visiting and ensure your passport isn’t expired or set to expire soon.
- Also, ensure your passport is correct. I have known people to get married and change their name but forget to change their passport and have been denied entry into a country.
- Overpacking & Underpacking
- I know this one sounds contradictory, but I have had recent experiences with both.
- Most of us will overpack and think we need to bring everything but the kitchen sink. Trust me, overpacking will create costly luggage fees, lack of room to bring home souvenirs, and likely you’re not going to use everything in your bag.
- Pack clothing you can mix and match. This is where you need to get creative! I also roll my clothing to allow for more room and I bring a garbage bag to separate the clean from the dirty. I also try and pack travel size toiletry items and utilize the resorts soap and shampoo when I can.
- Under packing can be an issue as well and I recently learned this. There needs to be a balance which can be difficult unless you are traveling somewhere with a washer and dryer. Always, pack an extra fresh pair of underwear and one outfit, you never know when you might need a set fresh of clothes.
And there you have it! My top 4 travel failures to avoid in 2022.
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