If you want to travel and do it to the best of your ability, then you want to learn as much as you can about traveling. Traveling is a subject where the more you know, the more you can apply and improve your trips accordingly, so take these tips into serious consideration.
International travel can be quite fun. On the plane flight to your destination, bring along a phrase book and try to learn a few phrases in the language of the culture where you will be spending time. You do not have to be fluent in the language and many locals will be delighted that you tried to learn a little bit of their language. Do not be shy about mistakes. Most people will appreciate you tried to learn a little bit about their culture.
When traveling by plane make sure you take every precaution you can to ensure smooth travels. You first want to make sure your luggage does not exceed the maximum weight requirements by the airlines. You also want to label all of your luggage so that there is no confusion with other passengers who have similar luggage to yours.
If you travel a great deal for work, the constant change of venue and planes can be exhausting. Make it a bit easier on yourself by always requesting the same seat when you book a flight (“9A, please, or right over the wing.”) Actually, over the wing is a good spot because the plane tends to be most solidly anchored and less susceptible to vibration. That way, you will feel as though you’re sitting in “your” seat on the same plane back and forth, and you’ll also be accustomed to working in that particular position (window at your left, etc.)
When renting a car take the time before you leave the parking garage to acquaint yourself with its most basic features. Make sure an instruction manual for the car model is in the glove box and take time to skim through it. It’s no fun to pull into rush hour traffic just as a thunder storm hits if you don’t know how to turn on the windshield wipers!
Plan far in advance when booking flights around holidays. Normally you can find the best deal by waiting until the last second to buy a ticket. However, around the holidays airlines know that they will be busy so they start increasing the price early as people panic and decide to buy tickets. If you absolutely want to travel during the holiday season you should purchase your tickets as soon as possible.
If you plan to stay more than one night in a hotel room, bring a cheap over-the-door organizer for shoes or jewelry. Instead of filling it with shoes, you can use the pockets to store your toiletries, room key, camera, phone and any other objects which might easily get lost in the fray. The clear pockets make it easy to find things, in seconds.
As stated in the beginning of the article, you want to learn as much as you can about traveling. Remember that the information you just learned, isn’t everything there is to know about how to travel efficiently, so always be on the look out for new things to learn. Apply these tips and your trips in the future should be smoother.