Travelling is one of the best
things to do with your mind, body, money, and time. Nothing enriches you the
way travel does. Breathing in the air of a new city, every day fills you with a
different kind of ecstasy. The kind of wisdom that you can gain from travelling
cannot be gained by reading all the scriptures of the world.
However,
travelling to different cultures can be difficult too. A number of unexpected
things, cultural differences, and not being prepared for emergencies can put
you in a fix while you are thousands of miles away from your country.
Especially for the amateur travellers, there might be things that can
intimidate you enough to give you up travelling for life. There are certain
things that one can only learn from experience.
Here are a few tips on
travelling that can help you have a smooth journey, no matter where you are
travelling-
Travel
light- Yes you have the perfect bag to
go with that dress, but it’s not worth it. Always travel light. Minimise the
clothes you are carrying with you. For a week’s trip, a couple of denims and
three t-shirts should do the trick.
Booking
the air tickets- Book you air tickets well in
advance. Whenever you look at the price, it’s the cheapest that it’s going to
get. Always clear your cookies before browsing for prices. Airline websites
show a higher fare if you’ve visited the site a few times.
Footwear-
Many people don’t pay much attention to this, but you HAVE to have a
comfortable, reliable pair of footwear with you at all times. The best way to
really explore a city is on foot and you wouldn’t want to end up with blisters
on your feet on the second day of your trip.
Mixing
with the locals- Just clicking pictures and
wandering in the streets of a new city is not travelling. You can get the
pictures of every nook and corner of Earth on the internet. Travelling is only
worth it if you mix with the locals of the place. Respect them for the
diversity.
Carrying
cash- Not all countries and cities
would accept debit and credit cards for small payments. Make sure that you have
sufficient amount of cash in your pockets at all times. Ask around for travel
cards and cash cards before leaving your country.
Carrying
medicines- Terms and conditions for OTC
drugs are not the same for all countries. In addition, you might react to some
salts in an unknown medication. Always carry the basic medicines- for cold,
cough, fever, stomach infections, allergies, body ache, headache etc. It could
be disastrous if you forget a medication that you are on.
Trying
out foods- Never hesitate in trying out a
new dish. You will always repent later. Even if you don’t like it, you can
change the taste of your mouth in a few minutes, but the memory of tasting
stuff would stay with you forever. However, be careful about the ingredients
you are allergic to.
Take
help from technology- The technology today has
made it a lot easier to travel all across the globe. You can decide for the
accommodation, mode of commuting in the city etc. before you even leave your
home. There are smartphone applications that can help you organise your entire
trip along with storing your tickets and details for bookings. You can use the
internet to make easy things for you. For example, if you are travelling to
Australia, you can go through the Australian business listing to search for the best possible hotels and chauffeur services.
Ella Rich is a travel blogger and trip organizer by profession. She has great experience in indigenous tours in Perth and Western Australia. She advocated the importance of to give more exposure to travel business in Australia. Sharing her travel experience through blogging is her real hobby.
