Its December. Holiday season is round the corner. I hope you have your holiday plans sorted. Travelling is easily one of the best ways to feel relaxed and rejuvenated. However, it can also be overwhelming at times with some unexpected happenings during the journey which can be avoided with some prior planning. During our recent trip to Spain, we had to change our plans, face unexpected situations but at the end all izz well. So, here are my tips for planning your travel and enjoying throughout your journey.

Wandering in Aramandi
Be flexible
Something can inevitably go wrong including things that are out of your control. Be patient and remember that the main objective is to enjoy. In our case, it was unexpected changes in the weather that we had to cancel scuba diving at Costa Brava, which was one of the most awaited parts of the travel. So we just changed plans but ended up being in greater places which we never knew of 🙂
Be prepared for the unexpected
I agree travel light is the mantra but when you are on longer trips, it is always helpful to be prepared for the unexpected changes in the weather. Carry a light rain jacket or an umbrella, even if your weather prediction did not show rain and cold.
Make a packing list
Making a list (at least a mental list) of everything you need on your trip. Lists not only makes your packing easy but also make sure you travel with all your essentials and don’t spend a bomb for buying them again in a new place. I have a list of packing essentials here.
Learn basic local language
This was a biggest lesson from our Turkey trip. A simple “Hello”, “Thank you”, “Please” would be a great way to receive good vibes from the locals and surely the best reason to get introduced to a new language. Agree we have google translators and apps but it’s always a great impression when you communicate without looking at the phone.
Plan your everyday in advance
If there are some tourist attractions like museums etc that you would like to visit, it may be a good idea to look for the visiting hours and holidays in advance so that you don’t end up in that place when it is closed. One of the apps that we used to plan our everyday itinerary is “Visit a City”. Don’t forget to plan at least one no agenda day. You need a day to literally relax and not just be out of office 🙂
Choose wisely between Airbnb and Hotels
If you ask me, there is no right answer to which is better? Hotels or Airbnb. I have had good and bad experiences with both. It depends on the place, your convenience, the price and of course your choice. During our recent trip, we primarily chose hotels in small towns when the hotels themselves are century old buildings converted into luxury and affordable hotels. But we also got the best of views with our Airbnb properties.
Footwear
I cannot stress enough on the importance of carrying comfortable pair of shoes for all purposes. When the trip involves lot of walking, which I believe is the best way of moving around in a new place, light weight sneakers are your best friend. You may also want to carry a pair of sandals or dress shoes or boots to go with your fancy outfits.
Stay connected
It is important to stay connected while traveling. We used Skyroam, a portable wifi device to stay connected. The service lets you connect to multiple devices and has great coverage and comes with a power bank. I found this to be a perfect alternative for activating international roaming or trying to connect with the free wifi at hotels.
Relax and relate
Lastly, make sure to relax your mind while traveling and relate yourself to the surroundings. It is important you put that on your agenda so that you don’t miss that out. Apart from doing routine touristy things, plan to do something the local way, like eating the traditional food, going for a cultural show, meet with the locals etc.
What are some of your tips for happy and safe travels? Where are you headed for the holidays?
-Signing off
23 Comments
Vrinda Bhargava
December 13, 2018 at 10:07 amGreat handy tips! Thanks for posting this 👍
Lakshmi
December 13, 2018 at 11:57 amI am glad you liked them. Thank you.
Marta_the_traveler
December 13, 2018 at 2:08 pmSuch a good checklist! I believe it helps many people to be better prepared to their travels 😊
Chad
December 13, 2018 at 2:28 pmThese are amazing amazing tips! I am a frequent traveler and never paid attention to some of the insights you’ve mentioned here, so cool and thank you!
Chad
http://www.mosaicslab.com
Lakshmi
December 17, 2018 at 4:15 pmI am glad you like them Chad 🙂
Neely Moldovan
December 13, 2018 at 4:41 pmOh yes to packing lists. With a baby its a must!
Tasha at Lady Boss Studio
December 13, 2018 at 7:34 pmGreat tips! No travelling for me this year but these are great to keep in mind.
Kate
December 13, 2018 at 10:23 pmI just returned from a 3 week trip to Nepal and Sri Lanka, luckily we already followed these tips, but these are great for new and more seasoned travellers alike
Maartje van Sandwijk
December 14, 2018 at 2:17 amGreat list! I always like to plan out my days because otherwise I end up not really doing anything
Nicole Escat
December 14, 2018 at 3:25 amEverything that’s on the list is so true. I’m amazed with your efforts in sharing this. Love it.
Danielle
December 14, 2018 at 4:37 amThank you for all of these tips!! I am just now starting to plan my travel for the new year.
Joanna
December 14, 2018 at 6:58 amThese are all great tips. I would always choose hotels over airbnb because I travel alone and I want to feel safe. I am just about to to go Asia in a few days and didn’t yet plan anything, I’d better start doing it soon.
Sri Mallya
December 14, 2018 at 1:18 pmThese are some great tips. Thanks for sharing.
Rachael Eberhardt
December 14, 2018 at 4:41 pmI totally agree with the ‘be prepared for the unexpected’ we should always be ready mentally, physically and financially when we travel. We don’t always know what’s bound to happen.
MAYSZ
December 14, 2018 at 6:49 pmWow! Great Idea! When I go to travel I’ve always been prepared for the unexpected. especially when regards about safeness 🙂
Megan
December 14, 2018 at 7:39 pmThanks for this list, spot on! I’ve been traveling waaay too much this year so can definitely concur that this is a perfect list.
Noor
December 15, 2018 at 12:13 amGreat tips and advice. I find it very useful and so to other readers especially travelers.
nicol
December 15, 2018 at 12:54 amamazing tips. I always plan my days in advanced yet be flexible at the same time. it becomes stress free if I do this
Preet
December 15, 2018 at 3:55 amSuch a great and very informative post. planning before traveling is what really important. This guide can be very useful for my future trip.
Sincerely Miss J
December 15, 2018 at 6:05 amWhen traveling having a plan is huge. It is a must! Love all your suggestions
Sally Pederson
December 15, 2018 at 4:02 pmThose are some great tips. Rarely does travel plans and travel itself go a smoothly as we think they will.
Justyna Butler
December 15, 2018 at 5:42 pmI love planning ahead just like to to save money and gets us all excited for our new adventures!
Fairuz
December 15, 2018 at 8:47 pmI travel a lot and I think your list is on point. Things aren’t always going to go according to our plans, so we do need to be flexible and go with the flow. I also make a packing list before I travel. It ensures that I travel light and only carry things that I need. Choosing wisely between hotels and Air BnB can make or break a trip. My experience using Air BnB in Italy was a great one, as some of them have incredible views that you wouldn’t get by staying at a hotel.