words Al Woods
Planning your life may be the safest way to live because it eliminates trepidation and prevents you from second-guessing yourself. However, spontaneity can help you get out of your comfort zone, push the limits and live an exciting life.
You’ll be happier to live on a whim, once in a while, trying out new things like travelling. So, when you decide to pull the plug on your predictable life and go on a random tip, here are a few travel tricks to use:
Pack Your Essentials
Your travel prerequisites are anything you’ll need to make your trip pleasant with little to no inconveniences. For most travellers, essentials comprise credit cards/money, a travelling bag, clothing, an itinerary and some electronics.
Crucially, you need to have your up-to-date travelling documents like your visa and passport as they could easily deter your travelling plans. Passports are a must-have for travellers, while visas may be unnecessary depending on the country.
If you want to travel to the US, it’d be best to determine your eligibility for a visa waiver through ETSA. You can achieve that by checking the website before embarking on your journey. Doing so will help you determine your visa status so you can move forward with your travel plans.
Another essential to pack is your driver’s license and insurance, especially if you wish to rent a car. Having these documents will allow you to drive on foreign soil legally so you can conveniently cruise the city for a unique experience.
Consider creating a checklist for your essentials; it shouldn’t take more than five minutes. Then, meticulously pack your requirements one by one as you tick off your list to ensure you don’t forget anything important.
Have a Budget
The fact that you’re considering an impromptu trip means you have enough money in the bank to facilitate it. With that said, it’d be helpful to have a budget, so you’re conscious of your spending.
Having a travel fund is an essential part of making travelling part of your life. If you don’t have one, creating a budget will work just as effectively in determining where you’ll spend money, how much you’ll put in and your spending limits.
Remember, after your retreat, you still have a life to get back to, so don’t let your travelling expenses dent your pocket. Instead, let your itinerary guide your budget or vice versa to ward off excessive spending.
Oh! Don’t forget to account for souvenirs in your budget – they’re always money well spent.
Create an Itinerary
Travelling blind is not such a good idea, especially when you’re going on a spontaneous holiday. You want to prepare ahead of time with an itinerary to explore the destination effortlessly.
Unquestionably, you can spare a few minutes to look up attraction sites and activities in your preferred destination for an organised and exciting itinerary.
Besides organising your trip, an itinerary will help you book a suitable hotel that offers convenient access to major sites and complements your travel.
Note that your itinerary will enable you to identify routes to sites and airports so you can quickly drive to and from with ease. So, if you’re planning for an in-and-out trip, make your itinerary as simple and small as possible so you can have enough time to travel back.
Make Plans Early
You simply cannot travel without making travel arrangements like calling your workplace, cancelling pre-meditated plans and arranging baby care.
This trick touches on responsible travelling because you cannot up and go without looping in relevant parties or making arrangements for your loved ones. It poses a massive inconvenience to everyone involved.
You can do this as soon as two days to your trip to allow your family, friends and neighbours enough time to adjust their routines. Consequently, you’ll avert miscommunication and inconveniencing others while you’re away.
Furthermore, you want a relaxing getaway where you don’t constantly think or worry about what you should’ve done. Making early plans will help you avert this and ensure you have a relaxing getaway.
Book a Hotel
Reserving a hotel before you leave home is a great way to start your travelling. Suppose you arrive at your destination at night with jetlag. It’ll be massively inconvenient to begin looking for a hotel when all you need is a warm shower, food and sleep.
If you want to avoid this, consider booking a hotel before your travel, so you can have an easy time checking in when you get there.
Moreover, early booking allows you to scour through hotel options for one that suits your needs and interests. Consequently, you’ll be able to enjoy your hotel’s amenities and engage in its locale’s activities for a good time.
Pack Less
Planning an unexpected trip means having less time to prepare and less stuff to pack. Usually, random trips only last a couple of days, so there is no real need to pack that many things.
If anything, you only need a handful of clothing, shoes and utilities that can fit in a small bag unless you plan on extending your stay.
Besides, packing less makes movement from the airport to your check-in and check-out easy. The hack to packing less is packing what you need for your trip.
Anything that’s not a requirement is extra and will weigh or slow you down eventually.
Have a Map
You can either use a physical map or an online map to help you navigate the city’s routes and roads. Alternatively, you can use your phone’s or car’s GPS for real-time traffic and driving directions to drive to different locations efficiently.
Maps are essential travelling gear you can use to get around without depending on the locals’ assistance.
Moreover, they help you to familiarise yourself with the destination’s terrain and places like dining areas, popular nightclubs and nearby public stops for a worthwhile transit.
Regardless of your purpose for travelling or the length of your trip, several factors can lead to an unpleasant travelling experience. The more you think about it, the more you realise that the fundamentals of travelling are your starters to a good trip owing to their significance. Everything else aside, ponder on the above pointers to help you have a hassle-free trip.
