25 Travel tips and how to travel smarter

Here’s how to travel smarter

Having traveled for business and pleasure since my early days of going to Europe and Asia from high school and through college and the timeframes beyond, I have learned a lot about traveling on my own or with friends and how to really focus on the positive and important aspects of traveling to a destination I’ve always wanted to visit.

I have experienced and learned a lot from all these journeys and wanted to share with you some of my best 25 travel tips that may help you with your own travel plans and how to travel smarter. And please feel free to add any other tips you would like to share in the comments below for others to learn from your own experience.

 

 

1. Do your Research

It always pays to do some initial research and read up about your destination and any details about transfers, lodging, transportation and basic information. Follow some films, read some books or look for some interesting material online from various sites on Google, Pinterest or any other relevant social media platform that shows images and tips. Getting most of your bookings and logistics set up including transfers from the airport, will help tremendously in your transition and start of your travel journey.

2. Learn a few phrases of the local language

Learn some of the common greeting in the local language. Simple greetings for  a good morning, good day, hello will get you very far when you travel anywhere in the world, combined that with a genuine smile and you are good to go. Check some online sites for common terms or get a phrasebook or download a phone app for translation that can help you to learn some new phrases and communicate with your phone.

 

3. Travel light

Try to travel as light as you can and you won’t have to curse slepping your belongs over cobblestone streets or those extra pair of shoes that are really impractical for a nice hike in the hills. You can always buy small things when you are on location and having small luggage will curb your temptation to buy a lot of souvenirs or heavy purchases.

 

 

4. Follow your interests

If you’re a foodie person or photographer, sign up on a food tour or a photo excursion geared primarily for photographers. It will make the trip more interesting when you share/experience your passion with fellow enthusiasts. This is a better way to enjoy your passion with others and not have to worry about the details or logistics of finding out key locations and places of interest on your own which can be time consuming on  your own.

 

 

25 Travel tips and how to travel smarter, finding the views of Paris

View of Paris from the Galleries Lafayette

5. Think outside of the tourist sites

Research the cool new neighborhoods and hangout spots, interesting museums or shows that are happening at the same time of your visit. Find an interesting food court that serves a lot of local fare so you can sample different things for a good deal. There’s really something to be said about finding the off the beaten path areas or back streets, especially in very popular tourist locations that can be overwhelming with the overdone and not so unique experience of being crowded in with visitors from around the world.

 

 

6. Respect your host destination

Be aware of local customs and respect the local culture and traditions. It’s very easy to compare to your own country and personal beliefs, but avoid that and have open eyes and ears when you travel. Understanding local customs is a great way to immersing yourself with the people, customs and traditions of that place you are visiting and you will quickly feel more connected to the people and place that you are visiting.

 

The street vendors at the night market in Marrakesh

The street vendors at the night market in Marrakesh

 

7. Vary your budget

Yes you should go to local markets and sample some of the local specialties and the street food being sold. But then you should also splurge for those amazing dining experiences or one-of-a-kind events like a balloon rides, or a helicopter ride over a stunning panorama. The trick is to vary your budget and make allowances according to the expensive but amazing and the cheap but tasty.

 

 

8. Build in some down time

Don’t pack your entire day with activities and tourist sites to visit all in a day and then repeat it for the entire journey. It’s great to have some down time to just  sit somewhere, have a nice meal and people watch for a change. Pretend you are a local if just for an afternoon or a few hours and enjoy the street scene for a bit. Or take a nice long nap in your hotel room after you had a nice long walk in the morning and you can prepare for an evening event or stroll after your nice nap time.

 

9. Participate in a local program or cultural event

Learn to do something unique in that particular destination that is unique to their culture and tradition. How about taking a cooking class, sign up for a local dance class, or even a short language immersion class would be an excellent way to spend a few hours and learn something new about your host country. Educational tours are a fantastic way to learn and immerse yourself with local culture and traditions.

 

 

Walking up to see the sunrise in East Hawaii Island

Walking up to see the sunrise in East Hawaii Island

 

10. Get up early in the Morning

When you start early in the morning, you’ll see different things, less tourists around the popular attractions and you will only see locals starting the day with their typical customs and rituals, a very unique situation where you really are observing and perhaps participating with everyday rituals. Go to an early morning market or find a very popular local breakfast spot that caters mostly to locals and you will definitely be in the thick of things.

 

 

11. Use the public transportation system

Make an effort to learn how to navigate the area by utilizing the local public transportation systems. You’ll get to see interesting things with the public transport and enjoy a different point of view other than taking taxis or arranged travel bus tours. There’s something fun and also challenging in getting to master the local transport systems and getting to know the area even better than hiring a driver or cab.

 

 12. Walk everywhere

This is probably a given but if you are in a very urban environment, instead of the metro or bus, why not walk to the destination and enjoy seeing everything on foot. If you get tired after you see the place you visited, then take the metro back to your residence. But what an excellent way to explore the neighborhoods and landmarks and get some daily exercise at the same time.

 

 

Getting lost in Burano Island in Venice

Getting lost in Burano Island in Venice

 

13. Don’t worry and get lost

Sure you should bring a map and have a general understanding of what you want to do and how to get to your destination but part of the process is getting lost and maybe discovering something new along the way. You can always try to engage and ask for help in directions,  catch public transportation to get you back to where you need to go or even catch a cab if you really are in a hurry to get somewhere.

 

 

 14. Try to talk to the locals

(hopefully some will speak your language) Or find people who do and can give you suggestions on good restaurants, out-of-the-way  places to visit or unique only local spots that are frequented by people in the area and not the tourists

 

 

15. Be open to the unpredictable

Things will always change beyond your control on a trip or vacation. The key is to be flexible and open to any of these unpredictable occasions and either have a plan B or just go with the flow, there’s nothing wrong with discovering something new or just getting lost – your on vacation

 

16. Don’t worry about the details and the unknown

Sure it’s good to plan major parts in advance like your airline tickets, transfers and accommodations or even some general planned itinerary of your visits. But leave some in between time and don’t worry about the unknown or unfamiliar, that’s why your here to try some new foods, learn about your host country and culture and even understand the public transportation system. It’s all part of the journey and education.

Street food at a harvest festival in Japan

Street food at a harvest festival in Japan

17. Eat the local food

Try the street food or the specialties of the region. It will give you a better understanding of what is fresh, how things are prepared and how important cuisine is to a particular place.

 

18. Find a favorite spot to return to

Find a dining spot you enjoy and frequent it regularly. if you like the pastries at a local shop go back and make a connection with the owner and why not order that same dish you really enjoyed the first time.  I promise that this will be one of your most treasured  memories from your trip.

 

19. Find those free events

Did you know that many cities around the world offer free walking tours? (Actually these are volunteers from the local area that hopefully will do a great job for free). Check the local tourism bureaus in the area when you arrive to find out about free events, free museum days or activities that are available for tourist to enjoy for free or a nominal amount. These are typically sponsored by the tourism office so it’s a great time to see something interesting and free. Lots of things are free online as an example you can set up Google alerts for updates on news and events to the destination you are visiting or check Trip Advisor for their top things to do in each place. I take quite a few free city tours when I visit a new destination, here’s one I did visiting the gorgeous city of Split in Croatia.

A visit to Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum and the painting galleries

A visit to Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum and the painting galleries

 

20. Visit a museum or do something cultural

Definitely schedule some time to visit but don’t pack it all in. Slow down and enjoy the galleries that really peak your interest but don’t over do it. A nice thing to do is to take a docent tour which typically gives the highlights of a particular museums key exhibits or special treasures worth viewing.

 

21. Push your limits

Why not try something new or experiment and enjoy something different for a change. You’re in a different world so why not experiment and push your boundaries to really have a unique experience and viewpoint. You will only have a great story to tell in the end of your trip

 

Camera and bag is always ready to go

Camera and bag is always ready to go

 

 22. Always have your camera ready

Whenever you have a full day planned with activities make sure to always have everything ready for your camera. Check the batteries, memory card, camera lens cleaned. Try to get your favorite settings in order so when you see something spontaneous, you’ll be able to capture a nice sharp image of something that will only happen once. Here’s some camera tips and techniques I wrote about on street/urban photography or my best photo tips using your cell phone.

 

23.  Take care of your health

Remember to be nice to your body when traveling to various destinations. Keep up those typical health routines you typically do at home like flossing, getting enough sleep, eating healthy and not too much snacking, using sunscreen and protecting yourself from harsh elements. Only you can know what your limits are and when to slow down and rest, so pay attention to those internal signs that tell you’ve reach your limits

 

24. Travel more often

Traveling is a wonderful learning experience from doing long trips to weekend adventures. It’s a good thing to prioritize a home life and a life of adventure and travel which are just as important to your spirit, growth and personal fulfillment.

 

25. Patience is key

Traveling and bearing a grudge or being angry about a small detail on your trip can really weight you down and ruin an entire day. My advise is not to sweat the small stuff and be flexible and look at the positive. Just take a deep breath and put that though aside while you focus on another fun option that you can do instead to make it an impactful visit.

 

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Conclusion to Travel tips and how to travel smarter

So these are some of the most important lessons that I have learned from my many years of traveling around the world and really getting to connect to the destination I am currently visiting no matter how short a timeframe I’m at that particular location.  I hope that you enjoyed this post on 25 Travel tips and how to travel smarter. If so,  can you please share it with any of the social media buttons on the post, thanks so much for visiting.

 

 

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