Travelling the world is a beautiful thing to do. Some say that one will learn more in life if they travel than from their education. We travel to escape from the routine of our everyday lives or to see cultures or places that are completely different to our own. We travel to feel free, accomplished, complete, or to fall in love with the world around us. But, sometimes we forget those all-important travel hacks.
While social media rapidly takes over the world, we see many people who travel living their perfect life. You know the influencers with their tanned skin, eating acai bowls with their beach blonde hair without a strand out of place? Those people do exist, but no life is complete without flaws, even when you’re travelling.
The purpose of this article is to embrace the ugly parts of travelling and manage your expectations if you are completely new. Things may go wrong while you’re on your dream trip, or you may wish you had researched more about a destination. But don’t be put off, as exploring the world is still one of the most wonderful things that one can do with their life.
Be aware of public transport rules
Of course, it is self-explanatory that you would pay for public transport. Nothing in this world is free. However, different countries have different processes and policies when travelling via public transport.Â
Story Time:
This tip comes from my personal experience when travelling to Prague, the Czech Republic from Krakow, Poland via Eurorail. I hadn’t researched the currency before my arrival and I couldn’t pay for the train to my hotel.Â
After discussing this with a customer service agent at the station, he advised that we can hop on a train to the main station and collect our currency from there. It was just a 15-minute journey so the fees were not applicable.
We arrived at the station, without a train ticket, and were approached by a gentleman asking for our tickets, and passport and charging us a fine. This is before they were notified that we hadn’t paid. This led to an intimidating altercation, the UK Embassy was involved, a fine was paid and we had to solve the matter when returning to the UK.
The following day, we purchased the tickets for the metro. We hopped on the train towards the city centre, and we were approached again by a different conductor. We showed the gentleman our tickets, with pride, until we were asked to pay a fine again. It turns out, in Prague, you need to activate your ticket when arriving on most of the trains. This is through a small machine next to the doors.
Unfortunately, we were unaware of this, and certain people will target obvious tourists for financial gain. After a bit of extra research, it became apparent that this was very common.
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Travel hack:Â Be vigilant at all times, and double.., triple.., quadruple check that you’re following the correct procedure. You don’t want to find yourself in a dangerous position.
Pack responsibly ... and with wheels
When you hear the phrase ‘backpacking around Europe,’ or any other continent, what do you imagine in your head? For me, it’s the huge backpack that wears you down as you are walking to your accommodation. However, it doesn’t need to be this way!Â
Of course, the number one tip would be to pack lightly. But if you’re anything like me, that’s not possible no matter how hard you try. You find yourself on your travels, the sun is glaring, you’re running on little sleep and the backpack is completely weighing you down.Â
You don’t have to fit into that criteria. Bring a suitcase instead, you will thank yourself for it. When purchasing a travel backpack, this will be held in the luggage cabin on a plane, with the suitcases. It doesn’t add much convenience having this on your back when you can take all of the weight off and put it in a bigger, more spacious suitcase.Â
Travel hack:Â Just because you see backpackers often, doesn’t mean you need a huge backpack yourself. Do what’s easiest for you.
Staying in hostels
Many will find that hostels are the top choice for travellers who are hoping to save money and socialise. They are inexpensive and cheerful, and many provide that fun party atmosphere. However, there are situations where you may feel unsafe of in danger, especially if you’re sharing a space with a lot of other strangers.
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Travel hack:Â Be vigilant and ask for help if you need it. Also, remember that many cities in Europe are known for pickpockets so keep an eye on your belongings.
Get yourself a currency card
Pickpockets are common, and if you are targeted, it helps if you carry very limited cash with you. There are plenty of currency cards that travellers use to avoid losing their money. Many of them offer live currency exchange rates which are perfect when travelling, as well as delivery to your accommodation with a new card if you happen to lose one.
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Travel hack: Revolut is a firm favourite of mine, and highly recommended by many. *Not sponsored
Remember the city tax
Many hotels, particularly in Europe, require a city tax. Just remember that you may have to pay a fee when you arrive at your accommodation. If on a budget, this is useful to know.
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Travel hack: Try to include an extra 20 – 30 euros when budgeting. City tax is not likely to exceed this amount but at least you’re prepared.
Make your experience great: Location, Location, Location
There is nothing worse than arriving at your accommodation and discovering that you’ve chosen an area with no transport links, or nothing to see and do around the area. It’s worse when you realise that you’ve opted for a lower-budget accommodation over your safety. Further outside of the major tourism spots, you will often find cultural differences and language barriers. This is usually a great way to get to the heart of a country or city, but it can still make you feel uneasy and struggle to ask for help if needed.
Koza Cave Hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey
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Travel hack: Read travel blogs, reviews, and recommendations and ask others who have visited a destination about where they stayed. You can even look at the maps on Booking.com for the areas that you’re hoping to visit. Your chosen location can make or break your experience.
Trust me, travelling's not all bad...
A huge part of travelling is getting things wrong and seeing where you end up. It’s all part of the adventure. It’s fine when things don’t go as planned, but knowing a few travel hacks can make your trip much safer and fun.Â
Research, plan, research again. But most of all, enjoy your experience to the fullest.Â
** We do earn a small commission for any bookings on Booking.com via the link. However, this is a website we have always used to book hotels and would never advertise something that we do not 100% trust and use ourselves.
