No matter what sort of trip you may have in mind, a little planning can make the whole trip a lot more enjoyable. The ideas and wisdom within the following paragraphs can make your trip a better one.
If you are planning to travel to a country in a very different time zone to yours, make sure you factor jet lag into your plans. Having a low key, relaxing first day planned will get your trip off to a good start, and avoid you having to explore when all you want to do is sleep.
When traveling to poor countries or countries with high crime rates, keep all of your valuables out of sight. Don’t wear a camera over your shoulder or even a cheap watch on your wrist if you don’t want to attract the attention of thieves and beggars. Carry a shoulder bag for these types of items instead.
Keep a photo journal of a beloved stuffed animal When traveling with kids, make great memories and an awesome souvenir by taking pictures of your child and the stuffed animal doing fun things throughout the trip. At home, you can collect all the pictures and make them into a photo adventure book to remember your trip.
If you’re going on a cruise with your family, pack along some Walkie-talkies. Cruise ships are basically floating cities and it’s very easy to get separated. Walkie-talkies can help everyone keep in touch, especially if you don’t get cell phone reception or if you’re out of the country and don’t want to pay heavy international charges.
Show your loyalty. Even if you are only planning to stay one night, if your hotel has a loyalty program, it can be worth it to join. In addition to additional amenities, such as garment pressing or free meals, a guest who is perceived as a loyal customer is less likely to be chosen if the hotel is overbooked and needs to cancel a reservation or needs to substitute a lower quality room.
Use your GPS for things you did not know it could do. Many GPS units actually have calculators, currency exchange rates, and bilingual dictionaries built in. You can use these to your advantage without having to buy them separately. Check your GPS before you attempt it though, as some less expensive models don’t carry these features.
Try to stay cool while traveling. Bodies may naturally heat up due to closed quarters, limited airflow and just being nervous about visiting a new place. Make use of overhead vents on airplanes, standing on the deck, if on a ship, or opening a window in a car. Sometimes you may be able to crack a window open on a bus as well, if you are unable to do so sit towards the front of the bus rather than at the back to avoid stale air.
No matter how far you plan to travel, a little preparation will make any trip go a lot more smoothly. These pointers can put a smile on your family’s face.
