Going Abroad? Travel Tips That Can Save You Time, Money and Trouble
Your travel tips actually begin the moment you decide to travel — not when you start packing your suitcase.
Before zeroing down on a destination, there are a few practical things worth considering. A beautiful destination may look perfect on paper, but the right destination is one that also works for your time, budget, health, interests and comfort level.
General Tips
Choose a Destination That Works for You
• Check the climate.
Find out what the weather is usually like at your destination during your travel dates. A place can offer a completely different experience depending on the season, and extreme heat, cold, rain or humidity can affect your plans considerably.
• Check whether it fits your budget.
Look beyond the cost of your flights and hotel. Accommodation, local transport, food, sightseeing and even small everyday expenses can add up quickly. Travelling too tightly on a budget in a foreign country is not advisable. Keep some room for unexpected expenses.
• Consider your health and mobility.
You should be reasonably comfortable with the physical demands of your trip. Some destinations involve a lot of walking, stairs, uneven streets, hiking or long days outdoors. Take these into account while choosing your destination and planning your itinerary.
• Think about your food requirements.
Vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, gluten-free and other dietary requirements can usually be managed in most popular destinations, but the ease of finding suitable food varies from place to place. Check this before you travel, particularly if your diet is strict or you have a food allergy.
• Check the connectivity and travel time.
Some destinations take considerably longer to reach, and travelling between cities can also consume a surprising amount of your holiday. Look at the actual travel time, not just the number of places you want to cover. Trying to fit a faraway destination into only a few days may leave you spending more time in airports, cars and trains than actually experiencing the place.
• Think about where you will stay.
If you are visiting a large city and your itinerary revolves around a particular area or a few major attractions, staying reasonably close to them can save considerable time and local transport costs. This does not mean the most expensive or most central hotel is always the right choice — choosing a hotel wisely is a subject in itself, and we will cover that separately.
Read a Little Before You Go
• Look at the geography.
This may sound like homework, but a little geographical knowledge can completely change the way you plan a trip. Look at a map and understand where the major cities, regions, attractions and neighbouring destinations are located.
Sometimes a place you would love to visit is much closer than you realise, while another may look close on a map but take hours to reach. Knowing the geography helps you decide whether to stay longer in one place, add another destination, change the order of your itinerary or save a particular place for another trip.
Don’t let a lack of geographical knowledge turn an entire country into just one city.
• Read a little history too.
You do not need to become a historian before taking a holiday, but knowing something about the history of a country can make what you see much more meaningful. Buildings, monuments, neighbourhoods, traditions and even food often make much more sense when you know the story behind them.
• Check the local calendar.
Before fixing your travel dates, find out what is happening at your destination. Festivals, national holidays, religious celebrations, major sporting events, concerts and local fairs can completely change the atmosphere of a place — and sometimes its prices and availability too.
You may deliberately want to travel during a festival to experience the destination at its liveliest. Or you may prefer quieter dates. The important thing is to know what is happening before you book, rather than discovering it after you arrive.
Once You Have Chosen Your Destination
Once you have decided on the destination, start working on the practicalities.
Get Your Documentation in Order
Check your passport validity and visa requirements well in advance. If a visa is required, find out how long the process normally takes and whether you need additional documents, photographs, proof of funds, travel insurance or other paperwork.
Then look at your flight tickets or other means of transport. The earlier you start, the more choices you generally have, particularly during popular travel periods. Prices can also rise as the travel date gets closer.
Get Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is one of those things you may hope you never need — but you will be very glad to have it if something goes wrong.
A suitable policy can help with certain unexpected situations such as medical emergencies, trip interruption or cancellation, baggage problems and other covered travel disruptions. What is covered varies between policies, so read the terms rather than buying a policy simply because it is the cheapest.
Think of travel insurance as paying for a little peace of mind before you leave home.
Hopefully, you will never need to use it.
Keep Your Important Documents Safe
• Keep photocopies of all important documents.
Make photocopies of your passport, visa, flight tickets, hotel confirmations, travel insurance and other important documents. Keep the paper copies separately from the originals.
• Keep digital copies too.
Save copies securely on your phone and somewhere you can access them online if your phone is lost or damaged.
• Keep important information in a language that can be understood locally.
For documents or medical information that may need to be shown to local authorities or medical professionals, a translated version can be useful where appropriate.
And please do not depend only on your phone. Paper copies are still important because phones can be lost, stolen, damaged or simply run out of battery at exactly the wrong moment.
It is also wise to leave a copy of your important documents and your itinerary with someone you trust at home.
Be Smart About Your Money
Never put all your travel money, cards and valuables in one wallet or one bag.
• Inform your bank before travelling.
If your bank or card issuer offers a travel notification facility, let them know where and when you will be travelling. An overseas transaction can look unusual compared with your normal spending pattern, and your bank may have security systems that flag or decline transactions it considers suspicious.
Sometimes your bank is actually one step ahead of you when it comes to protecting your money from fraud, so make use of the security alerts and controls they provide.
• Carry more than one payment option.
Carry some local currency, but do not carry all your money in cash. Keep your cards separately and, if possible, have a second card as a backup.
There is no need to avoid credit cards altogether. A credit card can be useful internationally, particularly if it offers good fraud protection and reasonable foreign-transaction fees. Debit cards can also be useful for accessing cash. The important thing is to understand the fees, withdrawal limits and foreign-currency charges attached to your particular card.
• Keep some emergency cash separately.
If your wallet is lost or stolen, you will be very grateful that you did not keep every card and every penny in the same place.
• Pay attention to the currency.
When a card machine or merchant offers to charge you in your home currency instead of the local currency, check the exchange rate carefully. This type of conversion can include an additional markup. When possible, paying in the local currency can avoid that particular conversion charge.
• Keep an eye on your transactions.
Turn on banking or card alerts and check your account during the trip. If you notice a transaction you do not recognise, contact your bank or card issuer promptly.
Pack Light — But Pack Sensibly
Too much luggage is not just heavy; it becomes another responsibility you have to carry around.
You may have to lift it into trains, cars and hotel rooms, drag it through airports and keep an eye on it everywhere you go. So travel light whenever you reasonably can.
But light does not mean unprepared.
• Always keep one smart or formal outfit and a good pair of shoes.
Some fine-dining restaurants, clubs and hotels have dress codes, and you do not want to discover this only after arriving at the door.
If you are travelling as a couple, keep something nice for that romantic evening you may not have planned yet.
And if you are travelling alone and also single— well, you never know who might be waiting for you at the other end! 😉
• Carry one fully covered outfit.
Even if you are not specifically planning to visit religious places, keep at least one modest, fully covered outfit in your luggage. You may suddenly decide to visit a temple, mosque, church, monastery, shrine or another place where visitors are expected to dress appropriately.
A lightweight outfit that takes almost no extra luggage space can save you from having to turn around at the entrance.
Take Care of Your Health
• Carry your important medicines.
If you take regular prescription medicines, carry enough for the entire trip and, where practical, a little extra in case of delays. Keep medicines in their original labelled packaging and carry copies of your prescriptions. Some medicines that are legal in your home country may be restricted or prohibited in another country, so check the rules before travelling.
It is also sensible to carry a small personal travel kit with medicines you normally need for minor problems such as headaches, allergies or stomach upsets — provided they are suitable for you.
• Keep medicines in your hand luggage.
Do not put essential medicines only in checked baggage, where they may be delayed or lost.
• Check vaccinations and health advice.
Some destinations have specific vaccination or health requirements. Check these before travelling rather than waiting until the last minute.
• Be Sensible About Food and Water.
Trying local food is one of the pleasures of travelling, but your stomach may not always share your enthusiasm.
• Avoid food that has been sitting exposed.
Be particularly careful with food that has been sitting uncovered for long periods, especially in hot weather.
• Be careful with water.
Check whether tap water is safe to drink at your destination. If you are unsure, use sealed bottled water from a reliable source.
• Do not suddenly challenge your stomach.
If you are not accustomed to very spicy food, perhaps your holiday is not the best time to discover just how much chilli you can handle. Try local food, but gradually.
A holiday is not the time to spend a whole day searching for a bathroom because you wanted to prove a point to a bowl of curry!
Stay Connected
Your phone can be one of your most useful travel tools — for maps, bookings, translation, communication and emergencies.
• Check your mobile plan before leaving.
International roaming can be expensive, so find out what your provider offers before you travel.
• Consider a local SIM or eSIM.
In some countries, a local SIM can be much more economical than international roaming. eSIMs can also be convenient where supported. Some countries require identification or registration for local SIM cards, so check the rules before you arrive.
• Calling cards can still be useful.
In some destinations, international calling cards or inexpensive local calling plans can be considerably cheaper than standard international calls. Compare the options available at your destination.
• Internet calling is another option.
Apps such as WhatsApp, Signal and other internet-based calling services can be convenient when you have Wi-Fi or mobile data. But do not depend entirely on an app — connectivity may not always be available when you need it.
• Save important numbers before travelling.
Keep the numbers of your family, travel companions, hotel, travel company, insurance provider and local emergency services. Also save the contact details of your country’s embassy or consulate where relevant.
And keep a paper list of important numbers too. If your phone disappears, your contacts should not disappear with it.
Travelling With Babies and Young Children
Travelling with little ones needs a little extra preparation.
• Help babies with ear pressure during take-off and landing.
Changes in cabin pressure can cause discomfort, particularly during descent. Babies cannot chew gum, so breastfeeding, bottle-feeding or allowing them to suck on a pacifier during take-off and landing can encourage swallowing and help ease the pressure.
For older children who can safely chew gum, chewing gum or sipping a drink during descent may help. Never give chewing gum to a baby or young child who is not old enough to chew it safely because of the choking risk.
If your child has recently had an ear infection or ear surgery, check with your paediatrician before flying.
• Keep your child’s contact details with them.
For toddlers and young children, keep your name and contact number somewhere on the child — for example, in a secure pocket, an ID card or another place that can be easily found if the child gets separated from you.
Do not rely only on the child’s memory to remember a parent’s phone number.
• Carry extra essentials.
Diapers, wipes, spare clothes, medicines if required, snacks and familiar comfort items can make a difficult journey considerably easier. Allow for delays rather than packing only what you need for the exact scheduled journey.
Keep Some Money Aside for Tipping
Tipping customs vary enormously from country to country, so check what is customary at your destination rather than assuming that the same rule applies everywhere.
Where tipping is customary, keep some small notes handy for people who provide services during your trip — such as hotel staff, drivers, guides, porters or restaurant staff, depending on local practice. Paying too less can be taken as insult to someone who is with you for longer time like a driver or hotel staff or your guide.
Tipping is not only a graceful gesture; when appropriate, it is also a humane way of recognising someone’s work and service.
But remember: tipping should follow local customs. In some countries it is expected, in some it is appreciated but optional, and in others it may not be customary at all.
Know the Country Before You Arrive
Every country has its own laws, regulations, customs and little everyday rules. Some may seem perfectly ordinary to a local but surprising to a visitor.
Before travelling, spend a little time finding out about:
- traffic and road rules
- public behaviour
- photography and filming
- alcohol and smoking restrictions
- dress requirements
- public transport etiquette
- bringing food, medicines or other items into the country
- rules about what you can carry in or take out
- local rules concerning monuments, religious places and protected areas
Some rules can be surprisingly specific. Singapore, for example, has regulations concerning chewing gum, while other destinations may have strict rules concerning littering, jaywalking, public drinking, photography or where you can smoke.
You do not need to become an expert in another country’s laws. But knowing the common rules and the things that are different from home can save you from an unnecessary fine, an embarrassing situation or, in more serious cases, legal trouble.
This is why, alongside this general travel guide, we will also cover destination-specific rules and things travellers should know before visiting particular countries and cities.
If Something Goes Wrong
We all hope for a smooth holiday, but sensible travellers prepare for the possibility that something may go wrong.
• If you lose something valuable, report it.
If your passport, wallet, phone or other important belongings are stolen, contact the local police and your embassy or consulate as appropriate. Keep the police report safely.
• Always ask for a copy of the police report.
This may be an FIR (First Information Report), depending on the circumstances. Do not simply leave after making the complaint. Ask how you can obtain a copy of the report or other official documentation of the incident.
A police report may be useful when dealing with your embassy or consulate, insurance company, airline or other authorities. In some countries and circumstances, it may also be required for passport or immigration procedures. Requirements vary, so check with the relevant authority for your particular case.
• Know your emergency contacts.
Save the local emergency number, your country’s embassy or consulate, your insurance provider and your family’s contact details before you need them.
And One Final Rule: Don't Assume
One of the easiest mistakes to make while travelling is assuming that “this is how we do it at home, so it must be the same there.”
It isn’t.
The side of the road you drive on may be different. Tipping may work differently. A gesture that is perfectly innocent at home may be considered rude somewhere else. A restaurant may expect you to dress differently. Something you casually carry in your suitcase may not be permitted through customs.
A few minutes of research before you leave can save you hours of trouble after you arrive.
Travel with curiosity, but also travel with awareness. You are a guest in another country — learn a little about the place, respect its rules and customs, and then enjoy the journey.