Travel Tips That Will Change Your Life!
Being on holiday is heavenly, but planning your holiday, being in transit after you depart for your holiday and returning from your wonderful heavenly break can be absolute hell! These travel tips will can eliminate all the drama so you can love every minute from booking, to returning home.
Maps.me
The maps.me app is an absolute saviour! Never get lost, never get ripped off by a taxi driver and never have to pay for data roaming charges for using it. Maps.me is a maps app. You can pin all the places you want to visit while you are away and use its satellite navigation to get you there whether that’s by car or on foot. The app doesn’t use data, simply download the map of the country you are going to before you leave home. You can use maps.me to find your way home if you are lost and for when you get in a taxi as you can make sure the shortest route is taken. You can also find toilets, petrol stations, ATM’s etc at the click of a button!
Saving money on exchange rates
There are many currency cards out there and we have tried a few and have been surprised when sometimes they don’t work when you really need them! Revolut is our current personal favourite as it gives local exchange rates and doesn’t charge you for taking money out. Simply transfer money onto it and use it just like your debit card. You need to order one online so do it at least a few weeks before you travel. You can see your spending in graphs so you can understand whether your money is going on eating out, entertainment or travel for example.
Identifying where to go
Preparation is always key! Sign up to destination inspiration (like our travel newsletter) and travel blogs (we love The Culture Trip), get on Instagram or Pinterest to follow some travel boards. This will give you a few ideas about where you might want to go to for your next holiday. Sign up now, even if you aren’t planning a holiday that way you already have ideas in mind so this step will have already been completed! If you already need a holiday about you don’t know where to go you have left it too late and this could already be stressful!
Finding and booking your holiday
Once you have decided where to go you need to find the cheapest and most comfortable way to get there as well as: a place to stay that is in the right location for you, decide how to get to the airport, read up on the best way to get to the hotel when you arrive – and this is before you have even begun to think about all the things you want to see and do. Let’s face it this is just the half of it and searching through all the deal s and reading all the fine print is a headache. Call a travel agent and let them look after everything. You can still get a great deal and you can be sure your money is in good hands unlike booking on some of the sites you find online. Travel agents know the business and know the destination so just tell them your requirements, sit back and wait for them to arrange everything. You can sometimes get a cheaper deal, sometimes it might cost a little bit more – but how much is your time worth and how many hours (not to mention annoyance) will you save yourself?
Don’t forget anything
There are certain items that we all need when we travel; but it’s almost like we are guaranteed to forget at least one of them every time! Then when you get to your destination you have to waste time trying to find shops that sell the things you need. To avoid all this fuss simply keep items like: toothbrush, plug adapter, phone charger, waterproof pouch for your phone (so you can use it underwater and keep your valuables secure when you swim) etc. in your suitcase so they are there whenever you go to travel somewhere. Here is a full packing list of you need one.
Forget queues
Getting to your destination and back is often time consuming so to avoid irritation take this opportunity to have some ‘me time’ and pamper yourself. Start by getting an airport lounge pass, not only will you be tucked away from the noisy crowds and queues, you will also get free champagne, free breakfast (as many as you can eat, we tried three breakfasts, lol!), cakes, bottles of water etc that you can take with you for on your flight and decent Wi-Fi. What’s more, all of this is brought over to you so you don’t need to even get up! Different lounges have different perks so do check before you book.
Never run out of power
Battery life is generally the bane of our existence and when you are away you have less familiarity with your surroundings so it can be a challenge to find a place to charge your phone – and after all the photos you will be taking you might have to charge up more than once. Before you travel purchase a lightweight high capacity powerbank (the average phone battery is around 3000 mah so get a powerbank in excess of 20,000 mah so you can charge many times).
Returning home
Before you leave for your holiday prepare – make sure the house is clean and there are some meals in the fridge (or freezer if it’s a long trip), ensure you have work clothes ready to go so you can come home and relax rather than have to return to lots of chores and chaos. Try to keep your holiday bliss feeling as long as you can!
*Please note: Any products mentioned here are personal preferences only, we don’t work with these companies or professionally recommend anything. When selecting a product do your research and make sure it’s right for YOU!
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