TOP 10 Travel Mistakes: how not to spoil your trip and vacation

It's no secret that any trip is primarily an anticipation, dreams and fantasies that are about to come true. Here are some simple tips from the "base" category to avoid ridiculous mistakes and not ruin your vacation. Even experienced tourists sometimes step on the same rake when going on another tour, but what about beginners who are just beginning to explore the world?

1. Documents

Most tourists believe that it is enough to have a valid passport to travel abroad. Although in many cases this is enough, and when moving within the country it is not at all critical, but there are exceptions. In some countries, there are rules according to which a passport must be valid for at least 3-6 months after the date of entry or return flight, and in addition, there is 1 free page for stamping the border crossing. You can complicate your trip by ignoring the requirements for the validity of passports and visas, so it would be right to familiarize yourself with the border rules for each country.

In addition to passports, copies of documents confirming the identity of travelers, including children, may be useful during the trip. No one is immune from theft or loss, and having copies can play a key role in difficult matters. Try to have photos or scans of documents in your gadgets.

In order to avoid the fuss at passport control, all travel documents (tickets, electronic visas, reservations) must be at hand. Today, providing documents in electronic form is equivalent to paper, but some airports prefer printouts.

2. Money

You should take at least twice as much money for a trip as it seems at first glance. Everything will cost a little more than you initially thought. Starting with minor additional expenses from the moment you buy plane tickets, to trips around the city and ending with unplanned purchases that you could not avoid. The same goes for restaurants, booze and excursions. The experience of seasoned travelers confirms the inevitable excess of the budget in trips by at least one and a half times, there is no upper limit, even if you are going on a "package tour".

Also, do not forget to notify your bank about a trip outside the country, which can be done online in the mobile application or by calling the hotline, indicating the country and duration of stay. The card may suddenly be blocked due to transactions from the other side of the world.

It is also worth taking care of the safety of money during the trip by cashing out some of them and certainly not storing all your savings in a hotel safe.

3. Travel Guides

It is difficult to overestimate the value of travel guides these days. The list of attractions can be so comprehensive that during your trip you will not be physically able to visit all the places at once. The guidebooks will colorfully describe a lot of amazing places that you will definitely want to get to.

Determine the purpose of your trip: if it's just a vacation, then set aside some of your time for excursions, leaving yourself the chance to just wander around the city or lie on the beach. Endless trips on excursions are mentally and physically exhausting, give yourself a chance to enjoy the country the way you want, not your guidebook! His task is only to guide you a little in your interests.

4. Personal items

One of the most common mistakes of a traveler is unnecessary things. You may not need a third pair of jeans, an entire first-aid kit, a bunch of shoes, an evening dress and two wardrobe changes. One of the practical rules says: take exactly half of what you would really like to take. As a rule, novice travelers carry evening dresses and jewelry, perfumes, a ton of cosmetics, extra warm clothes that they spend the whole vacation in suitcases, not seeing the white light.

The first reason why you should pay attention to this is the excess baggage. Surcharges for overweight can be noticeable, especially for low-cost airlines. You should especially be careful on the return flight, as the weight of luggage increases due to purchases and souvenirs, and money for an additional payment is running out. The second reason is that you go on tour to entertain yourself, not your clothes.

5. Souvenirs

No tourist can pass by the cute commemorative trinkets in the countless souvenir shops on every corner of the tourist attraction, especially admiring the landmark or the country as a whole. You can shop here for almost everything, from a banal refrigerator magnet to a bronze sculpture of a deity, an ethnic lamp and long-term goodies. Each tourist cluster knows the characteristics of visitors and does not leave anyone unattended, even at beach resorts you can buy anything based on the place of stay.

The uncontrolled purchase of souvenirs to all relatives and friends and friends of friends on the list is guaranteed to make your luggage heavier and deprive you of proper mobility, especially if your tour is not tied to one hotel.

The souvenir should be carefully packed before transportation, as well as check with local regulations that may prevent the export of antiquities, cultural values, natural materials, plants and their parts. Check the rules of carriage with local tour operators.

Also keep in mind that the cost of souvenirs in tourist areas and airports is much higher than in the suburbs. If you are really a fan of souvenirs, look for it in shops at a distance from the main tourist highways.

6. Local food

Of course, we are not talking about gastropeople who go specifically to try something unusual and experience all the delights of local cuisine. Most tourists are afraid of food poisoning or digestive disorders from unfamiliar foods, so they eat what they are used to. There are at least two reasons not to do this. Firstly, if the country has exotic cuisine, then European food is not part of their culture, and they are not used to cooking them here, the product is not consumed in large quantities, and the ingredients may not be the same as you are used to. As a result, the dish will taste specific and leave you unsatisfied.

Regarding food poisoning with local food, the situation is reversed – this food is prepared regularly, in large quantities, cooking schemes have been worked out and the probability of getting indigestion is much lower than in the above situation. Thus, the probability of poisoning is actually higher in an institution where non-traditional dishes are prepared than in a local restaurant. In addition, trying something new will be a useful and interesting experience.

Tourists should also study local culinary traditions in order to understand the pungency of the dishes and the ingredients from which they are prepared. For some, the fact of eating, for example, insects, may come as a surprise. And in Asian countries, you should always keep in mind the amount of pepper and seasonings.

One important aspect of taking care of the stomach is water. By drinking bottled water, you will definitely save yourself from digestive problems.

7. Attractions

A typical misconception of travelers is the hit attractions. Many sightseeing routes are as similar as two drops of water, and often show only the tourist cover of a country or city. The most interesting thing is usually under it, but it is sometimes quite difficult to jump out of the tour. However, if you deviate a little from the route, you can see the real country as it is. For example, run into a local restaurant on the outskirts or just wander through the streets. In addition, you may be surprised by other prices in non-tourist areas.

Let the adventures happen by themselves, do not rush into all the sightseeing tours at once, enjoy time in another country, feel the whole local flavor alone with yourself or your loved ones, and not in a crowd of tourists. There is an elusive charm of the traveler's improvisation in this.

8. Expectations and reality

The Internet is full of amazing photos from different parts of the world, where the paradisiacal white sands under palm trees invite you to an unforgettable beach resort, and colorful cities beckon with stunning pictures, but, as a rule, most of them are promotional material. All these images can give you a fantastically unrealistic idea of a place and inflate your expectations to the limit. Disappointment overtakes most tourists upon arrival at the place — the sky is not so blue, the water is not so clear, the palm trees are not so green and everything is different. The principle of expectation and reality affects.

Many inexperienced travelers are very excited at first when they plan their long-awaited trip, and then come to an unpleasant surprise and even disappointment. Always try to lower your expectations a little, it is much more pleasant to experience unexpected delight than a mismatch of expectations and reality.

9. Local traditions

Inexperienced travelers on foreign trips are often surprised by unexpected rules of behavior that differ from those in their homeland. For example, not everyone knows that in Dubai, for example, it is not customary to wear clothes with bare shoulders and legs, and in Thailand to stroke a child's head. In Japan, it is strictly forbidden to leave tips, here it is perceived as a personal insult. In Singapore, it is forbidden to chew gum in public places.

Each country is unique with its cultural values and traditions, and it is the responsibility of every traveler to remember this and know local peculiarities.

10. Social networks

If you are a blogger or live on social networks, this item is not for you.

Doing endless posting on social networks, and then looking at the pictures, you may be a little surprised that you have no memories of the place of travel. Looking at the sights through the camera lens deprives you of that elusive atmosphere, which you can't get later by looking at the pictures. Believe me, a few selfies are enough for everyone around you to know where you are and what beauty is around!

Another annoying mistake that tourists make, and it can even cost some their lives, is searching for dangerous selfie points in dangerous places. These are all kinds of roofs, bridges, cliffs, ledges, cliff edges and other extreme points from which you so want to get the coveted shot, can not only lead to injury, but also to more tragic consequences. Don't turn your journey into dangerous games and enjoy the moment in every minute of your journey!