Travelling the world is right up there with what most of us class as ‘living the dream’. In reality, however, it’s not always quite as plain-sailing as it may seem. In order to make your big trip a success, you’ll need to invest considerable time and effort in fine-tuning the small details. However, in our rush to ensure we cram as much as possible into our itineraries or tick off our travel bucket list, we often tend to overlook important aspects of our trip. Here are some of the most common things my fellow travellers tell me they tend to overlook while travelling abroad. Read on to get clued up on some of the most important things travellers should know ahead of your next adventure abroad!
5 Important Things Travellers Should Know
Backing up and/or printing travel photos
From glorious sunsets to turquoise waves lapping your feet, sun-kissed selfies and epic waterfall jump shots – the photo opportunities that travel presents us with are limitless. As a professional blogger, when I take iconic travel shots, I strive to ensure I get the perfect pic. I need to ensure the lighting is just right – whether that means getting up early to avoid the crowds when visiting popular tourist attractions, or booking the window seat in a restaurant to pap the perfect pic of my meal.
Despite all the effort we put into capturing the perfect image, however, our photographs are often kept hidden away on our digital devices, sometimes never even backed up for safe-keeping. In order to protect our photos from getting lost, stolen or damaged, it’s essential that we back them up using cloud storage, or perhaps by means of a separate memory card that you can carry while overseas.
And why stop at creating secure back-ups? You spend so much time trying to preserve your special travel memories and experiences, it’s only right that they should be on display in your home so you can truly appreciate them. Check out hellocanvas.co.uk for some inspiring ways to display your favourite photos.
Checking restaurant reviews
Experimenting with new flavours and cuisines is a huge part of travelling, with most of us eager to jump in with both feet. However, as tempting as it may be to explore unusual ingredients and flavours while abroad, our health needs to assume priority.
Failure to research the places we eat while travelling – whether by reading online reviews or consulting with the locals – is one of the key reasons why travellers often develop food poisoning while abroad and, therefore, one of the most essential things travellers should know. When I went to India in 2016, I was itching to explore the cheap, exotic foods dished out by the street food vendors. With only ten days in which to explore, however, I chose to play it safe and stick to restaurant cuisine – I simply didn’t have time for a case of ‘Delhi belly’ during my stay! Sometimes it pays to play it safe, although if you’ll be sticking around for a few months, you might feel more comfortable with being more adventurous with the local cuisine. Here, one of my top tips is to ask the locals where they’d like to eat or look for the restaurant with the longest queue trailing out of the front door.
Respecting cultural values and customs
It’s easy to get swept up in the romance and adventure of travelling. Sadly, many tourists forget to remember that they’re simply guests of their chosen destination and, as a result, fail to show respect to their host country.
Respecting the values and beliefs of the destination we’re visiting is one of the key things travellers should know and one of the most important aspects of enjoying a responsible travel experience. Common examples of how travellers break cultural values and norms include by failing to dress appropriately, littering, blocking traffic or public walkways when taking photos, failing to demonstrate respect when visiting sacred sites such as temples, participating in slum tourism or being otherwise rude and condescending to locals. Always research your host country before you travel to prevent any faux pas and avoid offending the locals.
Looking after themselves
We usually travel because we want to relax and unwind while exploring somewhere new, but travelling for long periods can – and will – take its toll on your body and mind.
Too much jetlag can leave us feeling extremely tired and rundown, which can make us more prone to picking up viruses and becoming homesick. Similarly, when we’re setting off on exciting adventure across the world, sometimes we might stray from regular mealtimes, fail to eat enough wholesome foods or forget to stay hydrated. Rest, drink lots of water and don’t forget to eat foods that are good for you! You’ll be thankful for it once you realise you’ve got buckets of energy to spend on exploring the local area.
Some of us are on medication or therapies for chronic conditions. Make sure to pack enough meds to last your whole trip, or take your sleep therapy machines or other health devices with you. Don’t let your body suffer because of your desire to travel and explore. You can go on trips and take care of your health at the same time!
No matter how well you intend to take care of yourself while travelling, however, it’s absolutely essential that you take out appropriate travel insurance and, if you’ll be hiring a car or bike while you’re away, you’ll need to get that insured too. Whether you’re looking to insure yourself to drive a moped or scooter in south east Asia, or an off-road jeep to embark on an exotic safari, use an online comparison tool to search motorcycle insurance from more than 35 insurers, or browse different levels of car insurance cover to find the best policy to cover you in the vehicle you’ll be driving.
Realising that less is often more
As we’ve already acknowledged, the idealistic dream of travelling the world is actually much more physically and mentally challenging than we realise. Travelling is often extremely fast-paced and, when you’re only overseas for a limited amount of time, the pressure is on to cram in everything and anything that you possibly can. One of the most valuable things travellers should know is that, the more you pace yourself and slow down, the more you’ll learn to appreciate your adventures overseas. After all, you don’t want to arrive back home feeling like you need another holiday to get over your big trip!
Share your thoughts on things travellers should know by commenting below. Can you think of anything I’ve missed?
This post is in partnership with Hellocanvas.co.uk.