05 September 2019
Aside from the proverbial forgotten toothbrush and small items you may have overlooked during your frantic last-minute packing session, there are some mistakes you really do not want to make. Here are some of them:
- Your documents: Not buying travel insurance for your trip Not checking the expiration date on your passport. Forgetting about visas and vaccinations needed for certain countries. Failing to scan and email yourself to copy all your important documents, including credit cards. Not carrying contact information for your hotels.
- Hotels: In the event of a late evening check-in, they are not communicating. Not asking about charges ahead of time (breakfast, internet, parking, etc.). Not realizing that the cheapest deal is usually the one with the biggest penalties or altogether non-refundable. Not researching the weather for your destination (for example, going to the Caribbean during the hurricane season ... not good). Not choosing the location of your hotel in relation to what you want to do.
- Money: Not calculating your true costs. Forgetting to tell your bank you'll be gone and risking they'll block your cards. Not having enough cash on hand (in case there are no ATMs in the proximity). Not changing the data on your phone and getting pounded with roaming charges. Packing way too much and paying over-the-weight-limit fees.
- Safety: Not learning some basics in the country of the country You are visiting and not traveling. Being careless with valuables and lack of awareness of what is going on. Wearing flashy jewelry that can catch lots of unwanted attention. Being too friendly with strangers
- Logistics: Waiting until the last minute assuming you'll find last-minute flight deals. Not printing out your boarding pass ahead of time. Not asking your taxi how much the ride is before you get (again, travel + surprises = not good). Failing to inspect your car. Being suckered into unnecessary rental upgrades. Having an overly-ambitious itinerary and stressing yourself out. Failing to pack basic necessities in carry-on bags (toiletries, underwear, medicines) should be checked-in luggage not show up.