Everyone’s travel experience is different. But how do you prepare for traveling to place that you’ve never been to before!? How do you know what to expect? Well the truth is you don’t, so get over it. It’s going to be amazing, and scary, and exhilarating, and hard, and fun, and so bloody full that you will definitely come back with some brilliant stories. However, there are definitely a few tricks you can do before you leave to make sure those stories you return with aren’t ones of the depressing kind.
Packing too much/ too little
Ok packing is a hard one and naturally it depends what season you travel. Have a look at our Packing for Australia list if you need some tips for this great big land of OZ, but basically the rules are the same where ever you go: Pack a bag, then figure out what you don’t need and leave it behind. If you do too much of a cull you’ll end up having to buy everything you actually need at your destination, annoying! So be smart and don’t pack in a rush, no one makes good decisions in a hurry!
Not doing enough research
That old saying ‘see where the wind takes me’ is rather romantic isn’t it? No plans, taking each day as it comes, no research, planning is for losers! Weeeeeel, not really. Research is actually a rather important element of world travel. Not just for where you want to end up and when, but learning about the culture or landscape of a place before you arrive sets you up in a good place to be able to get more out of your trip. Sure, take a few days here and there of impulse travel, and change your destination once in a while but make sure you have little planning under your belt. It goes a long way.
Trying to do too much
On the flip side of the carefree way of thinking where you get to a destination and THEN find a place to stay. If you write up an unrealistic itinerary, chock full of activities and shows, walks, tours, cultural stuff, particular restaurants or sunny beaches, all with a time limit, your trip wont be an enjoyable one, but a tiring one. Better to loose a few things on your list and be happy, than stressed and tired because you’ve been a hard-core tourist for a few weeks.
Drinking too much
You know what? Drinking is a lot of fun, it releases some travel stress and is a great way to meet people out on the town being social with the locals or other travelers, and really who doesn’t love a cold beer on a hot sunny Australian day? BUT if you get completely trashed, you are so vulnerable to be taken advantage of, robbed, mugged, or worse. Your guard is down, you’re obviously not from ‘around here’ and you’ll scream ‘easy target’ to those you stumble by or throw up on. Wits are important. Drink, please do, but keep those precious wits.
Living with gadgets.
If you are the type who is attached to Facebook on your phone most hours of the day, check your email at regular intervals and travel with a ridiculous amount of Apple products, this is going to be a hard one for you. Put them down, and look up a bit more. Have your experiences with your own eyes and you’ll actually be living it. I think you’ll find you’ll have a better experience for it.
Basically, take it easy folks, It’s YOUR trip, so LIVE it!
