Day dreaming about traveling to your favorite destination? Don’t worry, it happens with everyone. Although most people suffer from pre-travel anxiety, which is also common. When we are traveling to some place away from home, we have to get out of our comfort zone to a certain degree. Also, we have to come face to face with certain experiences we are not familiar with.
Here are some things to do and plan certain activities, before and during your travel, to ensure a smooth and memorable experience during your holiday:
Thoroughly research your destination
When you have a place in mind, the first thing you need to do is conduct a personal research about the place. You must read and know about the weather and climate patterns of the area and the best times to visit. Look up the websites offering the most affordable lodging options and do check the reviews of the places. Also, watching vlog and travel videos of the place helps a lot. Make sure you watch the recently uploaded videos and so read the comments. Nothing matches real feedback from actual tourists and travelers.
Mark a budget
It is always good to plan ahead and mark your limits in spending. When you plan your budget, you avoid going overboard. It is very important to plan the travel tickets and make your stay bookings according to your budget. It is recommended to make budgetary allocations to each activity involved in your holiday. You can mark buffers and draw the line in terms of expenditure. Making a budget would ensure that you enjoy your holiday and sustain the good memories later on, without feeling bad about it.
Pre-travel shopping
Depending on the destination of your choice and the type of holiday you are planning, make a list of articles that you would need. It is very important that you are well-equipped with all the items that you need and avoid any embarrassment. Keep your list handy and keep ticking-off the items that you buy. Make sure you have the right type of clothing and safety equipment. Ensure that you carry an extra battery bank, along with your mobile’s charger.
Start travel diet
Travel diet is a thing and it is very important its impacts on your body. If you start planning your diet ahead of your holiday, you would have the best experience, as your body would support you during the trip. According to Nutrition for Travel: From Jet lag To Catering, published in International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, “Strategies to manage travel fatigue and jet lag, and to ensure adequate hygiene and appropriate catering in the new environment, can minimize the challenges or deleterious effects of travel.
Adjustment to the new location is particularly important when athletes have to compete soon after arriving, as jet lag, unaccustomed environmental conditions, illness, or inappropriate dietary intake has the potential to significantly affect performance. However, lengthy periods of travel are challenging if new surroundings expose the athlete to suboptimal training or nutrition practices that interfere with the larger goals of the annual plan or key mesocycles of training.”
Pack light
One of the most important things to do is keep the selection of the things to take along very limited. Some people have a habit of picking additional luggage for the trip, however, an additional luggage not only causes discomfort while carrying, it takes away some pleasant memories with it. We recommend you to watch Up In the Air, an amazing 2009 movie starring George Clooney and just focus on the part where he explains about the benefits of traveling light. You’ll get the gist of it!
Some useful tips:
- Consider your health; make sure you know of your body’s special needs, allergies and food preferences and plan your travel accordingly
- Take into consideration all the safety and security factors associated with your destination and plan your activities accordingly
- Keep all your travel documents handy and if traveling abroad, take extra care of your passport
- If you are on certain pills or medication, make sure you carry enough medicine stock to last the days of your travel.
- Always wear comfortable clothing during the travel and avoid tight and clingy ones.