The time has come for the end of the school year for both college and high school students alike. People are about to go on vacations and have a small bit of rest and relaxation. Whether you are traveling abroad, within your country, or close to home, you might make some mistakes. I’ve compiled a list of travel tips I’ve learned from my travels to help you with your vacation.
1. Roll your clothes in your suitcase
This is something I learned from my trip as a People to People Student Ambassador. Instead of packing your suitcase with your clothes as flat squares, roll them up like a poster. The amount of extra space it gives you is amazing. I used this technique again when I went on my EF Tour to Ireland and the United Kingdom last year. Trust me, this one is a life-saver.
2. Pack as light as possible
This will benefit you if you are traveling by air. If your suitcase is overweight, you’ll be charged an extra fee. If you pack as light as possible, you’ll have a lighter suitcase when flying out and when you come back, you’ll have more space for those souvenirs. Besides, souvenirs will add weight and if you pack light, you have much more wiggle room when it comes to how much weight you can add on in souvenirs.
3. Use plastic bags for liquids
When I traveled abroad, I packed medicine and Band-Aids, and my hair and body wash in plastic Ziploc bags. I also used larger air-tight Ziploc bags to separate my dirty clothes from my clean clothes. Using these bags will keep everything separate and prevent any kinds of leaks and spills on your clothes. Packing extra bags will also give you somewhere to put your new souvenirs.
4. Leave room in your suitcase
This is obvious. It also goes along with packing light. You are going to buy things and if you filled your suitcase with your necessities, you’ll have no room for your souvenirs. Then you have a large problem. If you have the money, you could get a cardboard box and mail things home, but if not, you might have a bigger problem. Or you could buy an extra suitcase while you are traveling.
5. Keep your valuables in a specific spot
When you travel, you’ll have some pretty priceless things with you. I would suggest keeping them in a specific spot that never changes. Don’t accidentally misplace them or you might be in for a panic attack. If you keep them in one spot, you will (hopefully) never lose them. If you lose your passport, you’ll have a larger problem than you would care for.
6. Make a checklist when you pack
This is just to help you pack. Make a checklist of what you need and how many you need. It will help the process of packing go much easier. Also, if you keep that checklist with you, repacking for traveling home will be that much easier as you know how many shirts or pants you packed.
7. Pack early
As much as everyone usually packs the night before, packing early will have some pretty nice benefits. That way, if you maybe forget something, you still have a chance to pack it. Don’t forget that checklist either.
8. Be calm in the airport
No one likes airports. At least, no one I have met. Airports are stressful and hard to get through on a good day. The stress of making your flight or simply getting through security might do a person in. Just remain calm and positive. Despite how much you may hate the airport, being angry will only make your airport journey worse.
9. Try new food – don’t always eat what you are used to
When I went to Europe with People to People, when we had a chance to get our own food, some people would buy McDonald's or refuse to eat the new and different food that was given to them. Some people hated that they couldn’t eat American food or weren’t given the option to have American food. While you are in another country or region, experience their normal. Eat their food. You might find that some things that you thought were crazy are actually pretty good eating.
10. Don’t plan the vacation in advance
Sometimes if you plan your vacation in advance, you will be stuck to a schedule with no wiggle room to do something you found interesting. When I went down to Marco Island, Florida, we didn’t really have a plan besides one or two days. While down there, I found a manatee watching tour and a dolphin watching tour that I immediately wanted to do. Because our vacation wasn’t restricted to a tight schedule, we had the freedom to do those tours and we had fun. We enjoyed them.
11. Budget yourself
You aren’t going to get to do all you want if you don’t figure out how much you want to spend or how much money you will have. Create a budget if you don’t have that much money to spend. But, otherwise, be conscious of how much money you have. Going into debt for a vacation isn’t something you want to do. Or, if you run out of money before your trip is over, you might have another problem.
12. Do prior research on where you are going
This will give you an idea of what is there before you go. You can skim around the area of your interest and find places where you can go and do little excursions. Buy travel books or look at those little brochures lined up in welcome centers. Those little brochures can give you an experience of a lifetime.
13. Don’t second guess buying something
If you like it, buy it. Don’t deliberate buying something even if you know you aren’t going to use it. You’ll have the story of where you bought it and how it was made. That story will last a lifetime and you might find that you actually do want to use it or wear it. I would only actually second-guess something if you close on money and might not have the money you need to purchase something.
14. Be a good representation of where you are from
If traveling abroad from your home country, you will have some stereotypes following you. That should be a given. The best you can do is prove those stereotypes wrong by being a good representation. Whether you like it or not, you are a sort of ambassador for your country and you should act accordingly. If not, you’ll give some people some preconceived notions that all people from your country are like you. Be respectable to the people you meet in other countries. Also, be curious about the culture you are visiting. Trust me, people will be more than happy to tell you about their cultures.
