5 Common Mistakes First-time Travellers Make
We’ve all been newbies at some point in our life. Travelling, much like anything else, is an art which only becomes perfected after years of experience. When starting out on your journey, everyone is prone to make the odd rookie error.
Here are five common mistakes most first-time travellers will make.
1. Data on your phone
You’ve probably heard the horror stories surrounding mobile phone usage overseas. Using your data on unprotected plans will see your holiday expenditure quickly sky-rocket, with foreign roaming charges often reaching ridiculous levels.
One such case saw a mother spending £20,000 just while trying to upload a set of Turkish holiday photos onto Facebook. Unless you’d like to come home and find yourself bankrupt, your best bet is to do a ton of research regarding these types of costs.
If all else fails, you can always make a point of not using much data during your travels. There will be plenty of spots, such as internet cafes, where you’ll be able to access things like Facebook and Instagram (you know, the essentials) for relatively cheap prices.
2. Not bringing document copies
People naively believe they can get by on a holiday by simply taking their basic documentation with them. While this is in theory perfectly true, what happens when that stuff suddenly goes missing?
Failing to take a secondary set of documents means if these get lost, you’re suddenly stranded in a foreign country with no clear way of proving who you are, or getting back home again.
Avoid this nightmare by taking at least one copy of every crucial bit of information you have on you – this includes passports, visas or any other type of info a country might ask for upon crossing its borders.
3. Unnecessary toiletries
We’re going to let you in on a little secret – other countries also sell toothpaste. It might sound farcical, but you’d be amazed how many people cram as many toiletries into their luggage as possible before taking a trip overseas.
There are plenty of things you don’t need when travelling, which find their way into most people’s backpacks. But when it comes to some of the world’s most pointless travel items, excessive levels of toothpaste, moisturiser and even hair-straighteners are among the top 10 of the silliest. Any seasoned pro will tell you all of these items are either surplus to requirement, or easily purchasable from a local store.
4. Over-planning
You’ve got a very set idea of what you want to do and when on your holiday, and you’re not going to let anything stand in the way of that – right? This type of attitude is the worst to have when you set off on your adventure. It’s restrictive and ties you down to a one-track route (which you might not even end up enjoying anyway).
Yes, it’s never a bad idea to plan your holiday ahead of time – there are even lots of handy tools which make that process simple for you – but this should only ever be a rough guide of your itinerary of events.
If you see something which catches your eye when you’re out and about in a foreign land, don’t feel like you can’t experience it just because it clashes with the timings on your schedule. Go with the spur of the moment, and you’ll find yourself having a lot more fun.
5. Looking like a tourist
With this one, we’re not suggesting you should go out of your way to blend seamlessly into the background – it’d be practically impossible when it comes to your ethnicity in certain countries – but you can at least not stick out like too much of a sore thumb.
Do some background reading about the culture and customs of the place you’re travelling to.
This will not only give you a better understanding of the area but could also mean you avoid making any social faux pas which may across as rude or insulting to the natives.
If you’re a complete newcomer to travelling, make sure you pay attention to these types of errors when you’re on your journeys. Don’t fall into the trap of making a number of embarrassing rookie mistakes.
Written by Amber Whilst
*Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post
