Travel can be a source of great joy, but it can also bring its share of challenges. Reddit users have shared their hard-learned lessons from their most taxing travel experiences. The insights from these stories offer invaluable advice for anyone planning their next adventure.
- “Don’t pack so much that you can’t carry all your own luggage up and down a flight of stairs. And my personal item must have a trolley sleeve/strap/something.”
- “Pack a carry-on with what you will need the next day in case your checked bag is delayed. Have at least a weeks worth of medicine in that carry-on.”
- “Always check for local holidays if you don’t have places booked in advance otherwise you’ll end up moving 3 times in 5 days. Don’t believe everything that google maps shows otherwise you’ll end up walking around the Laos farm country for 2 hours in the rain, getting chased by a dog but meeting a nice lady who gives you water before you find the bus station… or you might end up on a dirt trail in Tasmania in your van. The biggest things: 1) you don’t need to bring as much as you think and it you don’t bring something you need, you can usually get it locally. 2) relax even when it seems things are going right, you can handle it and they usually work out just fine!”
- “Last things to check before you leave home: passport, travel documents, phone and credit card. If you have these, other missing things can be managed.”
- “On any long trip to an exciting place, you will be tempted to go hard and see/do everything you can. Having a rest day is critical. I spent day 6 of a 10 day Egypt trip at a nice hotel, on the deck, drinking and reading my book and watching the river traffic. I was in a better mood for the rest of my trip than my travel mates.”
- “Enjoy your trip haha! As for your question, I learned some people can’t handle the stress of traveling. I went on a trip to Florida with my buddy (almost 30). He almost broke down crying in the airport when they changed our flight entrance location. The entire trip seemed entirely too stressful for him. So not everyone is meant to travel.”
- “Read the entry requirements for your destination and especially *if you’re not arriving from your home country.*”
- “Don’t travel with anyone that you may have doubts about. We went on a Mediterranean cruise with our former neighbors. We lived next-door to them for 17 years. The husbands were really good friends at that time. I was not overly fond of the wife, but I thought I could connect with her more on this trip. WRONG!! The trip was very awkward and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I disliked them even more. It kind of ruined what should’ve been an amazing vacation. Lesson learned lol!!”
- “Make sure to take pictures of your passport and have those saved. If your passport gets stolen or lost it’s not the end of the world. Just several hours at the consulate.”
- “You’re a guest in their country. Treat the people with respect. If things are done differently at home, remember you’re not home. Be flexible.”
- “We went with Rick Steves recommendation to go with a backpack to carry everything and it was the best decision! First off, it’s less expensive when flying. Second, you’re not having to lug a bunch of luggage around which can be a hassle on mass transit. Thirdly, There is a lot of freedom not having to deal with all the extra junk you tend to bring on a trip. And forth, backpack is a carryon so you don’t have to stress about lost luggage or baggage claim.”
- “Acknowledge that you’re jet lagged and probably not thinking as clearly as normal. I’ve made some dumb mistakes when I was jet lagged that could have been avoided if I had realized I wasn’t all the way there. Pack some meds for common traveler needs so you’re not trying to find stuff in another language. Imodium, DiaResQ, Benadryl, ibuprofen, meclizine, caffeine.”
- “You don’t need to bring cash with you internationally (or nothing substantial rather- don’t try to account for your whole trip, just have extra for “just in case”). Generally though, Exchange rates are much worse than simply taking cash out of an ATM abroad. Plus having too much cash makes you a target.”
- “Bring both a Visa and a MasterCard in case one fails. If you bring lots of cash, split it up between different pockets. In case of some pickpocketers. They’ll target the wallet so make sure you have backup cash. Do not talk to anyone. Keep walking. That person might be trying to scam you. Nothing is free. If you see someone approach with a magic trick or hanging around with an animal, and you try to take a photo, they’ll ask you for money. (For example, I knew this was the case in Peru but I didn’t mind paying a few sols to pet some alpacas.) Depending on the country you’re in, haggle! Avoid eating in touristy hotspots. Food tends to be mediocre or poor. If you’re in a European city walk away from the touristy spot and look for something where the locals are eating. Try to learn some simple phrases of the local language. For any developing county, check what vaccinations you need before traveling.”
- “Whenever you park your rental, make sure that you save the location either by dropping a pin, clicking a video or anything. Looking for our two wheeler on a rainy day on the beautiful streets of Rome for two hours was scary and wasted a lot of our time as well.”
- “Lost luggage transformed me into a OneBagger on every trip these days…. Carry on only. If I need something I forgot (which is rare after much minimalost packing practice) I can often purchase it on the trip and mail it home or donate it before returning home.”
- “Regardless how short a trip or where you go, but some basic insurance.”
- “Don’t listen to people who tell you to force yourself to stay up until night time to beat jet lag. Sleep as much as you need to and take a pill to sleep more. Leave your first full day as a free day if you can so that you can sleep as needed. More sleep is always better than less sleep.”
- “Do whatever you can to blend it and not look or act so much like a tourist. You will be preyed upon in many ways. Not so crazy but annoying example are those “immigrant” “refugee” or just not local looking dudes that hang around Rome and the Coliseum and come up to you then just start talking to you, offer to give you some small knick knack, then tell you some story about their rough life back home and then when you accept what you don’t even want they start demanding you give them money to “buy it from them”… etc. Just blend in and ignore people that come up to you because they are probably going to try to scam and threaten you in some way.”
- “Check water safety/restrictions on each country.”
